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  1. As a West Texas native and working here we desperately need something in our area. CCGC tried but went through a lot of different owners/organizers before it died off. A lot of the Permian basin groups are going to NTCA/TCGC so there is a market up here, at least for a NTCA sponsored show. There was a NTCA west event on their calendar in the fall and then that disappeared. You've got Permian, Odessa, Midland, Legacy, Frenship, San Angelo Central, Lubbock-Cooper, Lubbock, Coronado, and Monterey all with guards and most with at least 2, some 3. All of them are going to NTCA in DFW and doing very well in their classes, same with San Angelo Central in TCGC. West Plains has made the dive into NTCA this year. Canyon has a great winterguard program as well and I know Pecos, Andrews, and some other 4As have guards. One NTCA sponsored event a little farther west in Abilene/San Angelo/etc. would potentially do very well. And we would love it.
    6 points
  2. ill post twhs on yt later. im tryna count the # of tosses first, it's SO friggin' hard LOL. theres too much going on, im having to slow everything down. just got thru the opener fast section. 275 tosses so far, prob an undercount. includes 35 rifle exchanges, 13 rolls (dive rolls and sit rolls), 12 backbends caught at port, 7 double turns under low tosses, which is harder, a front walkover, and an illusion w/ the inverted hand catch. don't know if i can keep this up. it's like kinda fun but also not really lol.
    6 points
  3. we stayed at the same hotel the woodlands did this weekend, and they were so kind whenever we made conversation. i wish you all the best for the rest of your season with your beautiful show!!
    6 points
  4. I think TW was still scored too low, but I’m biased, and not a judge. Lol
    6 points
  5. Ladies and gentlemen, the 8 time state champion, Argyle high school, is heading to grand nationals!!! A very high chance of being AA champions, and being now the 6th band so for confirmed going to GN’s! They also released their show for this season: A Pictures worth. Seems very cool, and it’s gonna be great watching these kids in Indy, can’t wait Argyle!
    6 points
  6. I'm just going to post a few, I'm at work and have limited time. I want to eventually do some of the Houston Opens. I've already talked about Pearland and TWHS A. Congrats to TWHS A on their Houston Regional win! I had my suspicions that might happen. Their show might not be the flashiest one in the world, but you can clearly see the attention given to fundamental training, which is extremely important in A class. Also, congrats to Grand Oaks for making a comeback in finals. Ever so slightly off the podium, but comfortably division one. Both them and Cypress Woods should do well at Dayton. Over in Dallas, Hebron made a big splash, winning in the A class. I recall they were on the list to attend Dayton last year, but pulled out, maybe in part because of lackluster competition results compared to the prior year. So, winning Dallas is a fantastic development for them, although it makes me wish they were attending Dayton this year. Their show is called If I Only, and is of course inspired by the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz. This version of the song is a crooner version with a lush orchestral accompaniment. The yellow brick road curves up and around the stage, fading into the distance. Right next to it is a patch of grass and some haystacks where the performers begin, lying around a scarecrow. I'm actually pretty dazzled by the use of perspective in this set design -- it almost looks like they're actually there at times, particularly when they're on the yellow brick road. (Maybe a little less so when they're in the sky tossing rifles or flags. 😄) This version of the song is a bit slowed down, but draws out the sadder essence of the song. The performers really capitalize on that with wonderful expressive qualities, giving us some smooth, legato movement, before the tempo picks up and gives us something a little more upbeat. I like the variety here, also the attention to character. They're also already quite clean, despite some challenging phrases. Just a lovely show all around. Coppell's varsity guard in Open class is performing a show called In Fantasia, featuring the song of the same name by Kishi Bashi. It has an ethereal, futuristic sound, with trippy electronics, shifting orchestral chords, and highly evocative lyrics. "In fantasia the mirrors lie to us they plant a seed/one by one we build an empire where devils roam and breed/fading sunsets, to forget them is the mark of death/as we break in through the window of mind and greed." I'm not 100% sure what it's about, perhaps about the toxic influence man has had on nature. In any case, the show is fascinating. The set looks subterranean, like we're in a cave, with a glowing crystal in the center of the stage. The performers move onto the stage with such energy and clear articulation, it really pops upstairs. I love when the song shifts up into the Japanese, and we get that beautiful mixed sabre and flag moment. The interrelationship here between the choreography for the two different pieces of equipment is clear. This is really important in moments of close proximity, for us to see that the two sets of members aren't just doing their own thing, which looks messy and illogical from upstairs. @packwick has described it on Discord as the two needing to have a dialogue, which I like. Generally speaking, I think the staging is a lot clearer than last year's show. The performers are also killing it. The flag feature at the end is expertly done -- gorgeous and dynamic. The orchestral music there is really beautiful as well. The transition