Jump to content

Area I 2018


Recommended Posts

I’m still somewhat in mental awe after deciphering the results of this contest.

 

What should have been an ecstatic, jubilant celebration for our program making state for the first time in 6 years turned into, for me at least, an odd lingering sense of bewilderment. The wild inconsistencies between prelims scores and finals scores cause me to seriously question the integrity of the UIL judging system. Jersey Village: 10 -> 2. Cy-Fair: 9 -> 4. Cinco Ranch: 3 -> 7.

 

Also, looking at individual judges’ scores, implicit biases seem to be prevalent as well (won’t go into specifics).

 

Glad state recruits more experienced judges!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quick thoughts:

 

I am intrigued at how Katy and Cinco Ranch scored that high above Cy Fair and Cy Falls during prelims

 

Jersey Village managing an incredible comeback after getting 8,9,10s for their scores in prelims. 

 

For finals, I think the large gap between 5th and 6th place meant that - for the most part - the judges agreed on the top 5. However, it just is unexpected seeing Katy as the champion. 

 

Still can't believe Cy Falls didn't find a way to state after making it in '14 and '16.

 

Jersey Village was a bit of a shocker, but still it is an amazing accomplishment for them.

 

Cy Fair has stayed amazingly consistent and are keeping their UIL State Marching Contest streak alive.

 

Major congratulations to Seven Lakes and Taylor. Happy those two schools finally have broke through. I have always thought those schools were on the brink, and what a time.

 

Can't wait for state! I've always believed that it doesn't matter how you place at area, as long as you advance. SMC judges are more reliable and consistent, and a lot can be done within a week. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While I would not have chosen Katy or Jersey Village to be 1st and 2nd place, I believe they are both deserving of advancing. Katy was clean! The ballad was especially well-played, with very nice shaping to the phrases. Also, their individual marching technique was great - this is something I did not see in the lower bands. Jersey Village - incredible ensemble sound! They had a convincing performance. So happy for both of these groups!

 

I personally would have placed:

 

1. Taylor

2. Cy-Fair

3. Seven Lakes

 

I felt bad for Langham Creek- an unfortunate mishap with the trumpet mic. I truly think they would have had a great shot of making it. Love the direction they are taking their color guard and overall design! I agree with the placement of Cy-Falls. Brass was definitely over-blowing and the marching forms were not always there. I think they are transitioning - in a few years, they will be back on top. They have great leadership.

 

It is easy to criticize the judging in this area, but this is a highly evolving area, and new bands are emerging and defining themselves. Let's not be quick to dismiss their accomplishments, simply because they are not what we expected. Congrats to all finalists and state qualifiers!    

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think that the results that transpired in both prelims and finals demonstrate the anachronistic nature of ordinal ranking in modern marching arts.  It definitely raises some eyebrows to see 3 BOA Conroe finalists being beaten by bands that were not close to making it to finals there. And after seeing a good majority of prelims bands and sitting through all the shows in finals, it is my opinion that both Katy and Jersey Village do not deserve the placement that they received last night in finals. Visually and musically, I think that these bands were definitely of lesser quality than that of James E. Taylor, Cy-Fair, and Seven Lakes. I am so glad that those three bands managed to still get into state-qualifying spots despite extremely strange judging, however it irks me that the standard to how these bands are judged--and what is valued--varies greatly, even from judge to judge.

 

I am not diminishing the time and dedication that Katy and Jersey Village put into their productions, and I 100% recognize that these bands work incredibly hard. But I cannot agree with these results, and I feel strongly for the band programs that had, in my opinion, better shows (namely Cy-Falls and Tompkins) that were left out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can I get an honest opinion about the Cy- Ranch band? Reading the judges sheet at the end of the night and seeing all music judges give the band 10th place just seemed unexpected to me. Do any of  y'all have a reason as to why this could've been. Also, I don't  know if it was just me but it definitely did seem like this band was a fan favorite. Do  y'all agree with this?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...