2022 Season Predictions

[queenanne_1536]

On 4/14/2022 at 6:56 AM, Smug Trumpet Guy said:

From what I saw through streams last year Boston fielded the most talented hornline. If they retain most of their hornline I would say they have a pretty decent chance at a medal, bizarre show design and all.

I really don't understand comments like this. Back in 2019, people heard a pre-season standstill video of their show, recorded on a cell phone, and proclaimed they were going to medal. They finished 6th. Now we're saying they have a pretty decent shot to medal without seeing or hearing anything?

Boston hasn't shown in any way they can compete with BD, SCV, and Bluecoats from a design and talent perspective (except their guard, of course), Cavies from a design perspective, or Crown from a talent perspective (except their guard).

We cannot say that had the best hornline in 2021 based on a video performance. We can never judge based on a video performance in any way. Being there live, I would say Bluecoats were hands down the best hornline in 2021.

2021, itself, is irrelevant. If I were to make guesses based on what I saw last year in Indy, I would bet Madison, Regiment and Cadets would be most improved in 2022. Not only were they my favorite shows, but I thought all three looked and sounded better than in 2019. The problem with that is we are comparing non-modern shows (2021) with modern shows (2019). None of those three have staffs that have proven successful at designing a modern drum corps show in years. Therefore, it's impossible to say how any of them will do in 2022 and it's impossible to use 2021 as any sort of gauge.

Maybe Boston will medal, but I don't think they have a pretty decent chance to do so. I would say they have an extremely slight outside chance to medal. It's going to take A LOT more than they have shown 2017-2019 (from both a design and talent standpoint) for them to crack the top 3. That is extremely difficult to do. That also shows us just amazing BD really is. To be able to stay in the top 2 from 2007 to today is really astounding. It should be impossible, but they have done it.

 

Edited April 15, 2022 by queenanne_1536

[jwillis35]

On 4/14/2022 at 12:57 AM, Chief Guns said:

As a BD Honk, 2009-2013..........i consider those the golden years of DCI lol. The hate that was spewed towards BD in those years was highly entertaining. The contradictions and double standards towards BD...................accusations of paying off judges from posters who claimed to be tapped into the highest levels of DCI, yet somehow in this era of camera phones, video/audio, no one could produce a single shred of evidence this was happening. Gee i wonder why lol.

I think if people took a close look at the total Blue Devils organization they would develop a new appreciation for all they do. They are the largest drum corps organization in the U.S. and perhaps the world today. I cannot think of another organization that runs an A, B, and C drum corps, a concert band for youth in the area (Diabolo Wind Symphony), winter drums lines (including the RCC group), guard activities (including their amazing special needs guard), their Yamaha School of Music for local students and private lessons, and more.  If you took out the A corps (155 marching members) I would venture to guess they deal with 400+ kids year around that are mostly from the NorCal region, and some from SoCal as in the case of the RCC members. 

They have a large organization and work with a LOT of kids from ages 11 or 12 all the way up to 21. The provide many many opportunities for youth just in their region of the Bay area. I think that is something we can all jump on and appreciate. Of course, their ability to recruit nationally and internationally for the A corps is one of the reasons they are always considered a top contender for DCI Gold. It is easy for fans of other corps to attack or be critical. When you win a lot there will always be the attitude out there of "anyone but BD." We saw this with the Boston Celtics, the Los Angeles Lakers, the New York Yankees back in the day. 

Part of the fun in DCI is that the top contenders are all amazing, but if they can topple the Blue Devils, well that says a lot. It's not easy to beat the Blue Devils but if you do then your corps must have really been good, and that's how I think fans should look at it. Sadly some resort to insults and try to point out any flaw they can when their corps loses to Blue Devils. Obviously personal preference will always be a factor in who you like and who you want to win. That is natural. But at some point you have to be objective enough to evaluate quality in marching, playing, drumming, guard, visual analysis, and overall GE to fully understand scoring vs your personal preference. 

 

For me, it's tough this year to do a real prediction for Finals because of what happened the last few years of the pandemic. But in general I would say the top 6 will be BD, Bloo, Crown, SCV, Boston, and Cavaliers in some order. I think all the rest will be equally exciting and look forward to an amazing summer with lots of great shows.  Maybe we get a 1988-like year and the Madison Scouts win!!!! 🙂

[IllianaLancerContra]

4 hours ago, JimF-LowBari said:

Any idea of the full heading of the three color guard captions? Can’t expand the column with my phone. Just see “color guard” for all 3

You, the IT guy, are asking me, a dumb biologist, an IT question? 😎

IDK how to help.  It works on my Apple notebook.

