Finals... Colts, Troopers or both.

[bandman28]

Anyone think that Colts and Troopers have enough gas in the tank to pass Blue Knights and Crossmen?  Personally I'd love to see two new faces.  I'm not anti Crossmen or Blue Knights.  How many years has it been since there were two new finalist?

Edited August 7, 2022 by bandman28
After thoughts

[FaustianMachine]

I'm really pulling for both. Blue Knights are my favorite corps, Crossmen grooves so hard, but Colts and Troopers both have something truly special this year and I hope to see them 11 and 12.

If I had to pick, Troopers. 

[MidWAmericanArts]

Corpsmen are likely locked into 11th. It'll be a bloodbath between Colts, Blue Knights, and Troopers. Colts and BK need a better show to lock that finals spot. Troopers need about 2 more weeks of cleaning to make finals. It could go in any direction. I'd place Colts in the driver seat, but anything less than their best semi finals run will open the door.

[ElSuarez]

21 minutes ago, bandman28 said:

Anyone think that Colts and Troopers have enough gas in the tank to pass Blue Knights and Crossmen?  Personally I'd love to see two new faces.  I'm not anti Crossmen or Blue Knights.  How many years has it been since there were two new finalist?

I believe the last time this happened was back in 2004 when Glassmen and BK replaced Spirit and Magic in finals.

 

[bluesman]

1 hour ago, MidWAmericanArts said:

Corpsmen are likely locked into 11th. It'll be a bloodbath between Colts, Blue Knights, and Troopers. Colts and BK need a better show to lock that finals spot. Troopers need about 2 more weeks of cleaning to make finals. It could go in any direction. I'd place Colts in the driver seat, but anything less than their best semi finals run will open the door.

I was pleasantly surprised by the level of improvement Troopers made between Allentown and their most recent Flo appearance.  I had completely written them off.  Troopers has the best program of the 4 and Colts are the cleanest.  BK has to overcome the drag of a very poorly designed show.  I think BK is out and Colts are in.  But there's still an outside shot that Troopers makes it past Crossmen.... but it's a very long shot.

[Cainan]

I called my shot in week 1 and I am sticking to it... Troopers will make Finals. I'm honestly a bit worried about Colts. In the last 6 shows, they have imprved by 1.025... with those individual scores rather stagnant (83.5, 85.15, 84.9, 84.9, 84.525 and another 84.525). The judges just arent seeing improvement here. Colts are clean but I suspect this show has perhaps gone as far as it can. They can add GE but that is a pretty big risk this close to finals.

In that same timespan however, Troopers in that same span have gained 6.75 points and have leapfrogged 4 places. AND this show is still dirty visually.  THAT is the definintion of a corps trending in the right direction at EXACTLY the right time. They now have a week to clean and fine tune and I see this corps leapfrogging Crossmen and doing so pretty easily. It's clear the judges are seeing and most importantly REWARDING this improvement in the Casper corps' show!

To me the question SHOULD be about WHO takes 12th... Crossmen, Colts or BK. 

[Jake W.]

3 hours ago, MidWAmericanArts said:

Corpsmen are likely locked into 11th. 

I don't know about that. Yes, Xmen put up quite the score at Allentown, but Colts have (barely) bested them in a number of head-to-heads this season, including two big shows with full panels, Winston-Salem & San Antonio. 

Allentown scores aside, Colts have demonstrated themselves to be the most consistent of the four this season, especially with that fantastic drumline. It's not the flashiest of shows, but there's a ton of complexity and nuance there - I've found myself revisiting it frequently throughout the season. It's a deeply-layered brass & percussion book, and while none of it is jaw-dropping energy, there is a lot to discover - ample amounts of interesting depth in the music book. They're clean, and while they might not top the unbridled voraciousness of Troopers, they look like a corps who is hungry and focused on their end goal. I'm really interested to see how they rally after less-than-standout Allentown numbers. Otherwise, they've risen quietly and steadily throughout the season. 

I rewatched Crossmen from Allentown and they are a GOOD unit. If anything keeps them in Finals, it will be their performance captions. What a wholly uninspiring show, though. I understand the concept, and I do think it was an interesting idea in theory, but now they've discarded the basis of the movement rearrangement idea and have found themselves trying to explore mid-(or late-)season some alternative ways to get the mobius theme across - all of which work to a degree. It's fine. It exists. It's a show. I'd like to see both Troopers & Colts' design efforts rewarded over this show, but if Crossmen stay ahead, I will understand - again, they are indeed a very good corps.

BK is particularly disappointing this year, and I'm trying to separate my previous love for their designs from the current one and remove any bias. At the end of the day, though, I've come to the conclusion that it isn't a design that would interest me from any other seeded 13th place corps (let's say, The Academy, or a surging Pacific Crest in 2019, or a late 2010s Colts). All of whom had better offerings than "Vibe", so I don't think I'm being too biased because of my previous adoration of their subtle designs. It's just not a great show. The music book lays there for the opener with no real growth or interest. The show does finally pick up some intensity in the closer, but it's too little too late, and doesn't end up delivering the way some of the builds promise it will. Most importantly, it seems as though the kids know that they're steering a subpar vehicle over the finish line, and are trying their hardest to eke out meaning and purpose from the show. That doesn't often lead to a rising finish of the season (how many times have we seen this arc of a corps trying hard to push a lackluster show till August?), but occasionally the performers can fight against what they've been given (Phantom 2019). The 2022 group knows what's on the line, and they can't be counted out of Finals yet, especially after the tight Allentown scores.

And then there's Troopers!! I think most of drum corps world is behind them - and if Covid hadn't knocked them out for a week, we would be rooting for a top 12 finish, and still may be doing so. I do sense a Phantom-2008-esque push from the drum corps world that could still land them in Finals. I also have to say, their rush to clean over the last week has been bracing and fruitful. They look and sound fantastic. Ah, I wish they had two more weeks in the season! They do indeed seem intently voracious on their end goal, and I am not counting them out of a top 12 finish. And while it's a design rehash and typical Michael Lentz vibe, it is vastly more interesting musically, visually, and thematically than any point in BK or Crossmen's shows. Most importantly, the kids clearly are nuts about what they've been given and intend to push until the end, and that's an element that can't be pushed aside. 

I'd love to see both Troop & Colts perform in Finals on Saturday night - some fresh voices this season that I'd like to see rewarded. We will see what happens!

[MidWAmericanArts]

5 hours ago, bluesman said:

I was pleasantly surprised by the level of improvement Troopers made between Allentown and their most recent Flo appearance.  I had completely written them off.  Troopers has the best program of the 4 and Colts are the cleanest.  BK has to overcome the drag of a very poorly designed show.  I think BK is out and Colts are in.  But there's still an outside shot that Troopers makes it past Crossmen.... but it's a very long shot.

I agree with this. The reason that I have Troopers further behind is only because they haven’t been close in a true head to head. They’re certainly a corps to watch for, though.

[JAZZER]

The horse/gun, not the rider/saber is my prediction.

Edited August 7, 2022 by JAZZER

[dcifanforlife]

8 hours ago, MidWAmericanArts said:

Corpsmen are likely locked into 11th. It'll be a bloodbath between Colts, Blue Knights, and Troopers. Colts and BK need a better show to lock that finals spot. Troopers need about 2 more weeks of cleaning to make finals. It could go in any direction. I'd place Colts in the driver seat, but anything less than their best semi finals run will open the door.

Colts go into prelims the best rested of the group. Show Friday then two days off. Show Monday then two days off.  Troopers shows Saturday, Sunday and Monday night will take a lot out of them.