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The 1988 Thread


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1988 was a very solid year for DCI. Right up there with 90, 92, and 95. I rank 92 highest, and after that I might go 90, 95, 88. Solid years.

Of the top tier corps all the shows were really good. Phantom Regiment and Santa Clara, IMO, had the two most beautiful shows with Romeo and Juliet and Phantom of the Opera. Even just listing to the audio of these two shows makes for a nice drum corps listening experience. The Blue Devils were undefeated for the entire season until semifinals, but as good as they were I didn't get the sense that they were unbeatable that year. I love the show top to bottom, but visual design was an issue. Still a fun show with Barbara Streisand's "Happy Days are Here Again." So many great solos, and the brass was killer good. It took me a while to grab onto Cadets. Tough show. They had done Copland before, but pulling off Copland's 3rd Symphony is a difficult task. The show definitely took time to hit, but their Finals performance is stellar. They were only 1 point off of Madison at Finals. The Cavaliers 1988 show is still one of my favs. I think after Phantom Regiment and SCV they were my 3rd favorite show of that summer. Firebird was done well and I loved their closer.

When it comes to Madison, I love the show -- even the more nuanced and contemporary "Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra." Obviously the closer is what most remember. That version of Malagena is likely the quintessential version that many of us think of when hearing someone else try to perform the tune. Their ending rocked the house. Of course, there are plenty of stories and arguments over "when did Madison hit their peak?" When did they assert themselves into the front-runner spot. It may be that they just kept plugging away until the last day and the judges rewarded them in the end. 

To be fair, Madison started the season very strong. I saw them live in Whitewater, WI early that season and they took first place easily. I really felt at that point they had a top 5 show. Now, did I think they would be top 3 or first place? Probably not...not without seeing BD, SCV, Cadets. But it was clear to me they had top 5 potential. So it was not like they were in 9th place and came from no where. Below are the early scores from Madison's brief contests before they traveled to Europe. 

   Menasha, WI                                    DCM
                                                     
    1 Madison Scouts                             69.2
    2 Cavaliers                                  67.0
    3 Phantom Reg Cadets                         37.0
    4 Quad City Knights                          34.1
    5 Guardsmen                                  32.6
    6 Blue Stars                                 28.6
    7 Northmen                                   26.5
    8 Madison Jr Scouts                          25.2
                                                     
                                                     
   ---------------  Sunday, June 12  --------------- 
                                                     
   Janesville, WI                                 DCM
                                                     
    1 Madison Scouts                             68.2
    2 Cavaliers                                  66.4
    3 Quad City Knights                          30.8
    4 Guardsmen                                  28.6
    5 Northmen                                   25.9
    6 Madison Jr Scouts                          21.3
                                                     
   ---------------  Friday, June 17  --------------- 
                                                     
   Whitewater, WI                                 DCM
                                                     
    1 Madison Scouts                             69.4
    2 Bluecoats                                  65.5
    3 Cavaliers                                  64.8
    4 Star of Indiana                            64.2
    5 Phantom Regiment                           63.6
    6 Sky Ryders                                 58.9
    7 Minnesota Brass                            39.2
    8 Emerald Knights                            33.8
    9 Northern Aurora                            32.6

 

One thing to note about Phantom's placement of 5th at this show was that they seemed barely ready to march the visual package. They were seriously sloppy. If you take a look at scores, Phantom would quickly move upward (minus Scouts who were in Europe). Star of Indiana also had some early and mid-season success. Bluecoats were awesome in 1988, but the show was not designed to stay in contention with the top 6. They were much cleaner early season. One the other corps got cleaner that changed things.

Edited by jwillis35
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We must also keep in mind that touring in Europe for 2 or 3 weeks hurts in terms of pushing the show competitively and in terms of making changes. There are no standard football fields like we have in America. They were constantly performing for other events over their, including the DC Holland Finals. That coupled with all the travel meant that Madison would have get back into the competitive grind when they returned...and judges would have to reassess their show in regard to other corps who had already made changes based on judges recommendations. It was certainly going to be a tough task for the Scouts.