[craiga]

38 minutes ago, queenanne_1536 said:

I really don't understand comments like this. Back in 2019, people heard a pre-season standstill video of their show, recorded on a cell phone, and proclaimed they were going to medal. They finished 6th. Now we're saying they have a pretty decent shot to medal without seeing or hearing anything?

Boston hasn't shown in any way they can compete with BD, SCV, and Bluecoats from a design and talent perspective (except their guard, of course), Cavies from a design perspective, or Crown from a talent perspective (except their guard). Nor did they field the most talent hornline last year. That would be Bluecoats. 

Maybe they'll medal, but I don't think they have a pretty decent chance to do so. It's going to take A LOT more than they have shown 2017-2019 (and 2020) for them to crack the top 3. That is extremely difficult to do. 

 

Interesting that you did not include the 2021 Boston Crusaders in your calculation,  since that was their most talented drum corps in their history...in all three sections.

In any event, 2022 is the fifth year of this design team and caption head group.  That fact, along with the 120+ returning vets might well make the competitive landscape interesting this summer.

[queenanne_1536]

40 minutes ago, jwillis35 said:

Part of the fun in DCI is that the top contenders are all amazing, but if they can topple the Blue Devils, well that says a lot. It's not easy to beat the Blue Devils but if you do then your corps must have really been good, and that's how I think fans should look at it. 

For me, it's tough this year to do a real prediction for Finals because of what happened the last few years of the pandemic. But in general I would say the top 6 will be BD, Bloo, Crown, SCV, Boston, and Cavaliers in some order. I think all the rest will be equally exciting and look forward to an amazing summer with lots of great shows.  Maybe we get a 1988-like year and the Madison Scouts win!!!! 🙂

That's exactly how I look at it. At Stanford in 2018, it was really exciting - not only because Vanguard beat Blue Devils for the first time since 2007, but because Vanguard had THE show that could beat Blue Devils all season long, and they only lost to them twice (at the 1st and 3rd shows of the season). That was a remarkable feat, and really the most successful anyone has been against Blue Devils perhaps since 2011 Cadets.

We also have to look at our biases. I have a huge pro-Vanguard bias and thus a huge anti-Blue Devils bias. I want Vanguard to beat them every year. For years, I discounted BD's success as just them winning the political game rather than what they were doing on the field. When I finally realized that was totally bias driven it has changed everything for me re: BD. I still want Vanguard to always beat them, but now I can enjoy BD's shows and marvel at what they do and their success. As I said above, finishing in the top 2 from 2007-today is so remarkable. It should be impossible, but they've done it. That has to be admired.

Lastly, I wholeheartedly agree with your top 6 for 2022. 

[Chief Guns]

44 minutes ago, jwillis35 said:

I think if people took a close look at the total Blue Devils organization they would develop a new appreciation for all they do. They are the largest drum corps organization in the U.S. and perhaps the world today. I cannot think of another organization that runs an A, B, and C drum corps, a concert band for youth in the area (Diabolo Wind Symphony), winter drums lines (including the RCC group), guard activities (including their amazing special needs guard), their Yamaha School of Music for local students and private lessons, and more.  If you took out the A corps (155 marching members) I would venture to guess they deal with 400+ kids year around that are mostly from the NorCal region, and some from SoCal as in the case of the RCC members. 

They have a large organization and work with a LOT of kids from ages 11 or 12 all the way up to 21. The provide many many opportunities for youth just in their region of the Bay area. I think that is something we can all jump on and appreciate. Of course, their ability to recruit nationally and internationally for the A corps is one of the reasons they are always considered a top contender for DCI Gold. It is easy for fans of other corps to attack or be critical. When you win a lot there will always be the attitude out there of "anyone but BD." We saw this with the Boston Celtics, the Los Angeles Lakers, the New York Yankees back in the day. 

Part of the fun in DCI is that the top contenders are all amazing, but if they can topple the Blue Devils, well that says a lot. It's not easy to beat the Blue Devils but if you do then your corps must have really been good, and that's how I think fans should look at it. Sadly some resort to insults and try to point out any flaw they can when their corps loses to Blue Devils. Obviously personal preference will always be a factor in who you like and who you want to win. That is natural. But at some point you have to be objective enough to evaluate quality in marching, playing, drumming, guard, visual analysis, and overall GE to fully understand scoring vs your personal preference. 

