Pre-2024 Top 12 Guesses

[David Hill]

My mother and her mother, both whose birthdays I acknowledged last week, were masters at predicting and game-playing. My grandmother won every contest she entered; the most famous being a motorcycle when she guessed a correct number of some sort. She was in her 70s. A photograph of her straddling it was in her Chattanooga, TN newspaper. (The store gave her the value of the cycle; she contributed it to charity.) She also won a trip to Hawaii, some kind of travel Bingo game, which she took with my cousin, in her 80s.

Mother, on the other hand, usually won second or third place in contests, but where she excelled was in picking Miss America during the opening Parade of States. One view: winner chosen! Worst fumble; third runner-up.

I received neither woman's abilities -- blame it on my being adopted -- so I usually don't even attempt a guess.

But I love this thread every year! And hate it. Love that someone will put the Blue Devils in seventh, hate that they don't offer any reason why.

With all of that as preface, here goes nothing -- absolutely nothing! Reasons, included.
________________________________

Blue Devils
Gotta be a four-peat to finally stand completely head-and-shoulders over the field.

Carolina Crown
The roundtable was quality, solid, and safe. Deeper thinking, and programming, will do the trick.

Boston Crusaders
"Paradise Lost" was the world championship caliber production. Lose the Crown references.

The Cadets
Fifth this year was hardly under the radar, but something's brewing in the Northeast. Turn up the heat!

Bluecoats
I'm gonna be so very wrong on this one, but there it is. Even in the corps' fantastical performances, there is a sameness to them. Turn the mold downside up: again!

Santa Clara Vanguard
Any placement any of us guess for Vanguard is based on our guts. This is mine. Clean competitive slate.

Phantom Regiment
Turning its brand on its head, but still performing like classicists; amazing!

Cavaliers
So much change since The Wrong Side of the Tracks; but so much to learn from that epic production.

Mandarins
Finding magic in a bottle two consecutive years is tough. I may be even more wrong on this one, than with the Bluecoats. I hope so.

Colts
IF ... the Colts return to the beautiful nuance of The Silk Road, this placement will also be too low.

Troopers
Even more solid that this year, thanks to a guard infusion. The show itself will be the key.

Spirit of Atlanta
Of this season's 12-15, I have the most confidence in their being more spirit to come.
________________________

Here's what I learned from Mother about picking pageant winners: focus on the Southern states!

[TOC]

1 hour ago, kkrepps said:

How about we do 3 days all the Corps.  Day 1 Prelims everybody competes same as usual.  Day 2 semis everybody puts on a show again - but only the top 25 scored in competition, everyone below is exhibition.  Day 3 finals everybody puts on a show again - but only the top 12 (or 15) scored in competition, everyone below is exhibition.  

That way when we go to 3 shows, we can catch everybody, and always have more chances to see everyone (not just the elites) more than once.

Talk about overkill.  Doubt many fans will be showing up early and there will be many who will take more breaks from the shows.

[greg_orangecounty]

Any list that doesn't contain PACFIC CREST in the Top 12 of 2024 ain't right. 

[drumcorpsfever]

21 hours ago, MikeN said:

Former corps person here - it's great value for the corps.  Adding extra performances is absolutely brilliant and essential, especially as the costs don't go up dramatically from staying in place the extra day.  Right now Open Class gets the best deal of all; we were guaranteed three performances that week at OC Prelims, OC Finals and WC Prelims.  Half the OC corps got a fourth performance at WC Semis.  That is awesome bang for the budgeted buck.  All of WC not in Finals gets either one or two shows.  Especially for corps coming from either coast, that's a ton of expenses for what is less payoff.

It's a good deal for members - the majority of corps stay through the Saturday regardless, and performing on the weekend show date allows more friends and family to come through the turnstiles.  

Also, it's also great value for those fans on site - the majority of attendees don't arrive until Friday or Saturday, and don't get to see the full lineup.  This would let the half of WC corps that never get to see the 20k-sized crowd actually play for a packed house.  

Finally, it's great value for non-attending fans; a longer San Antonio-style show lets FloMarching broadcast a full day to the streaming audience, which dwarfs the in-person crowd.  More corps = more eyeballs purchasing the subscription to watch the stream, staying around longer throughout the day, and consuming more ads.  

Top 12 as a show is an arbitrary number for any competition, and we're moving far beyond it.  Providing value for the corps, the members, the attendees and the streaming audience far outweighs the historical precedent, I think.

Mike

 

I like this^. 
The number 12 was a good number for long playing records. What’s another 3 corps for Saturday?  I’m all for it!

[IllianaLancerContra]

34 minutes ago, greg_orangecounty said:

Any list that doesn't contain PACFIC CREST in the Top 12 of 2024 ain't right. 

Then who drops out?   And does PC beat SCV for 12th?

[craiga]

1 hour ago, David Hill said:

My mother and her mother, both whose birthdays I acknowledged last week, were masters at predicting and game-playing. My grandmother won every contest she entered; the most famous being a motorcycle when she guessed a correct number of some sort. She was in her 70s. A photograph of her straddling it was in her Chattanooga, TN newspaper. (The store gave her the value of the cycle; she contributed it to charity.) She also won a trip to Hawaii, some kind of travel Bingo game, which she took with my cousin, in her 80s.