Below is a nice video of the Drum Corps Holland Championships from 1988 (some nice shows) along with Madison's exhibition performance at the end. Their is a weird cut in the video after Madison's intro so you don't see the full show. I don't know if a lot of folks have seen this but there are some excellent shows, Madison is amazing, and the short video montage at the very end is nice too. Would be nice to see more America corps head over for these competitions. You can tell their fans love it. I know BD Alumni went over there not long ago...and what they did was very cool. Enjoy!

 

 

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Here is a look at scores from August to the end of the 1988 season -- with some comments by me after some of the show scores. 

---------------  Monday, August 1  ---------------
                                                     
   Cleveland, OH                                  DCI
                                                     
    1 Santa Clara Vanguard                       90.5
    2 Garfield Cadets                            89.6
    3 Bluecoats                                  81.2
    4 Troopers                                   66.9
    5 Blue Knights                               66.6
    6 Colts                                      61.3
    7 Limited Edition                            43.3
* I was at this show and SCV just totally blew my mind. AWESOME in every aspect!
                                                     
   Fort Wayne, IN                                 DCI
                                                     
    1 Phantom Regiment                           87.8
    2 Madison Scouts                             87.1
    3 Sky Ryders                                 73.6
    4 Freelancers                                71.2
    5 Marauders                                  63.1
    6 Spartans, WA                               55.4
    7 Glassmen                                   51.1
    8 Mandarins                                  39.9
                                                     
   Indianapolis, IN                               DCI
                                                     
    1 Blue Devils                                92.8
    2 Velvet Knights                             87.7
    3 Spirit of Atlanta                          84.9
    4 Crossmen                                   76.4
    5 Florida Wave                               71.3
    6 Quad City Knights                          60.3
                                                     
   Montreal, QUE                                  DCI
                                                     
    1 Star of Indiana                            89.7
    2 Cavaliers                                  88.4
    3 Suncoast Sound                             82.5
    4 Dutch Boy                                  80.0
    5 Boston Crusaders                           70.8
    6 Ventures                                   64.9
    7 Beatrix'                                   47.3
    8 Transit                                    46.6
                                                     
   --------------  Tuesday, August 2  -------------- 
                                                     
   Cincinnati, OH                                 DCI
                                                     
    1 Santa Clara Vanguard                       91.3
    2 Phantom Regiment                           89.6
    3 Madison Scouts                             88.2
    4 Velvet Knights                             87.6
    5 Spirit of Atlanta                          83.8
    6 Sky Ryders                                 76.1
    7 Freelancers                                73.8
    8 Florida Wave                               68.4
    9 Glassmen                                   51.7
   10 Limited Edition                            45.9
* Phantom was still hanging around...not too far off of SCV
                                                     
   Rome, NY                                       DCI
                                                     
    1 Star of Indiana                            87.8
    2 Cavaliers                                  87.6
    3 Suncoast Sound                             82.9
    4 Dutch Boy                                  80.2
    5 Boston Crusaders                           67.0
    6 Ventures                                   63.0
    7 Beatrix'                                   40.8
                                                     
   -------------  Wednesday, August 3  ------------- 
                                                     
   Evansville, IN                                 DCI
                                                     
    1 Santa Clara Vanguard                       92.1
    2 Velvet Knights                             88.4
    3 Spirit of Atlanta                          86.2
    4 Crossmen                                   78.4
    5 Marauders                                  64.3
    6 Quad City Knights                          58.0
                                                     
   Morgantown, WV                                 DCI
                                                     
    1 Garfield Cadets                            89.0
    2 Madison Scouts                             88.9
    3 Bluecoats                                  83.8
    4 Colts                                      66.4
    5 Troopers                                   65.8
* I attended this show with my girlfriend from Pittsburgh. She looked at me after Madison finished and
was in love with their show. Cadets beat them by .1 but I knew at that moment Madison was going to
wave bye bye to the Cadets. And Cadets would finish 4th. 
                                                     
   Pittsfield, MA                                 DCI
                                                     
    1 Star of Indiana                            89.3
    2 Cavaliers                                  88.7
    3 Dutch Boy                                  79.8
    4 Boston Crusaders                           69.2
    5 Blue Knights                               67.6
    6 Ventures                                   64.2
    7 Beatrix'                                   46.9
                                                     
