I haven't paid attention to DCI since I marched in 2017 and I am shocked at the rankings these days

[jlc412]

I marched with the Troopers back in 2017 when they were basically underdogs. I couldn’t afford to march again after that, so I turned my focus to college and getting a job. We ended that season in 17th place.

Now that I’ve gotten “back in the loop,” I was blown away to see that Troop has made finals multiple years in a row. Even though I wasn’t there for it, my chest swelled with pride. That’s such a huge leap. Back in 2017 it felt like Troopers were cursed never to crack the 12th-place finalist mark.

I also remember watching Crossmen climb their way up to finalist status, and I even went to one of their camps in 2016. It felt like boot camp—super intense and hardcore. At the time, it seemed like they were destined to keep climbing higher and higher. But fast-forward to now, and I just saw they finished 19th in 2025. 

Honestly, it feels like I stepped into a time machine. Everything looks familiar but nothing quite makes sense after being away so long. I know COVID shook things up pretty badly from 2020–2022, but I’m writing this because I’d love to hear from active members:

What were the big highlights in World Class from 2018 through 2025?

What did I miss during those years?

[KVG_DC]

Story lines there include:

The rise of the Colts, Troopers, and Mandarins as regular finalists

The fall and rise of Blue Knights

Bluecoats and Boston get for real about medaling. 

Cadets keep on to the bitter end.

Santa Clara Vanguard's wild ride.

Music City and Pacific Crest start laying the groundwork to climb.

Open class takes a hit from COVID and we lose some, but are now looking to gain some.

Spartans get legit in Open Class no question, no asterisk! And now are moving on up to World Class.

Gold sharpens up in Open Class with consistently good shows.

The Battalion comes pretty much outta nowhere to get super real in Open Class.

[DFA1970]

46 minutes ago, jlc412 said:

I marched with the Troopers back in 2017 when they were basically underdogs. I couldn’t afford to march again after that, so I turned my focus to college and getting a job. We ended that season in 17th place.

Now that I’ve gotten “back in the loop,” I was blown away to see that Troop has made finals multiple years in a row. Even though I wasn’t there for it, my chest swelled with pride. That’s such a huge leap. Back in 2017 it felt like Troopers were cursed never to crack the 12th-place finalist mark.

I also remember watching Crossmen climb their way up to finalist status, and I even went to one of their camps in 2016. It felt like boot camp—super intense and hardcore. At the time, it seemed like they were destined to keep climbing higher and higher. But fast-forward to now, and I just saw they finished 19th in 2025. 

Honestly, it feels like I stepped into a time machine. Everything looks familiar but nothing quite makes sense after being away so long. I know COVID shook things up pretty badly from 2020–2022, but I’m writing this because I’d love to hear from active members:

What were the big highlights in World Class from 2018 through 2025?

What did I miss during those years?

 

[DFA1970]

I’ll say it…..I don’t believe you !

[TerriTroop]

HLD, Trooper! It’s been a great ride recently for our home corps, and I hope they keep up the momentum. The storylines listed by the first response are a good redux of some of the major happenings.
 

I would add the storyline of Bluecoats pushing the electronics envelope, creating questions (for me anyway) about how to judge fairly what is live and what isn’t. That said, their 2024 production (Change is Everything) is AMAZING in my view. I still get chills watching or just listening. I’m not always a big fan of what they put on the field, so when a show hits me like that I pay attention. 
 

It’s been awesome watching Boston strive toward their first win. BOOM! was a great show, though not my favorite of their recent shows. For me those are 2018 (SOS) and 2022 (Paradise Lost).

Battalion and Music City have made such great progress the last few years. 

Phantom’s 2024 show (Mynd) is also amazing. Check that one out. And their 2021 reboot of one of their most iconic shows (2003’s Harmonic Journey) is also a great listen. 

[MikeRapp]

Lots of ways to look at it. All have some validity imo.

The bar for a medal is much higher now than a decade ago. It takes a massive commitment that starts with money, and extends to staff and especially show design. The days of faster and louder are over. Troopers seem to have benefited from this because they have always been an on-the-nose show story corps. 

That said: Corps orgs come and go. Nothing new there despite us wanting to think it’s different when a corps we know and love goes away. It’s hard to stay afloat in an activity as hardly seasonal and high stakes creatively as DCI. Lots of ways to fail in DCI. Very few ways to succeed.