Mother, on the other hand, usually won second or third place in contests, but where she excelled was in picking Miss America during the opening Parade of States. One view: winner chosen! Worst fumble; third runner-up.

I received neither woman's abilities -- blame it on my being adopted -- so I usually don't even attempt a guess.

But I love this thread every year! And hate it. Love that someone will put the Blue Devils in seventh, hate that they don't offer any reason why.

With all of that as preface, here goes nothing -- absolutely nothing! Reasons, included.
________________________________

Blue Devils
Gotta be a four-peat to finally stand completely head-and-shoulders over the field.

Carolina Crown
The roundtable was quality, solid, and safe. Deeper thinking, and programming, will do the trick.

Boston Crusaders
"Paradise Lost" was the world championship caliber production. Lose the Crown references.

The Cadets
Fifth this year was hardly under the radar, but something's brewing in the Northeast. Turn up the heat!

Bluecoats
I'm gonna be so very wrong on this one, but there it is. Even in the corps' fantastical performances, there is a sameness to them. Turn the mold downside up: again!

Santa Clara Vanguard
Any placement any of us guess for Vanguard is based on our guts. This is mine. Clean competitive slate.

Phantom Regiment
Turning its brand on its head, but still performing like classicists; amazing!

Cavaliers
So much change since The Wrong Side of the Tracks; but so much to learn from that epic production.

Mandarins
Finding magic in a bottle two consecutive years is tough. I may be even more wrong on this one, than with the Bluecoats. I hope so.

Colts
IF ... the Colts return to the beautiful nuance of The Silk Road, this placement will also be too low.

Troopers
Even more solid that this year, thanks to a guard infusion. The show itself will be the key.

Spirit of Atlanta
Of this season's 12-15, I have the most confidence in their being more spirit to come.
________________________

Here's what I learned from Mother about picking pageant winners: focus on the Southern states!

You said that Boston should "lose the Crown references".  To what are you referring?

[greg_orangecounty]

16 minutes ago, IllianaLancerContra said:

Then who drops out?   And does PC beat SCV for 12th?

If SCV actually fields a corps in 2024 and they tour nationally, they will place comfortably higher than 12th.  My clock is ticking.  I don't care who Pacific Crest "knocks out" as long as they make it to Finals - SOON.  

[Boss Anova]

1 hour ago, David Hill said:

 

Boston Crusaders
"Paradise Lost" was the world championship caliber production. Lose the Crown references.

 

I am just curious as to what you are referring to here with your suggestion to  “ lose the Crown references “.  No biggee , just scratching my head to think about what you might be  referring to.

Edited September 12, 2023 by Boss Anova

[TexasPRfan]

Oh why not.  I'll lay out 13 - just in case SCV isn't back in Indy.

1.  BD - You know they gotta be drooling over being the first to get a 4-peat.  Will pull out all the stops - like we've never seen.

2. Bloo - Bridesmaids for a 3rd time in a row.  Hoping for fresh approach.

3.  Boston - Hoping they find more shows like Wicked Games that grab the heart and fully integrate the sections.  You know the guard will be amazing

4.  Crown - Until they solve for better, cohesive design and take some smart risks (not risks like Not Here, Not now), all that talent will not yield the results they want.  Please stop with the endless crazy technical passages that serve no purpose.

5.  Regiment - Looks like the only one on the momentum bandwagon.  I think 2024 is when that staff & design team take it up a notch.  Stability will yield great results and position them to challenge the top 4 in 2025.

6.  Cadets - Toss Up with Regiment, just like much of 2023 was.  This time Regiment takes the nod.  I expect Cadets to be better than 2023 and also start to threaten the top 4.

7-12 is a complete crap shoot to me...

7.  Colts - This is a bit of a wild card, but the more I think about Colts this year, they have a lot of momentum and balanced strengths.

8.  Mandarins - Not a huge fall back in performance levels.  Hard to have that kind of lightening in a bottle 2 years in a row & more west coast recruiting competition.

9.  Cavies - So much ongoing turnover is never a good thing.  

10.  Troopers - If the guard is elevated, look out...

11.  SCV - Rennick & Gaines can't be underestimated.  So much uncertainty.  How much will potential members (and parents) be put off by what SCV did to their audtionees a year ago?  If I was a parent, you'd REALLY have to work hard to convince me that my kid should go there.

12.  Blue Stars - Could bounce back or flounder with another lackluster program.

13.  BK/Crossmen/Spirit - My heart says Spirit, my brain says Blue Knights

Harvey

[jjeffeory]

On 9/10/2023 at 9:42 PM, Chief Guns said:

That didn't take long for the Mandarins to drop behind SCV. 

But then again it makes sense, because some of the doubters were firmly convinced that SCV packed up their trucks and moved 90 miles east to Sacramento, and that's the only reason they were good. 

...and they're WRONG. Mandarins were Mandarins all on their own!