to the more quiet ending feels a little abrubt right now and could maybe be a bit smoother. Just a minor complaint. Fantastic job overall. I noticed that Coppell's A guard also did well at Dallas. They could have a real pipeline of talent funnelling into the varsity guard for the next few years. Marcus' show The Aeroplane is every bit as elegant as you might expect. After prelims, Marcus was hanging with Centerville, the top Open guard in the country, until the judges at Avon decided to bump pretty much all their scores way up. It'll be interesting to see "the truth" when Dayton rolls around. Anyway, when's the last time you've seen a guard build an airplane on the floor? Well, that's what Marcus does this season, gradually as the show progresses. It's an old-timey aeroplane made out of wood. The floor itself appears to be the blueprint, on a sort of beige parchment. The song, fittingly, is Tim Minchin's The Aeroplane -- the duet version with Asmara Feik. "If I had the blueprint or the brain/I would build an aeroplane/with fashion wings of balsa wood and glue/and I would fly to you." So, really, it's a sweetly sentimental little love song. Compared to Coppell, the movement is a tiny bit more fluid and graceful, to match the music. I love this traveling dance canon at the beginning, starting with the partnering and then those staggered temps du fleches. The sabre phrase in the top left corner of the stage near the beginning is so beautifully done, very lyrical with the blending of the movement with the equipment. I love how that follow-the-leader phrase in the pink/purple flags unwinds and pushes out to the edges of the stage during the little piano interlude. Wonderful transition. Actually, it reminds me a bit of some of Marcus' drill in their marching show last season, which was outstanding. Now Tim's voice enters, and it has got more bass than the woman's voice, so Marcus smartly brings out the rifles, which have a bit more visual volume. They also change to green flags. Amazing efforts from the performers. When the plane is complete in the center of the stage, we get that final blue flag feature, like we're up in the sky. Very lovely show. Flower Mound's World guard is doing something kind of similar. Their show is called Fly. The floor is a gorgeous blue sky with clouds. What appears to be two musical staves intersect at the top left corner of the stage. The performers are in black tights and shorts and sit on black stools on the lines and spaces of the staves, like they're musical notes, or alternately, like blackbirds on wires. The song, after all, is a female cover of The Beatles' song, Blackbird. It's just the woman's voice and the piano -- very smooth jazz, carefree, and upbeat. There's an overall sunny quality to both the song and choreography during this first part. Meanwhile, the staging designer has done a pretty expert job of maintaining our focus throughout. They've done a good job of leading our eyes to various performer moments, even right at the beginning, for example, with that diagonal that leads straight to the sabre block in the top left corner of the stage. The staging and choreography are detailed, but they don't look excessively busy, which is great. Lots of fun level changes with the stools, of course. You know you're in world class when the rifle line does that ripple of 5s with the turn and then catches them at port while seated on the ground. Wow! Now the music slows down, and the performers showcase their more lyrical talents, although only briefly before the music picks back up. Overall, it's a breezy, well-staged, and well-performed world class show. Will it make finals at Dayton this year? I think there's a chance. But I also think it could benefit from more strangeness, if that makes sense. It's that sort of It Factor that makes a show stand out in the grand scheme of things. Like, how can you make this show different enough from the "up in the sky" shows we've seen before, so that we can't stop thinking about it? The dramatic moments in the soundtrack are also a bit more subtle than other shows, so the designers have to work harder to emphasize those moments. Nevertheless, I think there's a chance they sneak in at Dayton. We'll have to see what some of the Florida and California guards look like. I've already talked about TWHS World. The Light You Cannot See. Just pure poetry, with the show's intellectual and emotional depths expressed entirely visually, no explanation needed. I love the addition of the two-sided white and murky brown unitards, both because it creates the cool visual effect of going into and out of the stage (which isn't an especially novel effect) but also because it seems to indicate that the "light" is intrinsic to the performers. Even the stillness and emptiness of parts of the opening staging bother me less, because they now seem thematic, moving from that depressed state to that magnificent ending where the white flags fill the floor with light. That's gonna be an all-time great emotional moment, buoyed by the incredible depth of the performers' skills and that unbelievably goosebumpy soundtrack. They are doing things that simply no other high school guard can do. It's a huge risk having that many kids do that many skills simultaneously. As we marching fanatics know, it just takes one kid to screw it all up. Anyway, I hope they can polish this beast of a show, can clarify some of the busier staging moments, and can connect some of the phrases a little more smoothly with movement between them. I also think they could add a few more seconds of the very end of that Gregson solo violin divisi piece to give us a fuller denouement. Regardless, I think the overall package is pretty sublime. I don't see them off the medal "podium" this year.