 

For me, it's tough this year to do a real prediction for Finals because of what happened the last few years of the pandemic. But in general I would say the top 6 will be BD, Bloo, Crown, SCV, Boston, and Cavaliers in some order. I think all the rest will be equally exciting and look forward to an amazing summer with lots of great shows.  Maybe we get a 1988-like year and the Madison Scouts win!!!! 🙂

Post like this is why you and others like Ms. Terri Schehr and Jeff Ream are among my favorite posters on DCP. I always enjoy reading your post and thoughts and i have learned so much about the activity from you guys. 

[queenanne_1536]

9 minutes ago, craiga said:

Interesting that you did not include the 2021 Boston Crusaders in your calculation,  since that was their most talented drum corps in their history...in all three sections.

In any event, 2022 is the fifth year of this design team and caption head group.  That fact, along with the 120+ returning vets might well make the competitive landscape interesting this summer.

How was it their most talented corps in history? What are you basing that on? How can you possibly make a statement like that? Even if it was their most talented corps in history that is meaningless relative to other corps. If 2021 were a normal, competitive season, they still could have finished 6th with their most talent corps in history. 

It also matters little that the design team is in their fifth year together and they have 120+ returning vets if the design team can't deliver a top 3 design, and so far they have not done so. That is the key to success. A less talented corps can beat a more talent corps if they have the better design. It has happened many times in the past. It all starts with design, and if you start the season with a non-top 3 design, like they did in 2019, then there is no hope of medalling. Period.

In 2019 Boston (guard excepted in the statements below):

• Lost to BD, SCV and Bluecoats on both talent and design.
• Lost to Cavaliers on design.
• Lost to Crown on talent.

It is extremely hard to break into the top 3. More so today then ever in history.

I'm not saying Boston can't or won't medal. I'm just saying that it's silly to say they have a great chance or will when we've seen absolutely nothing of them in 2022 or their main competition.

Edited April 15, 2022 by queenanne_1536

[craiga]

I'm  not sure why you bring up 2019 Boston as if they did not go out in 2021.  For the record,  the Boston Crusaders DID field a full, 185 member corps last summer (2021). And suppose I told you that the caption heads told me that it WAS, in fact Boston's most talented ensemble?  The intent of this thread was to speculate on the possible placements that could happen in 2022, was it not? Oh, and by the way, the ONLY active drum corps in DCI whom Boston has never beaten is the Blue Devils, so your listing of corps whom Boston has "shown no evidence " of out performing or designing really only to pertains to one drum corps,  not 6.  

Edited April 15, 2022 by craiga

[Chief Guns]

5 hours ago, Smug Trumpet Guy said:

I don't know, I think parity among the drum corps makes the activity more interesting. As it stands BD essentially soaks up all of the other corps vets that want to win first place for their age out year, not to mention their show designs are intentionally bizarre and meant to please the judges rather than the crowds

I respectfully disagree. How do you know BD "INTENTIONALLY" does bizarre shows? Or is it just bizarre to you? And that's ok if it is. We all have our likes and dislikes, and i respect your opinion. 

I do however find it hard to believe that BDs staff designs shows strictly for the judges and doesn't give a crap about the crowds. I have been to tons of BD rehearsals when they come to SoCal, and listening to the staff speak when they are talking to the members on the field from the press-box, they most certainly have the crowd/fans at the forefront of what they are trying to accomplish.

BDs shows are entertaining. Just because they aren't marching 225bpm for 12 straight minutes with near fatal collisions, ending in a company front doesn't mean they aren't entertaining. 

[JimF-LowBari]

1 hour ago, IllianaLancerContra said:

You, the IT guy, are asking me, a dumb biologist, an IT question? 😎

IDK how to help.  It works on my Apple notebook.

Lmao… sorry I wasn’t asking how to make it work on my phone. Cuz… figure answer is “ya can’t do it with the phone”. 😆 Just asking what the headings said for those people who can stretch them. 
Flashbacks of trouble call and find out user has really old Windows (aka WindBlows) version or ancient laptop. Out loud you say “ya gotta upgrade” and you’re thinking nothing but swear words. 😱