   --------------  Thursday, August 4  --------------
                                                     
   Lynn, MA                                       DCI
                                                     
    1 Star of Indiana                            89.5
    2 Cavaliers                                  88.8
    3 Dutch Boy                                  80.9
    4 Boston Crusaders                           72.5
    5 Blue Knights                               69.9
    6 Beatrix'                                   49.1
                                                     
   Sevierville, TN                                DCI
                                                     
    1 Santa Clara Vanguard                       91.6
    2 Madison Scouts                             90.2
    3 Spirit of Atlanta                          85.2
    4 Crossmen                                   78.6
    5 Freelancers                                76.4
    6 Sky Ryders                                 74.6
    7 Florida Wave                               68.0
    8 Quad City Knights                          54.5
*Madison not too far behind
                                                     
   West Chester, PA                               DCI
                                                     
    1 Blue Devils                                93.7
    2 Garfield Cadets                            91.9
    3 Bluecoats                                  85.4
    4 Troopers                                   72.8
    5 Colts                                      66.9
    6 Spartans, WA                               62.3
                                                     
   ---------------  Friday, August 5  ---------------
                                                     
   Garfield, NJ                                   DCI
                                                     
    1 Garfield Cadets                            92.4
    2 Phantom Regiment                           89.1
    3 Bluecoats                                  85.0
    4 Colts                                      73.6
    5 Troopers                                   69.0
    6 Spartans, WA                               54.2
                                                     
   --------------  Saturday, August 6  --------------
                                                     
   Allentown, PA                                  DCI
   DCI East Prelims                                  
                                                     
    1 Blue Devils                                93.4
    2 Star of Indiana                            91.1
    3 Garfield Cadets                            90.7
    4 Cavaliers                                  90.5
    5 Phantom Regiment                           88.9
    6 Bluecoats                                  85.9
    7 Dutch Boy                                  79.3
    8 Troopers                                   71.9
    9 Boston Crusaders                           71.4
   10 Blue Knights                               69.8
   11 Colts                                      68.4
   12 Glassmen                                   57.4
   13 Spartans, WA                               57.2
   14 Beatrix'                                   49.7
                                                     
   Birmingham, AL                                 DCI
   DCI South Prelims                                 
                                                     
    1 Santa Clara Vanguard                       92.2
    2 Madison Scouts                             90.8
    3 Velvet Knights                             87.8
    4 Spirit of Atlanta                          86.7
    5 Suncoast Sound                             84.5
    6 Crossmen                                   79.7
    7 Freelancers                                77.5
    8 Sky Ryders                                 77.3
    9 Florida Wave                               75.7
   10 Marauders                                  70.9
   11 Quad City Knights                          60.6
   12 British Crusaders                          59.3
                                                     
   Allentown, PA                                  DCI
   DCI East                                          
                                                     
    1 Blue Devils                                93.7
    2 Star of Indiana                            91.5
    3 Garfield Cadets                            90.9
    4 Cavaliers                                  90.8
    5 Phantom Regiment                           89.6
    6 Bluecoats                                  85.4
    7 Dutch Boy                                  80.9
    8 Troopers                                   71.9
    9 Blue Knights                               71.1
   10 Boston Crusaders                           69.3
                                                     
   Birmingham, Al                                 DCI
   DCI South                                         
                                                     
    1 Santa Clara Vanguard                       92.2
    2 Madison Scouts                             90.4
    3 Velvet Knights                             88.8
    4 Spirit of Atlanta                          87.7
    5 Suncoast Sound                             84.8
    6 Crossmen                                   79.9
    7 Freelancers                                77.8
    8 Sky Ryders                                 76.8
    9 Florida Wave                               74.4
   10 Marauders                                  67.1
                                                     
   ---------------  Monday, August 8  ---------------
                                                     
   Jonesboro, AR                                  DCI
                                                     
    1 Santa Clara Vanguard                       91.9
    2 Spirit of Atlanta                          85.8
    3 Crossmen                                   77.0
    4 Florida Wave                               75.0
    5 Marauders                                  67.8
    6 Black Gold                                 51.3
                                                     