    6 points
  7. I'm impressed by how they changed some of their show on the fly between prelims and finals. That front walkover toss after the opening ensemble rifle toss was not in the show in prelims. They had a nearby girl play substitute. The fact that they can just throw in such a difficult toss like that and have it be clean is really impressive. Much cleaner run. Honestly, their score in prelims was also too far off the top, even with the weaker run. I just don't see a 10 point gap between them and Avon, especially taking into consideration the depth of the talent on display in TWHS. I find their show astounding.
    5 points
  8. vids of pretttty much everything you'd wanna see are uploading to the drive!!
    5 points
  9. The Goddess of Guard. Truly, it's crazy to me that the biggest and best color guard program in the country, consisting of something like 200 students, is taught by only two full-time staff members, and that the director mostly designs and choreographs all FIVE competitive indoor shows herself -- even crazier when you take into account how dominant all 5 guards are. The two at the junior high level are undefeated (again) this season, with the varsity guard only clearly surpassed in talent by PDCMS's varsity (2-year program versus 3-year program). Meanwhile, all 3 guards at the high school level scored above an 85 the weekend of WGI Austin -- rarefied territory for the very beginning of March -- and are either obviously the best in the state in their respective classes, or very close to it. Unheard of. But then so was taking a non-finalist A guard to World class in less than two seasons right after being hired. Robbins is a VERY rare talent. And yet I still firmly believe that every guard everywhere would benefit from implementing similar changes to their feeder programs, like she did in 2019. You don't have to be a genius to reap the benefits of that.
    4 points
  10. triggered!!!! lol. u should start a thread so i can also complain about tcgc, ntca, and wtca needing to come together (at least at the end of the season) for an actual Texas state color guard championship. also to implement an all-state color guard process to encourage individuals to practice and to reward exceptional students stuck in guards that are way less talented overall than they are.
    4 points
  11. ur welcome!!! final total count was 581 tosses. includes loftier parallels that leave both hands but maybe don't go up as high. woulda been over 600 if they had kept that final ensemble flag toss in. 83 exchanges, 55 rolls, 12 backbends, 7 double turns, 4 illusions, 4 grand battements (not sure what we call those, kick tosses?? legs were kinda too bent), and a front walkover. skimpin on the front walkovers and illusions!! add some more, chopchop!! LOL. obvi wgi is way more than just tosses, you'll hear that in the tapes, but def super impressive. one thing i wished watching it all more closely was that tw did more of their own skills. lead more than follow, like give me a weird new woodlands flag toss at the end. creative equip choreo is something Pride, Carmel, + Avon do pretty regularly. it's a tiny club imo. not so coincidentally the 3 most successful groups lol.
