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2019 Predictions!


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4 hours ago, queenanne_1536 said:

Gaines is not the sole reason SCV won last year, or returned to contention. That's a silly thing to say. Of course, he was a huge acquisition but he is merely one member of a team. Perhaps the biggest genius on that team (according to some), but it still takes more than one man. BD doesn't have 18 titles because of one man. They have 18 titles because they have managed to continually have great teams in place who help them maintain the highest level of consistency. It takes far more than one man or woman to put a corps back in contention. It takes a team. A consistent team. A team that collaborates together on the highest level - and that takes years to build, not months, not a season, years. SCV has that team in place now. BD has had that team in place for years. Does anyone else? No.

lulz.  Gaines *IS* the sole reason SCV went from recycled ideas like Les Mis and Scheherazade to breaking into the medals.  Of course Crown's design transition had a LOT to do with making room for Vanguard to move up.  So there was some fortunate timing in play as well.    But SCV was outside looking in until the master of GE got into the design room and made them relevant again.  So yeah -- he's the sole reason they're contenders.  Take him away and they're back to being a good corps with no fresh ideas.

Still your argument only applies to BD.  Sure that team has proven they can win long term. SCV hasn't proven anything beyond two good years.  We've seen that from a lot of other corps.  Maybe they'll have staying power,  maybe not.  You have to believe that visually they've got the designer who creates better GE moments than virtually anyone (although the over-reliance on props is a trend that can't end too soon IMO).   Percussion  -- yeah.  The rest ?  We'll see. 

Can Crown's re-vamped design team come together a write winning shows?  Again -- we will see.  I have suspect they will but hey I'm an admitted Crown Fan.   Just watching what that team has fielded in the past few years makes it seems like they were still settling in chemistry-wise.  But there were flashes of brilliance in those shows.  We'll see what happens.     

Edited by karuna
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11 hours ago, GUARDLING said:

 The beginning of the season to finals is one thing BUT there were shows maybe before your time that a corps would go up or down many points depending on judging. That was just crazy and the only explanation you would get is " I called it as I saw it" Not good enough today. Todays top 5 or 6 maybe even 7 now are at very different levels even from 10 years ago. Can corps move? Yes, I think we have seen it. Several places? Maybe but would that even make sense with actual criteria and accountability as I said Maybe . Corps levels and talent are so close in those top 7 and knocking one off has more to do with a slip or a surge and timing One would have to be the only one either making improvements or making none at all to make huge jumps.

I totally agree with you about Spring Training and the benefits. Corps who do not take advantage have in the past suffered. There are a few now in the upper 1/2 of finals who learned it, the hard way.

Talent is so strong in those upper corps that it can be hard to move. If a corps does they had great timing and literally calculated each part of their season.

I agree with you, to some extent, about past judging vs judging today, but judging today is way too consistent. Go look at the scores for the first two shows of 2011. The scores from the first show were released until after the second show. Look at the massive discrepancy’s. That’s what we should be seeing, at least early in the season. It is entirely possible that you could think one corps brass line was better and the next night I could think 2 or 3 other corps had better brass lines and neither of us would be wrong.

It is 100% a herd judging mentality today. Judges scoring more on precedent and reputation than actual results. Again, look at all those times were one corps remains just tenths above another throughout the entire season. That is just not possible. Fortunately, I am hard pressed to ever find a placement I disagree with on finals night, and I guess that’s the most important show to get right.

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9 hours ago, karuna said:

lulz.  Gaines *IS* the sole reason SCV went from recycled ideas like Les Mis and Scheherazade to breaking into the medals.  Of course Crown's design transition had a LOT to do with making room for Vanguard to move up.  So there was some fortunate timing in play as well.    But SCV was outside looking in until the master of GE got into the design room and made them relevant again.  So yeah -- he's the sole reason they're contenders.  Take him away and they're back to being a good corps with no fresh ideas.

Still your argument only applies to BD.  Sure that team has proven they can win long term. SCV hasn't proven anything beyond two good years.  We've seen that from a lot of other corps.  Maybe they'll have staying power,  maybe not.  You have to believe that visually they've got the designer who creates better GE moments than virtually anyone (although the over-reliance on props is a trend that can't end too soon IMO).   Percussion  -- yeah.  The rest ?  We'll see. 

Can Crown's re-vamped design team come together a write winning shows?  Again -- we will see.  I have suspect they will but hey I'm an admitted Crown Fan.   Just watching what that team has fielded in the past few years makes it seems like they were still settling in chemistry-wise.  But there were flashes of brilliance in those shows.  We'll see what happens.     

While Gaines may have propelled them to better show designs, that does not mean Gaines is the sole reason they are a contender again. Part of the reason, yes. The sole reason, no. Scheherazade came to the table very late in 2014. They were working on an entirely different show but couldn’t get the rights to some of the music, so they scraped it late and went with Scheherazade. SCV’s return started with Fiedler in 2008. It look many years of acquiring the right pieces to make it happen, and 10 years later it did.

Yes, SCV hasn’t proven they could do it more than 2 years in a row, but what separates SCV is, again, they won nearly every caption at finals last year. The only other corps to do that, in years, is BD. That bodes very well for SCV. They have put the decision pieces in place, the staffing pieces, and now they have the talent. We’ll have to see what happens this year, but if we’re talking predictions, I don’t think it’s wise to put SCV or BD out of the top 2 (unless you’re putting Bloo in there, and that may be even a stretch).