   Vincent, OH                                    DCI
                                                     
    1 Blue Devils                                93.8
    2 Cavaliers                                  92.1
    3 Bluecoats                                  86.7
    4 Boston Crusaders                           73.1
    5 Spartans, WA                               65.0
    6 Glassmen                                   58.4
    7 Limited Edition                            52.3
*Cavaliers not that far behind BD
                                                     
   Winston-Salem, NC                              DCI
                                                     
    1 Star of Indiana                            90.4
    2 Garfield Cadets                            89.5
    3 Phantom Regiment                           89.3
    4 Dutch Boy                                  80.1
    5 Colts                                      70.7
    6 Quad City Knights                          64.1
                                                     
   --------------  Tuesday, August 9  -------------- 
                                                     
   Charlotte, NC                                  DCI
                                                     
    1 Garfield Cadets                            92.3
    2 Phantom Regiment                           90.4
    3 Suncoast Sound                             85.0
    4 Dutch Boy                                  82.6
    5 Blue Knights                               70.7
    6 Colts                                      69.8
                                                     
   Columbus, OH                                   DCI
                                                     
    1 Blue Devils                                94.2
    2 Cavaliers                                  93.2
    3 Bluecoats                                  87.2
    4 Boston Crusaders                           77.6
    5 Troopers                                   74.7
    6 Spartans, WA                               62.6
    7 Limited Edition                            54.5
    8 Beatrix'                                   49.9
*Cavaliers handing in there with BD
                                                     
   -------------  Wednesday, August 10  -------------
                                                     
   Bloomington, IN                                DCI
                                                     
    1 Blue Devils                                95.2
    2 Cavaliers                                  93.3
    3 Star of Indiana                            92.4
    4 Bluecoats                                  87.6
    5 Troopers                                   75.9
    6 Quad City Knights                          62.5
    7 Beatrix'                                   51.0
                                                     
   Houston, TX                                    DCI
                                                     
    1 Madison Scouts                             92.5
    2 Velvet Knights                             89.5
    3 Sky Ryders                                 83.1
    4 Freelancers                                79.9
    5 Black Gold                                 58.5
    6 British Crusaders                          57.3
                                                     
   Springfield, MO                                DCI
                                                     
    1 Santa Clara Vanguard                       91.8
    2 Spirit of Atlanta                          86.7
    3 Crossmen                                   76.9
    4 Florida Wave                               75.2
    5 Marauders                                  67.6
    6 Railmen                                    48.7
                                                     
   -------------  Thursday, August 11  ------------- 
                                                     
   Dallas, TX                                     DCI
                                                     
    1 Madison Scouts                             92.9
    2 Velvet Knights                             91.0
    3 Spirit of Atlanta                          90.1
    4 Sky Ryders                                 84.3
    5 Freelancers                                84.1
    6 Florida Wave                               79.1
    7 British Crusaders                          58.5
    8 Black Gold                                 57.5
                                                     
   Huntington, WV                                 DCI
                                                     
    1 Garfield Cadets                            94.5
    2 Phantom Regiment                           92.8
    3 Suncoast Sound                             87.3
    4 Dutch Boy                                  84.4
    5 Blue Knights                               73.7
    6 Colts                                      72.8
                                                     
   --------------  Friday, August 12  -------------- 
                                                     
   Dayton, OH                                     DCI
                                                     
    1 Star of Indiana                            92.9
    2 Garfield Cadets                            92.4
    3 Phantom Regiment                           91.8
    4 Suncoast Sound                             84.9
    5 Dutch Boy                                  84.1
    6 Spartans, WA                               63.5
    7 Glassmen                                   59.6
    8 Beatrix'                                   55.9
*Top 3 very close
                                                     
   Des Plaines, IL                                DCI
                                                     
    1 Blue Devils                                94.5
    2 Cavaliers                                  92.8
    3 Bluecoats                                  87.1
    4 Boston Crusaders                           76.1
    5 Troopers                                   75.7
    6 Quad City Knights                          66.3
    7 Blue Eagles                                52.2
                                                     
   Great Bend, KS                                 DCI
                                                     
    1 Santa Clara Vanguard                       94.8
    2 Spirit of Atlanta                          90.3
    3 Crossmen                                   78.1
    ^ Florida Wave                               78.1
    5 Marauders                                  72.0
                                                     