    4 points
  12. The Woodlands-the light you cannot see: What an opening! Rifle work in the start was SOOO Much cleaner, OMG they are flinging rifles left and right, I mean wow this is some Really hard stuff they nailed! Love the flag trio through it all which builds overtime, adds some color to this dark scene. You can tell they weren't happy with yesterday's run, because today was MUCH cleaner, just so much going on all the time, rifle work is UNBELIVABLY clean today, WOW! Great usage of the barrel-shaped props, staging design is so smart in setting up the performers for some really challenging stuff they make looks so easy. Can't stress enough how much cleaner this run was, like night and day, big flag moment at the end is breathtaking. They are gonna do some really big damage Dayton, WOW WOW WOW Woodlands!!!
    4 points
  13. You’re insight is always appreciated, I really enjoy reading this as it gives me insight on what others are thinking and things I haven’t caught.
    4 points
  14. ok @Rubisco now do TX lol. do u know what website you're on?? LOL u are much too kind.
    4 points
  15. I wouldn't focus on scores all that much, especially at the beginning of the season when judges have pretty limited knowledge of what the overall competition looks like for each class nation-wide. It wouldn't surprise me at all if judges were trying to catch some of the other streamed events during their breaks this weekend! 👁️👁️ I'm typing up my guard thoughts, but I'm trying to be a little more concise, which is hard for me. 😄
    4 points
  16. lol i mean Avon winning at Dayton in SW has been a forgone conclusion since the Avon regional. the judges are now just circling the wagons, as they often do. i don't mind an Avon win bc they have the cleanest show and it's elegantly written but the gap will likely bug me. also maybe Carmel had a really lousy run tonight. LOL. cool to see Fishers so close to them. WHY is the wgi site still down?!!
    3 points
  17. I would LOVE that for Texas guard students. 😍 Some circuits hold late-season contests for individuals, but the participation rates for them are always abysmal -- not at all like the all-region/area/state process for band students, where pretty much every band in a region sends most of their kids, or at least the kids in their varsity concert bands. Curious what the "scales" and "etudes" would look like for guard auditions. Also whether there would be an actual All-State Guard performance at a convention. 🤔 Another big weekend for guard coming up. WGI returns to Texas with the Southwest Power Regional in Dallas and a "regular" two-day event in New Braunfels. The various Power Regionals will be streamed on Flo. I hope the Texas guards that are going to Dayton post some great numbers for the final standings. This season is going by so fast!
    3 points
  18. Sideswiperr

    UIL 6A Area I 2024

    Cypress mini-mountain high school!
    3 points
  19. I didn't mean to trigger anyone with that comment. 😂 Definitely some valid points. We could probably have a whole new thread on WGI rules and committee-related stuff. I think if the A and Open (and non-finalist World) directors were really upset by the current structure and wanted to push for more representation, they'd probably just pull out of WGI, right? Make a point by spending their money elsewhere? Anyway, probably for another thread. I'd like to complain about talent poaching being the reason Houston doesn't have a top IW guard anymore, but I'm pretty sure it's because most kids leave Houston for college, or just because they want to live elsewhere. 😭
    3 points
  20. flatout dislike the new membership size rule. firstly from a staging persp, but also from a talent poaching one. the rule primarily benefits the indie guards that are already at or near the top, allowing them to monopolize even more of the available talent. also don't like that most decisions are being made by an advisory committee of mostly world class finalists that benefit from these rules and have little incentive to change them. always chuckle when i hear ppl *cough*Karl*cough* praise the generosity of the committee, recently for letting the lower class guards explain their shows to judges this season on CompetitionSuite via spiel sheets. first of all that shouldn't even be a thing, a guard should be able to communicate their show without explaining it to you. secondly, who keeps wgi afloat financially again? it ain't the world class guards. not directly anyway. the talk of generosity is.... misplaced, at best.
    3 points
  21. I think Dobyns-Bennett has potential, if they can clean the show. Most of the stuff they fumbled tonight seemed to be soloist or small ensemble moments. So, very exposed, but also probably easier to clean or change. Paramount has enough talent on the floor for two Independent World guards. Like others, I'm waiting for the show itself to click with me. That may take until Dayton, if it happens. I really enjoyed Etude. Obviously, they don't have the top-to-bottom talent Paramount has, but they maximize what they do have.