You also have more transparency around how kids are treated on tour—that’s a good thing. I hope this continues.

I do see a wider gap between the haves and have nots though. If you look at budgets and average MM age/experience, you see a giant gap between the top six and everyone else. I think it’s going to require a much bigger commitment to contend for a medal. 

[ClarkW]

1 hour ago, MikeRapp said:

Lots of ways to look at it. All have some validity imo.

The bar for a medal is much higher now than a decade ago. It takes a massive commitment that starts with money, and extends to staff and especially show design. The days of faster and louder are over. Troopers seem to have benefited from this because they have always been an on-the-nose show story corps. 

That said: Corps orgs come and go. Nothing new there despite us wanting to think it’s different when a corps we know and love goes away. It’s hard to stay afloat in an activity as hardly seasonal and high stakes creatively as DCI. Lots of ways to fail in DCI. Very few ways to succeed.

You also have more transparency around how kids are treated on tour—that’s a good thing. I hope this continues.

I do see a wider gap between the haves and have nots though. If you look at budgets and average MM age/experience, you see a giant gap between the top six and everyone else. I think it’s going to require a much bigger commitment to contend for a medal. 

I remember marching at 17 my first year but there were kids who were 14 and 15 marching. The Boston Crusaders were different not sure how that compared to other corps who in that same range of scores and placements back then. I noticed this year that The Blue Devils looked really young for them. The Bluecoats looked older and so did Boston, Santa Clara. 

I will always root for corps like the 13th place and lower because I understand the struggle and respect the passion and performance from the members. Corps like the Troopers are fun to watch and the traditions are even better. 

[Tim K]

 I think the original poster saying 2020-2022 changed things is correct. My thoughts:

With Blue Devils and SCV sitting out in 2021 as far as touring is concerned and Crown having their own camp, it gave Boston Crusaders and Bluecoats the opportunity to take on a leadership role which both did phenomenally. Their shows were innovative, well performed, and riveting. I think a new rivalry or at least a more public one started at that time. This is not to take anything away from Blue Devils who won in 2022 and 23, but many were taking Bloo more seriously and paying closer attention to BAC after 2021.

2020’s cancellation helped Phantom and Cadets. Phantom almost fell from finals in 2019 and needed serious regrouping which seems to have happened. Cadets were so far behind financially it was questionable as to whether there would be a 2020 season. I’m sure they would have squeaked through somehow, but the season off gave them valuable time. I think it helped Mandarins too. They began to recruit some amazing talent in 2021. 

For those of us who had the opportunity to see shows in 2021 or go to Indy, it renewed the love of drum corps. However, it did have a negative impact too. 2020-2022 hit Open Class hard. Some corps were facing financial struggles and may not have completed in 2020, but I know one corps director told me that 2022 was harder than fielding the corps’ first season. Many vets did not return and in OC, vets often play a key role in recruiting, staff took new positions, and donors did not understand the expenses of not competing in 2020. He wanted to participate in 2021 but many parents of the high school aged kids were reluctant at best about allowing their children to participate.

[MikeRapp]

1 hour ago, ClarkW said:

I remember marching at 17 my first year but there were kids who were 14 and 15 marching. The Boston Crusaders were different not sure how that compared to other corps who in that same range of scores and placements back then. I noticed this year that The Blue Devils looked really young for them. The Bluecoats looked older and so did Boston, Santa Clara. 

I will always root for corps like the 13th place and lower because I understand the struggle and respect the passion and performance from the members. Corps like the Troopers are fun to watch and the traditions are even better. 

Those here know well that I am certain that final placement is almost directly correlated to the average age and experience of your corps. And with shows becoming more physically demanding—and emotionally demanding—it’s impossible to compete with 75-90 teenagers.

DCI used to publish these stats some time ago. Not sure why they don’t know, but privacy is probably why. I agree that BD looked decidedly young this year.

[Tenoris4Jazz]

8 hours ago, MikeRapp said:

Those here know well that I am certain that final placement is almost directly correlated to the average age and experience of your corps. And with shows becoming more physically demanding—and emotionally demanding—it’s impossible to compete with 75-90 teenagers.

DCI used to publish these stats some time ago. Not sure why they don’t know, but privacy is probably why. I agree that BD looked decidedly young this year.

When they showed the closeup of the current SOA members waiting on the SOA alumni performance, I thought it looked like a kindergarten class!  Those kids looked tiny and 12 years old!!!