   Wichita Falls, TX                              DCI
                                                     
    1 Madison Scouts                             94.4
    2 Velvet Knights                             93.0
    3 Freelancers                                86.1
    4 Sky Ryders                                 84.9
    5 British Crusaders                          58.4
    6 Black Gold                                 56.6
                                                     
   -------------  Saturday, August 13  ------------- 
                                                     
   Marion, OH                                     DCI
   US Open Prelims                                   
                                                     
    1 Garfield Cadets                            93.2
    2 Phantom Regiment                           92.8
    3 Star of Indiana                            92.3
    4 Dutch Boy                                  84.6
    5 Blue Knights                               76.4
    6 Colts                                      75.3
    7 Spartans, WA                               63.2
    8 Glassmen                                   62.3
    9 Beatrix'                                   59.2
   10 Oakland Crusaders                          51.4
   11 Calgary Cavaliers                          25.1
                                                     
   Marion, OH                                     DCI
   US Open                                           
                                                     
    1 Star of Indiana                            94.3
    2 Garfield Cadets                            93.8
    3 Phantom Regiment                           93.3
    4 Dutch Boy                                  86.0
    5 Blue Knights                               80.0
    6 Colts                                      78.5
    7 Glassmen                                   65.6
    8 Spartans, WA                               65.2
    9 Beatrix'                                   59.6
   10 Oakland Crusaders                          44.4
*Star still in the mix with Cadets
                                                     
   Saint Louis, MO                                DCI
   DCI Mid-America                                   
                                                     
    1 Blue Devils                                93.5
    2 Cavaliers                                  93.1
    3 Bluecoats                                  88.4
    4 Suncoast Sound                             87.4
    5 Boston Crusaders                           77.5
    6 Troopers                                   77.3
    7 Quad City Knights                          68.4
*Cavaliers only .4 off of BD
**BD had seemed to stagnate by this point. They hit a 95.2 on August 10 and then never scored above a 94.8 the rest of the
regular season until Semis and Finals. 
                                                     
   Tulsa, OK                                      DCI
                                                     
    1 Santa Clara Vanguard                       94.3
    2 Madison Scouts                             93.9
    3 Velvet Knights                             89.6
    4 Spirit of Atlanta                          89.4
    5 Sky Ryders                                 84.1
    6 British Crusaders                          61.0
    7 Black Gold                                 60.1
*Madison only .4 off of SCV
                                                     
   --------------  Sunday, August 14  -------------- 
                                                     
   Joplin, MO                                     DCI
                                                     
    1 Madison Scouts                             92.7
    2 Spirit of Atlanta                          89.7
    3 Suncoast Sound                             87.8
    4 Freelancers                                82.6
    5 Marauders                                  75.5
    6 British Crusaders                          62.9
    7 Black Gold                                 59.1
                                                     
   Toledo, OH                                     DCI
                                                     
    1 Garfield Cadets                            94.8
    2 Phantom Regiment                           94.5
    3 Dutch Boy                                  87.9
    4 Colts                                      80.2
    5 Blue Knights                               80.1
    6 Glassmen                                   72.4
    7 Spartans, WA                               72.1
    8 Beatrix'                                   65.2
                                                     
   --------------  Monday, August 15  -------------- 
                                                     
   Omaha, NE                                      DCI
                                                     
    1 Spirit of Atlanta                          92.6
    2 Suncoast Sound                             89.8
    3 Bluecoats                                  89.3
    4 Troopers                                   79.0
    5 Boston Crusaders                           78.7
    6 Quad City Knights                          71.4
    7 Railmen                                    58.6
                                                     
   Wichita, KS                                    DCI
                                                     
    1 Santa Clara Vanguard                       94.2
    2 Cavaliers                                  93.6
    3 Crossmen                                   85.2
    4 Sky Ryders                                 82.6
    5 Florida Wave                               80.0
    6 British Crusaders                          61.6
*Cavaliers were really close to SCV this night
                                                     