    3 points
  22. I hope to go to GN with Bridgeland and would love to see Tarpon Springs live... They're probably my favorite all around group. So incredibly creative
    3 points
  23. I was waiting for someone to break this down. Thanks @packwick for working through the statistics behind TWHS World’s art and athleticism. This show is OUTRAGEOUSLY AMAZING!
    3 points
  24. Awe, thank you! Having traveled with them for the last 4 years I know they love when they get to interact and talk to other groups at the hotels. They are the sweetest and nicest girls (as most of the colorguard groups I’ve ever encountered are!) I miss traveling with them and being with them this year since my daughter graduated last May.
    3 points
  25. In my opinion from the last few seasons of watching up close, I think the numbers just don’t fully mean anything until that week in Dayton- they do give some insight to where they are, but there are too many variables to compare them side by side through the season. Until the shows are seen by the same eyes on the same day… I don’t think comparing numbers across the nation is fully accurate. ‘22 had something special. ‘23 was great, but didn’t have that special moment to it… ‘24 I feel like it has the special piece to it that was missing last year. If the girls can clean it up, Avon might not be catchable, but everyone else is still within reach. No matter what- Dayton will be so incredible to watch!!
    3 points
  26. the top 4 As from WGI Houston were fab again tonight at Pearland, as was twhs world. twhs world had a new, longer ending. very interested to see if they get their typical big Austin score bump next week. pretty much everyone in SW needs one to catch up to Avon, who's projected to get around a 90 next week.
    3 points
  27. Was super impressed with Arlington and Billerica Memorial on Flo today. Billerica is always super simple but beautifully clear and pretty. Really liked the Lizzie Borden show from Arlington as well. Both should do really well down the road in Dayton. Have some thoughts on AMP and need to see Fusion develop. But strong scores today. Crazy that Noblesville started the season in Scholastic A. 3 points up on the field in Chicago prelims in Scholastic Open with an 82+. Their show is beautifully nuanced and crafted. Going to be stunning down the road.
    3 points
  28. If I were to bet, Leander plays the Grand Nats game pretty well, if their varied performance concepts and rep go hand in hand with their achievement, they can potentially repeat another 2019 showing and probably win the 3A Crown comfortably. Even then, I’m really curious what CP brings to the table and perhaps taking things to another gear than last year, I would pick them for the 3A crown out of the three if I had to pick now!
    3 points
  29. First of all, thank you so much @Tubalord11 for providing commentary on nearly all of the guards at Dallas. All those kids and staff members really appreciate your kind thoughts. TXBands should recruit you for their live blogs for sure! Alas, I cannot sit through an entire event anymore. It's almost disrespectful to the hard work all the kids put in. 😭 Also, I think I failed at being concise. The fight for A at Avon was between Carmel and Carroll. I've already touched a bit on both. Carmel A is one of Carmel's JV guards; I believe they have another one actually called Carmel JV, which is like middle school. Anyway, Carmel A's show was called Chopinesque. The purple lounge aesthetic, black benches, and baby grand piano were taken straight from their world guard's show from last year. It's Chopin music, but filled with lots of jazzy, blue scale riffs. I'm guessing Gaines does the staging for Carmel's A, it has a pretty consistent formal clarity. The benches and piano are moved around in similar ways to the world show, as when the benches encircle the piano or are lined up diagonally across the stage. At one point, they're in a sinusoidal curve, which is a very Gainesian thing. This is another one of those guards where it's hard to believe it's a JV group, with unusually dense phrasing and the girls doing tosses off the benches and while atop the piano. Carroll ended up coming out on top in finals, squeaking out the only 80 in Scholastic A this weekend. I've already talked about this one. It's the one about the Dash between the dates on the tombstone, which represents the life a person lived. (We are reminded over and over that it's the most important part!) The floor is like white clouds in a light purple sky, and the performers are in sleek purple unitards that really pop against the white. It's a sentimental show for sure, but the performers elevate the material with their skills and expressive qualities. The stage is slyly reconfigured throughout using large white blocks. They're usually pretty smart about using equipment work to draw our eyes away from the moving of the blocks. Centerville was by far my favorite in Open. The show is called Irresistible and is a fun twist on the moth drawn to the light concept. They're really forging a willfully and imaginatively weird style for themselves. The performers start out almost camouflaged in the corners of the stage with lampshades on their heads, mixed among actual