I hope Crown finds their way back. I probably listen to their shows more than anyone else’s, I just haven’t liked any of them since 2015 and last year was the worst. I just felt that entire show was one big design mistake.

Edited by queenanne_1536
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10 hours ago, karuna said:

 SCV hasn't proven anything beyond two good years.  We've seen that from a lot of other corps.      

 SCV has 7 DCI Titles... lol.

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32 minutes ago, BRASSO said:

 SCV has 7 DCI Titles... lol.

ancient history.  last win was 1999 and before that 1989. they were perennial contenders in the 70's and 80's.     any performers from those years still marching?  designers still on staff?  um no.

so while they deserve historical respect for their past accomplishments,  it has little bearing on what's on the field in 2019 (which you might note is the thread topic). it's  -- you know -- in the PAST.  

so their current track record is two years in contention.  and those two show designs are certainly nothing like the avant-guard edginess of Vanguard in the past.  this past year it's full on broadway-on-the-field with performers spending half their time pushing props instead of playing, mic'd up tuba lines, the field compressed to between the 30's and in front of the hash and a very distinct lack of drill.   

 

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3 hours ago, karuna said:

 this past year it's full on broadway-on-the-field with performers spending half their time pushing props instead of playing, mic'd up tuba lines, the field compressed to between the 30's and in front of the hash and a very distinct lack of drill.   

 

Yeah, this comment is evident you're just one of the many here on DCP that are completely clueless and have no idea what you are talking about. Time to ignore.

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2 hours ago, queenanne_1536 said:

Yeah, this comment is evident you're just one of the many here on DCP that are completely clueless and have no idea what you are talking about. Time to ignore.

SCV was many things last year (mostly terrific) - but yes, they spent a good deal of time moving props and not playing

That doesn't take away the fact that they were BY FAR the best corps last year - IMHO. From execution to design - SCV notched themselves a very high bar

I wouldn't be surprised if they repeat - or GASP - three peat. They were that good, everyone else is playing catch up right now

There's also a huge gap between last years top 4 and the remaining corps - however we may see one of those four drop back a bit into the next pack this coming year. Just a hunch.

Anyway - yes, Gaines design/experience helped lift SCV to the next level. But nothing in this activity is a one-man show

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6 hours ago, BRASSO said:

 SCV has 7 DCI Titles... lol.

and a lot of VERY close 2nd place finishes - but all just pesky details. They've only been good for the past TWO YEARS

The power of this opener live would knock today's fans backwards IMHO - that 87 corps was just stacked

What I would give to hear this corps live again

 

Edited by George Dixon
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2 for 12 in my preseason finals prediction for last season so let's see how this goes 😄

1. Carolina Crown - Get their design issues worked out and make a run for gold

2. Bluecoats - Fix percussion "issues" from last season. Comes out with great show design and just edges out BD with possible late season surge

3. Blue Devils- BD will do what BD does but could their reign be over? Tight competition in top 3 pushes them to 3rd

4. Santa Clara Vanguard - Suffers usual fate of defending champs trying to recreate magic. Falls in 4th

5. Boston Crusaders - Continues putting out another great show but just isn't quiet ready to break into top 4

6. The Cadets - Another season under their belts after getting things worked out. Breaks back into top 6 but still a few seasons away from medal contention

7. The Cavaliers - Show design will hold them back unfortunately when all other sections can compete with anyone above

8. Blue Knights - Comes out with better show design but top 7 is too much for anyone to break into

9. Blue Stars - Continue to improve off of last year. Could see a tight battle between them and BK most of season

10. Phantom Regiment - Try and get things worked out from last year. BK and BS just a little too much for them to jump

11. Crossmen - Improve a little from last season. Still good brass sound

12. Mandarins - Golden child slips just a little bit trying a bit too hard and others fix their design issues. Still makes finals

FInals Contenders: Spirit of Atlanta, The Academy, Madison Scouts

I'm really shooting in the dark as I haven't read any corps news, staff changes, winter camps, or have any knowledge on what anyone is doing or has done but I'll probably do a updated one during spring training or after everyone has had their first show!

 

 

Edited by OhioBoy_99
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6 hours ago, George Dixon said:

SCV was many things last year (mostly terrific) - but yes, they spent a good deal of time moving props and not playing

That doesn't take away the fact that they were BY FAR the best corps last year - IMHO. From execution to design - SCV notched themselves a very high bar

I wouldn't be surprised if they repeat - or GASP - three peat. They were that good, everyone else is playing catch up right now

There's also a huge gap between last years top 4 and the remaining corps - however we may see one of those four drop back a bit into the next pack this coming year. Just a hunch.

Anyway - yes, Gaines design/experience helped lift SCV to the next level. But nothing in this activity is a one-man show

They were entertaining as hell.  I'm just not sure I like the direction they're heading.  Less props (no brass player joins a corps to be a stagehand.  Occasionally sure it happens.  But there was WAY too much stagehand time for a lot of those performers). Use the whole field.  If you want to mic brass soloists,  plant them on the front sideline with mic stands.  But don't use IEM and wireless mic's to overcome what is otherwise really poor staging.  Getting the right people in the right spot at the right time is a really big part of what makes drum corps such a unique idiom;  brass instruments don't need amps.  The pit -- sure.  Electronics -- ok.  But keep brass acoustic please.  

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