Fran Haring Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 9 hours ago, Ediker said: Why in the world does Blue Devils' sluggish, listless, unimaginative, imprecise, and BORING Visual design win? Are there no prisons??? Are there no workhouses??? 2 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liahona Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 5 minutes ago, Fran Haring said: Are there no prisons??? Are there no workhouses??? they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ediker Posted May 12, 2018 Author Share Posted May 12, 2018 13 minutes ago, Fran Haring said: Are there no prisons??? Are there no workhouses??? Okay, it was uncalled for on my part. Ship me off 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 12 hours ago, Ediker said: Okay, surely this topic has been done to death, but it still baffles me. Why do the Blue Devils win Visual? There is so much precision, innovation, difficulty, and entertainment in other top 5 corps' Visual programs. Why in the world does Blue Devils' sluggish, listless, unimaginative, imprecise, and BORING Visual design win? I watch BD wanting to love what I see, but always come away stumped ("That won Visual?"). It's criminal that they beat Crown, SCV, Bloo, and Cavies... whose shows would be entertaining even with the volume turned off. BD's colorguard is worthy of being counted among the best, but everything else, visually, is below average in composition/design among the rest of the top 12. The judges either don't understand what they're judging (and frightened to take a stand, give it to BD), or they're being paid off, or there is something arcane about Visual judging that I'm completely missing. Please educate me. For the record, while I am biased toward the east coast, I've had great love for BD, at different times, and would not call myself a hater. it's actually quite simple.....BD shows a skill and that they can do it amazingly, then show another skill....rinse repeat. too many beat you over the head with the same skills over and over and over. BD has also mastered the art of staging. Everything is built to hit at the moments, and allow for the flow of the transitions to be fluid to where it doesn't need to be form perfect..it just needs to develop so when the moment arrives...spotless. no it doesn't get burning babies like wormholes and z-pulls and sliding down ramps.....but it works. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim K Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 Lots of folks find Blue Devils shows cluttered, and a common critique is they need to be clean. I have probably expressed similar sentiments over the years, but I think I am more likely to make this critique when I seem them live only one time in a season. However when I see Blue Devils multiple times, I often see what they attempt to do and even if a show is not my favorite, I appreciate what they try to do and understand why they are scored they way they are scored. That being said, since 2014i believe we have seen visually appealing shows that are not difficult to understand. Blue Devils is a corps that knows how to win. They are competitive and perform for the sheets. I would say this has been the case since 1975 when they first cracked the top 3. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 (edited) A good analogy, imo, is that the Blue Devils, chiefly due to their 4 decades worth of excellence, have pretty much developed into what essentially amounts to a DCI All Star Team( Corps.) now. Sure, its possible for one of the other teams ( Corps) that annually send their best players( marchers) to the Blue Devils to top them, but thats always considered an upset. On those unusual occasions where these upsets happen, most national fans cheer like heck for that as most people pull for the underdog as part of human nature. All Star Teams generally have the best Managers, Coaches, etc in the game that are found there, and of course thats the DCI All Star Team ( Corps ) here as well. Edited May 12, 2018 by BRASSO 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCI-86 Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 9 hours ago, Jeff Ream said: it's actually quite simple.....BD shows a skill and that they can do it amazingly, then show another skill....rinse repeat. too many beat you over the head with the same skills over and over and over. BD has also mastered the art of staging. Everything is built to hit at the moments, and allow for the flow of the transitions to be fluid to where it doesn't need to be form perfect..it just needs to develop so when the moment arrives...spotless. no it doesn't get burning babies like wormholes and z-pulls and sliding down ramps.....but it works. THIS! This is also why the win guard year after year. Broader range than everyone else. Doesn't mean they are the most exciting, move the fastest, toss the highest etc but they show one skill and move on to the next. It took Carolina Crown to have not just a great guard but an exceptional guard and exceptional runs at finals to beat BD in guard, and they only did it one year - despite all those years of having an amazing guard. BD knows the sheets and has a formula that keeps working for them. Until someone else consistently finds something new then BD will keep winning, like it or not. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ediker Posted May 12, 2018 Author Share Posted May 12, 2018 10 hours ago, Jeff Ream said: ...no it doesn't get burning babies like wormholes and z-pulls and sliding down ramps.....but it works. I think it's this that I've been fixated on. I was raised on Zingali, Brubaker, and Sylvester drill moves. While the judges appreciate those moments, they're also looking for more scope in the visual design. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corps8294 Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 (edited) As I've said before, the Blue Devils have never been a corps known for high octane drill. It's just not their style. They are known for their staging and maximizing the musicianship of their members; and they do it very well. The current sheets are ideal for the Blue Devils and what they do. A number of corps have finally realized that zooming around the entire field at MACH speed is no longer going to get the demand rewards that they used to. Those that are still going warp speed for, nearly, their entire show aren't going to be challenging for a gold. It's just the way it is. Edited May 13, 2018 by corps8294 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ediker Posted May 12, 2018 Author Share Posted May 12, 2018 37 minutes ago, corps8294 said: Those that are still going warp speed for, nearly, their entire show aren't going to be challenging for a gold. It's just the way it is. Bloo was doing some warp speed last year, Cadets were zooming around in 2015 (and a little in 2016), and neither seemed to be getting a whole lot of credit for it. Bloo could've been cleaner. Cadets seemed to hit a GE ceiling in 2015. I hope Boston does not over-invest in fast tempos, this year, if they're not going to get credit for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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