lamps. It has a rather antique store look, like if you were shopping for lamps. The top right corner of the stage has a large upright window with a patch of light shining through it onto the floor. There's an upward piano flourish, and a girl clicks on the lamp in the lower left corner of the stage. Suddenly a double bass enters in the music, very dry and expressionist sounding, like you're watching an art house movie. A few members with lampshades on their heads tiptoe out of the corners curiously, humorously. Amazing opening solo sabre toss with an attitude turn underneath it. Really all the sabres here are fantastic, wonderfully expressive -- keeping good time during what seems like an extended, free-flowing cadenza in the double bass. Suddenly a giant moth flies through the window and the music is an exciting, thumping, highly syncopated tango between the double bass and piano. This music is definitely Piazzolla. (Let me look it up. I believe it's Kicho for double bass and piano.) Everything about this show rocks: the performers, the staging, the choreography, the aesthetic. I'm wondering if it remains in Open. With a couple demotions recently, there's some space in World Class prelims. I could definitely see Centerville sneaking into World Class finals. Speaking of World class, the word on the street about Fishers is accurate. They are much improved over last year. It's a baseball show called The Great American Game. You'd probably imagine something a little more upbeat knowing that it's a show about baseball, but really it's more of an expressive love letter to the baseball of the first half of the 20th century, when it was at peak popularity. If you've seen the movie, A League of Their Own, you'll pick up on the aesthetic pretty quickly, with the skirts and whatnot -- also with the shades of sepia, which make the floor look like an old time photo or letter. The members all start out on bleachers, the first one runs out and slides. There's a lot of baseball in the choreo here. The music is a very delicate, sweetly sentimental piano, good for the overall nostalgic feel. I think I've heard this before, but I can't put my finger on it, maybe an arrangement of a piece from a movie? The bleachers are eventually split up and moved around (while the members are on it) to reshape the stage. I'm actually squinting right now to try to see if the rifles have a baseball bat appearance, because at times it looks like they're holding them like bats. Absolutely wonderful performance from those kids. Lots of difficult trick tosses and spinning phrases. Seeing Fishers place so close to Carmel is exciting, and probably indicates they'll be a lock for top 6 at Dayton. After missing finals last year, that's QUITE an improvement. Carmel World's show, Memento Mori, was my pick for most intriguing theme heading into the season. Memento Mori is a phrase essentially reminding you that you're going to die, so really a death motif. This is weighty stuff! It's a little reminiscent in tone to Carmel's 2022 production, The Unbearable Lightness of Being. The floor is a sort of solid desert color, but a little orangish, like a terracotta orange. Blue fabric is stretched across it, like a river flowing through the desert. Actually, this aesthetic is extremely reminiscent of Spring's 2014 Open Class gold medal show, the Malala one. They use the blue fabric in similar ways, making shapes on the stage. I recognize this music right away as Max Richter, reminded me of Wayne McGregor's ballet Woolf Works. Very desolate and sad sounding, but also with great expressive qualities that of course Carmel takes full advantage of. Perfect front walkover toss to open the show. Look at those hand placements on all these exposed solo tosses. They're just perfect! A narrator tells us not to fight the flow of time but to move with it. It all has a little bit of a dry lecture feel to it. I think I would have preferred a little less exposition, especially because they're already communicating much of the theme pretty clearly visually. But then the performers are just undeniable, not really that far off Avon from an equipment perspective. And then there's Avon, performing Voila, which is an absolute earworm of a song. I've been humming it in my head ALL day, it has such an infectious lilt. When I heard that Avon was doing Voila, I could tell from the graphic that there were gonna be fabric reveals, but I was expecting something cutesier and more like a magic show. Of course they do lots of cutesy tricks with the fabric, lots of ambidextrous things, but overall this show is way more serious than expected. It has more of an elegiac, heartbreaking kind of feel. Voila is a pretty repetitive song, but thankfully there's just enough of a build up that we get the variations we need to make a show that feels complete. Of course, the highlight is the climax of that build up at the end, one of two goosebump moments so far this year. It's almost orgiastic, with the fabric flung around and all the daredevil tricks, which they're already executing quite cleanly. There are a few points in the staging that look a little cluttered because of the fabric, but it's a minor complaint. Actually, it's one of the main reasons I like to avoid fabric.
