DCI POLITICS @ it's Best!

[Lance]

If the shoe fits...

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[ron burgundy voice] Yes? Please, go on...[/ron burgundy voice]

[Long Time Fan]

I love these posts. So lets figure this out. Why does DCI want SCV to rise from 9th to 8th? 8th is higher? It sounds better? Why stop there why not 7th? Does this really make any sense?

DCI also decides that by causing SCV to rise, Boston will fall. Where is the show taking place? What will be the reaction (and was the reaction) of Boston falling?

And you really think that DCI (whoever they are) thinks that the goodness of SCV going from 9th to 8th is worth the negative reaction of the hometown corps falling on their first ESPN broadcast. Either DCI is really shortsighted and stupid, or ...

BTW, who are the DCI guys who do this in these scenarios? Is it a committee that meets and votes on it? Does Dan do this all by himself? Is there a secret evil benefactor behind the scenes pulling all the strings?

Like I said, I love these posts. Makes me feel much smarter than I actually am.

[jwillis35]

Certainly I can see anyone looking at the scores with SCV/Boston and Bluecoats/Madison and wondering how things shook up the way they did.

SCV was well below Boston all year. Bluecaots had been very close to Madison the last few shows, and they then tied in semis, so that one seems believable to most. However, the Bluecoats really bolted past the Scouts on finals night, and that can seem fishy when they had been so close prior to finals.

I don't really like to subscribe to conspiracy theories or any politics. But here is my take:

1. Anytime you have a corps that makes some slight changes prior to finals or semi-finals, that corps is taking a risk. Madison made a slight change to their show prior to finals. This may have cost them.

2. The percussion judging in semi finals was a far cry from that of finals. Regardless of which night you feel was more appropriately scored, the results are obvious.

3. When in comes to DCI Finals in general, so many things can happen when you have different judges each night. Just like any subjective art-form, these judges will get different reads each of those nights, and the corps will perform differently each night. Boston wasn't as on Finals night, whereas with quarters they we Red Hot. SCV was Red Hot Finals night.

4. Finally, people need to realize that it doesn't take much to make up 1 to 2 points. Consider this: there are 3 large captions (GE, Visual, and Music), there are 8 sub-captions, and 18 sub-sub captions (or whatever they call them). If corps A has typically been beating corps B in 12 of those 18 mini captions (by one tenth), even in 4 of them, and losing in two of them (by one tenth). They are a full point in front of corps B. A full point can sound like a decent spread, but it's not. If a new set of judges the next evening see corps A and corps B and they award corps B a tenth better in 8 mini captions, even in 8 mini captions, and only losing in 2 (by a tenth), now corps B is beating corps A by .6. Corps B was down by a whole point the night before, and now is up by .6, and all because of these little minute tenths of points awarded one way or another.

This is why people should not think the Cadets won big. They did not. They deserved their title and I loved their show, but it was very, very, close with them and Cavaliers and Phantom.

Jonathan

[wesleyrp]

I think that what happened to Boston is similiar to what happened to me when us when I was marching in BK '98. That year at Allentown, we had an off show and then recovered at quarters. But on Semi's night, Phantom tied us. All seaon we had beaten them so I believe it shook us and we laid a bit of a dud on finals night and got beat. With BAC beating Crown on Thursday and then getting hammered by Crown on Friday, you've got to think there was a little bit of uneasiness in their mind going into Saturday. Translation, SCV had nothing to lose and went after it and Boston had a little more to prove from the previous night and may have been tight. Between BK, Boston and SCV it has been fun to see the close competition. What a a great, competitive year!!!

Wes P.

BK '97 '98

[Rocketman]

Are we to believe that DCI can tell those judges who should place where and then have the judges buy into it?

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And this is new to you?

Rocketman - went there, done that

ampsuck

[Orpheus]

Placements stay the same -- Aha! It's a conspiracy! (Slotting)

Placements change -- Aha! It's a conspiracy! (The evil DCI ubermind is forcing the judges to give SCV a higher score than they "deserve.")

As for me, I thought SCV just did a better job than Boston on Saturday night. And I've hardly been an apologist for SCV's show this season. And Crown was noticeably better than either. Different night, different performance, different judges, etc.

It's funny that all season, people have been complaining that Vanguard was getting scored too low, and now that they move up a placement, someone comes out with this idiotic theory. So are we supposed to get mad when the placements don't fluctuate, or when they do?

[MsBusDriver]

I know everybody loves controversy so here it is. Wasn't SCV in good standings for 9th place and a more that 1 point away from Boston? Was SCV really that good to make a 1 point jump finals night. They haven't been that close to Boston all season than all of a sudden....BAM! 8th place.

Politics you ask?  Let a shining star like SCV drop so much in placing?

I don't know....smells funny!

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Heh, this is so funny because I asked the same question for the Worster,MA show thread...

>>"Soooo, in less than 24 hours, Boston jumps 2.15 and SCV jumps .80 compared to Allentown (BC 87.75, SCV 87.25). Was Boston really that BAD at Allentown? Sorry, I know that BC has the capability of beating SCV this season, but I have a VERY hard time accepting this kind of scoring...it just seems so...wrong"<<

And several people assured me that yes, it was possible for such a descrepancy in score because Boston turned it on in Worster and SCV didn't. I accepted their opinions because, heck, I wasn't there and they were and they sounded very sincere in their observations of the performances. It's easy to cry "consipiracy" from the ol' armchair. But it's just easier and classier to admit that...

>>"Sigh...O.K. Since I was at neither show, then I really can't say who deserved what. Besides the fact that I'm not particularly happy with how SCV is doing this year, (I still support my Brothers and Sisters wholeheartedly though), I am glad to see other corps coming up in the world. S'bout time actually. Heck, I remember when it was a big thing for US to beat Boston back in the day. Hope they are enjoying this time as well".<<

Time to move on...

[nyob]

I was very surprised when I saw SCV Saturday night, after reading everything about the show. They were great! I also thought Boston did a good job, I have liked this show every time I saw it this season. Both corps should be proud of themselves, regardless of placement. I was not able to go to quarters or semi's so I can't speak for either corps performance on those nights, but I agree with the placement at finals. Thank you to all of the Div I corps for a great season!

[CODI]

No I wasn't there. I was home sitting in my lawnchair drinking a cold one.

:mmm:

But I don't need to be there in the woods to know if a bear takes a shart in it.

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"You Bet Your Sweet A--!

This is the real world. If you think DCI is on the up an up you must believe in Santa Claus.

CODI

[craiga]

I WAS at Finals......I am an alumnus and former staff member of BAC, and they were (for me), my favorite drum corps of the night.

Second favorite corps of the night.....the Santa Clara Vanguard....who, man for man, probably out performed EVERY corps there on Saturday. I congratulate SCV for pulling one out when they had to....and BAC for having an incredible 65th anniversary year with an average horn player age of 17!

Eat'em up, BOSTON! ^0^