   -------------  Thursday, August 18  ------------- 
                                                     
   Kansas City, MO                                DCI
   Open Prelims                                      
                                                     
    1 Dutch Boy                                  87.9
    ^ Crossmen                                   87.9
    3 Freelancers                                85.7
    4 Florida Wave                               82.3
    5 Boston Crusaders                           81.6
    6 Troopers                                   80.2
    7 Marauders                                  79.3
    8 Blue Knights                               78.5
    9 Colts                                      77.5
   10 L'Insolite                                 71.2
   11 Quad City Knights                          70.0
   12 Glassmen                                   69.1
   13 Spartans, WA                               68.7
    ^ Ventures                                   68.7
   15 Northern Aurora                            66.6
   16 British Crusaders                          64.4
   17 Black Gold                                 61.3
   18 Kiwanis Kavaliers                          58.7
   19 Mandarins                                  53.7
   20 Phantom Reg Cadets                         51.7
                                                     
   --------------  Friday, August 19  -------------- 
                                                     
   Kansas City, MO                                DCI
   Semi Finals                                       
                                                     
    1 Madison Scouts                             97.8
    2 Blue Devils                                96.6
    3 Santa Clara Vanguard                       96.3
    4 Cavaliers                                  95.6
    5 Garfield Cadets                            94.8
    6 Phantom Regiment                           93.6
    7 Star of Indiana                            93.1
    8 Velvet Knights                             91.9
    ^ Spirit of Atlanta                          91.9
   10 Suncoast Sound                             90.5
   11 Bluecoats                                  88.6
   12 Sky Ryders                                 86.6
   13 Dutch Boy                                  86.4
   14 Crossmen                                   85.6
   15 Freelancers                                85.2
   16 Florida Wave                               82.0
   17 Blue Knights                               78.6
   18 Colts                                      78.5
   19 Troopers                                   77.8
   20 Boston Crusaders                           77.6
   21 Marauders                                  76.2
   22 L'Insolite                                 71.2
   23 Quad City Knights                          69.7
   24 Ventures                                   67.9
   25 Glassmen                                   67.5
   26 Spartans, WA                               65.9
*Of note, the fans would not see these scores since they were withheld until after Finals. So nobody knew who won Semifinals. 
I think Steve Rodinaro did as he kind of called it before the show on PBS.
                                                     
   -------------  Saturday, August 20  ------------- 
                                                     
   Kansas City, MO                                DCI
   DCI World Championship                            
                                                     
    1 Madison Scouts                             97.1
    2 Santa Clara Vanguard                       96.9
    3 Blue Devils                                96.3
    4 Garfield Cadets                            96.1
    5 Cavaliers                                  95.1
    6 Phantom Regiment                           93.5
    7 Star of Indiana                            92.8
    8 Velvet Knights                             90.6
    9 Spirit of Atlanta                          89.3
   10 Suncoast Sound                             89.1
   11 Bluecoats                                  86.7
   12 Sky Ryders                                 85.1

I can argue that SCV likely should have won Finals. Top to bottom I felt they had the best overall show. Madison was great though, and clean, and the GE of that closer was awesome. BD in 3rd seemed right to me. Cadets in 4th also correct. Cavaliers really pulled away late over Phantom and Star. The top 8 corps were frankly stellar, and that includes Velvet Knights. Just check out how good VK's scores were coming down the stretch in 1988. Top to bottom one of their best competitive shows. 

All in all, a fantastic Finals for DCI in 1988. 

Edited by jwillis35
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Another nice early season video of Madison in England. The more I watch the opener the more I like it. 

 

 

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Part 2 from England

 

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6 hours ago, jwillis35 said:

------------- Saturday, August 20 -------------

Kansas City, MO DCI DCI World Championship

1 Madison Scouts 97.1

2 Santa Clara Vanguard 96.9

3 Blue Devils 96.3

4 Garfield Cadets 96.1

5 Cavaliers 95.1

6 Phantom Regiment 93.5

7 Star of Indiana 92.8

8 Velvet Knights 90.6

9 Spirit of Atlanta 89.3

10 Suncoast Sound 89.1

11 Bluecoats 86.7

12 Sky Ryders 85.1

I can argue that SCV likely should have won Finals. Top to bottom I felt they had the best overall show. Madison was great though, and clean, and the GE of that closer was awesome. BD in 3rd seemed right to me. Cadets in 4th also correct. Cavaliers really pulled away late over Phantom and Star. The top 8 corps were frankly stellar, and that includes Velvet Knights. Just check out how good VK's scores were coming down the stretch in 1988. Top to bottom one of their best competitive shows. 