    3 points
  30. westlake and bowie also posting strong scores in Open... just kinda scrolling through now.
    2 points
  31. happyy happy happy to see Grand Oaks finally get the score they deserve, only took a double panel to get it lol. they always come around to my opinion at the end. well.... usually lol. still some significant room for improvement. not surprised to see their DA scores wayyy worse than their IA scores. still some clarity and ensemble timing issues. things to hit hard b/w now and Dayton. last wgi show in TX. purrrdy happy w/ the results/final seeding scores. both Marcus and Grand Oaks should be up there at Dayton. Marcus for sure a strong podium contender, maybe 3rd to Centerville and Noblesville. little less sure about Oaks, A class being such a cluster f lol. for world class not as worried about tw's austin seeding score as some others are. seen all the worlds now and their show speaks for itself. should easily medal, id have it a comfortable 2nd. if difficulty and risk were a POC id have it 1st. FloMo not out of the game, was hoping for just over 80, but 78 perfectly reasonable score for this time of yr for possible SW finalist, may need to overtake Chino Hills or a couple Florida ones.
    2 points
  32. Score wise, I'd say everything seems about right. Wylie with a big jump, super happy for them, and of course super close between Coppel A/Grand Oaks and Coppell/Marcus. Didn't really see Timber Creek dropping, if anything had them going up a little but they still improved score wise. Union/Hebron/Azle/Yukon being super close was also what I expected, but yeah overall great day of guard, very much looking forward to seeing how everyone improves between now and Dayton
    2 points
  33. I realllly love Coppell’s show. Also Grand Oaks was probably my favorite in A class.
    2 points
  34. wgi steering committee interview w/ Cyndi Robbins from twhs. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fCTJ4Sb38oU her life seems.... stressful... LOL. i like that she takes near complete ownership of the creative process in addition to the teaching. super impressive, tho i fear it will lead to burn out. the guards are only getting bigger lol.
    2 points
  35. Dobyns has one of my fave floors ever. poor Frosty. LOL. very clever. guard is solid, show isn't as thrilling or dramatic as last yr, or as campy lol. respect for not doing the same thing over again. will benefit from some cleaning. tw has met their tossing superior in Paramount LOL. super talented members, super big guard, sky-high difficulty and risk which unlike in SW is actually a POC on the sheets in IW. didn't like the show design that much tho. kiiinda vaguely organized chaos lol. not sure what were they trying to communicate, besides showcasing their members' incredible tossing talents.
    2 points
  36. Excited to see Holly Springs too. LOVED their Pinocchio show last year.
    2 points
  37. Flo will be streaming the South Carolina Regional this weekend -- a two-day event. I'm especially looking forward to watching Paramount (reigning world champion), Etude, and Dobyns-Bennett. I've seen glimpses online already, but it will be nice to see how they've developed.
    2 points
  38. Really liking some of the shows out west. El Dorado is super mature, LOVE the body and rifle opening. Arcadia is quirky but has some great moments. Lots to like in IW too. I think Fantasia medals. I'm always a little iffy on no flag but it's a beautifully crafted and emotional show and reminds me of their glory days. Vox Artium is a BLAST, the Bloody Mary flag feature is super fun.
    2 points
  39. Seemed like a somewhat rough run for The Woodlands. Several exposed drops at the beginning, but they ended up pulling it together. In their defense, it's probably the hardest SW show ever from an equipment perspective.
    2 points
  40. As far as scores go, I'd say I agree with mostly everything. No surprise to see Pearland on the top of SA, though Veteran Memorial would score a little higher but it looks like they will be in finals, it will be interesting to see however if Azle can close the gap on Hebron, but i doubt there will much if any shifting tomorrow. For SO, Coppell is currently dominating which seems right to be. My biggest surprise was College Park, who unfortunately didn't make finals, not making finals. I thought they should have placed and scored way higher, but I don't know who to replace them with. SO was just super competitive, and I'm not envois of the judges for SO, finals is gonna be one heck of a show.
    2 points
  41. Also shoutout to @LeanderMomma for the great clips on Instagram, you're almost right behind the camera and it seems like it's been a blast, wish I could be there!
    2 points
  42. I'm gonna throw out a super bold prediction: Cedar Park will win again 🫣 But in all seriousness, I don't know if there will be a new 5A state champ until Cedar Park gets moved out for one of many possible future reasons. Yes, I know in 15,17 and 19, they didn't win prelims, but Rouse last year has been the closest since Covid, and while they are IMO the band to do it, I just don't see it happening. We know what CP does every year when it comes finals, and NOBODY in the nation can do it like they do. The only possible way I see it happening soon is if they were to somehow get a 2 at region, which just won't happen.
    2 points
  43. While the date might not be super optimal, I think this regional has great potential, as mentioned in other forums, to be one for groups that are trying to “get away” from top groups in the area such as the LISD, RR-ISD and the big SA schools in the are, which makes me really happy. I hate when bands aren’t able to make finals at boa regionals simply because the really aren’t a ton of changes as to who ends up making finals each year at the other regionals (not hating on any programs Tx is just so stacked), and will be a great opportunity for those programs that are always so close to finals get that much deserved second performance, and I’m supper excited to see how this comp turns out
    2 points
  44. Watch for the long bomb Rifle tosses near the end of the Invictus Show. Wow! Just insane and so much fun!
    2 points
  45. AMP is pretty meh this yr. normally not as into them as the general audience but even the crowd rxn seemed pretty tepid compared to usual. also think Avon did the witch show WAY better back in 2008.
    2 points
  46. Just saw the Austin Regional is the 2nd-3rd, which is my first weekend of spring break 🥳 Better more, I'll be home alone for this weekend, so I'll be able to watch on the big screen, yay! Will most likely cover all the groups again like last weekend, super excited to see some more amazing guards!
    2 points
  47. There are videos of guards we haven't seen compete at WGI yet popping up on YouTube. Falling down a bit of YouTube hole. Here's Invictus. A Creep show called I Don't Belong Here. https://youtu.be/GWDsv1WtgWQ?si=YR3Ax2LuhQD_Mt_e Here's Palm Desert High School (not middle school) performing Discov(RED). I recognize the music as Ezio Bosso. The cloud one that Onyx did in 2015. https://youtu.be/j7k7cgrFK0c?si=JwckdUm9IKxCYgx5
    2 points
  48. Some Texas thoughts will follow. 😄
    2 points
  49. well i was thrilled w/ twhs' 83 score (which exactly matched my thoughts for them after prelims) until the ones from the Avon contest popped up LOL. apparently tw's only a fraction of a pt ahead of fishers, who's admittedly much much better this yr than last. yeaaaah yeah i know diff panels + vastly diff competitive environment w/ the bazillion world class guards at Avon. but still!!! since u seem to care: 84.5 matches my thoughts seeing Avon today. so like how Mike scored them for Effect. an 86 is prooob the highest score ever this point in the season in SW. i think Avon's show is fab, super expressive, great climax at the end, fun little visuals w/ the fabric. verrry smart about featuring their strongest members, like those insanely talented dancers they open with. that's what i want tw to look like!!! buuuut overall not quite an 86. the gap b/w Carmel and Avon seems pretttty accurate to me in GE mainly bc Avon has that emotional impact/contour w/o sacrificing the intellectual/aesthetic side of things, whereas Carmel's show is drier... and uhhh... chattier... and waaay more depressing LOL. it's like the B side to tw's show this year. "It's hopeless! You're all gonna die!!!" paraphrasing ofc. i liked when the river of time drags the girl, that was pretty awesome. every show needs a truly clever moment like that.
    2 points
  50. You weren’t kidding!!!! 😳🥹🤩
    1 point
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