All in all, a fantastic Finals for DCI in 1988. 

People forget that there was only a 12 pt spread from 1st to 12th place.  It stood as the most competitive finals in DCI history until the 2000's.  I'm not going to go look it up ... 

They also forget how close this fight was for finals:

   12 Sky Ryders                                 86.6
   13 Dutch Boy                                  86.4
   14 Crossmen                                   85.6
   15 Freelancers                                85.2
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7 hours ago, jwillis35 said:

Here is a look at scores from August to the end of the 1988 season -- with some comments by me after some of the show scores. 


---------------  Monday, August 1  ---------------
                                                     
   Cleveland, OH                                  DCI
                                                     
    1 Santa Clara Vanguard                       90.5
    2 Garfield Cadets                            89.6
    3 Bluecoats                                  81.2
    4 Troopers                                   66.9
    5 Blue Knights                               66.6
    6 Colts                                      61.3
    7 Limited Edition                            43.3
* I was at this show and SCV just totally blew my mind. AWESOME in every aspect!

That was at Byers Field in Parma, right?

My first introduction to drum and bugle corps was, I think, in the winter of 1987-88 when our director welcomed a couple representatives of the Bluecoats to do a recruiting pitch. I loved marching band, but it wasn't a very effective presentation: people pay to play weird two-valved "bugles" all summer? I know nobody from our school ever tried out for Bluecoats or any corps until a few years after I graduated in 1990. I think what was presented just seemed out of reach to many of us. For some like myself it was partly financial concerns. But also i think some people remembered how two of our best players from the year before were now at Ohio State and had tried out for the marching band there and been nowhere near good enough. If they weren't good enough for that group, how could any of us hope to be good enough for a group where you had to pay (what sounded at the time like) hefty fees to participate?

And then next year, when we arrived one morning during our three-week band "camp" (which was just daily rehearsal at the school), we found buses in the parking lot and a bunch of people sleeping on our gym floor. We were told that they were the Garfield Cadets, and after they woke up, they practiced all day long, seemingly without a break, in one of our fields. We learned that they had a performance that night in Parma (just one suburb away), and a few of the others went to see the show, and the next day all they could talk about was Santa Clara Vanguard and the Phantom of the Opera. Funny to learn that more than 30 years ago, friends of mine were watching the same show you were.

And when the Garfield Cadets showed up again at our gym floor the next year, in 1989, I watched a bit of their rehearsal during our lunch break. I specifically remember our director telling us during our afternoon rehearsal that if he ever yelled at us the way Cadets' instructors were yelling at them, he'd be fired the same day. And this time I joined the group attending that night's show, which was again in Parma. And it was awesome! And what a shame I hadn't gone to see this show a year earlier.

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3 hours ago, N.E. Brigand said:

That was at Byers Field in Parma, right?

 

Yes, it was at Parma. SCV lit that place on fire that night. The 1988 Phantom of the Opera show was such a breath-taking show. I loved when SCV did their Russian shows in 86 and 87, but 1988 was even more theatrical. It loosely walks you through the story without trying to literally tell the story, and the sound of their brass line on the final push (what I used to refer to as a lush winter-green organ sound) put chills through my body. 

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15 hours ago, jwillis35 said:

I loved when SCV did their Russian shows in 86 and 87

Which is the year where a guard member is levitated on a broom? I've only seen it on video, but it's a very effective trick.

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15 hours ago, jwillis35 said:

1988 was even more theatrical. It loosely walks you through the story without trying to literally tell the story

It's very interesting that you say that.

In that regard, I have to see that DCI's 1988 and 1989 videos are terrible, because they foreground the story way too much. One thing that really blew away friends in 1988 was how SCV semeed to make the whole corps vanish at the end. But on the videos for that year and the next, waaaay to much attention is focused on the individual characters --in at least one of those videos, the disappearing corps effect doesn't come across at all-- which makes it seem like the corps is working hard to "literally tell the story", as you say.

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