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So let's just get this thread over with before the season really kicks into gear. It can be for BOA or UIL. Get it out of your system now. I was just over at the MFA site and was reviewing the BOA adjudication sheets to see if anything has changed. Didn't notice anything. The sheets were already pretty general, but I feel like over time they've gotten more and more vague -- probably to give adjudicators some latitude. I have mixed feelings about that, especially as the competition gets fiercer every year. For example, the Music Individual performance sheet used to be more specific for all 3 choirs. Now it's just tone quality for one half of the score and accuracy for the other half. Meanwhile, the Performance halves of the General Effect scores have always been vague. I've long wished that the effect of cleanliness were more explicitly mentioned, just so that I can stop having to correct people who think that GE is all about design. You can't get a high GE score without a great performance. Percussion seems to be a complete afterthought in the sheets -- same as auxiliary groups, like guard, for whom the only mention is a vague one of "equipment." (Actually, can guards even be called auxiliary anymore, given the enormous contribution they make to many bands' shows? Is that Broken Arrow guard really a "support group"? It's like the size of the band!) We probably need to go back to the old way, where these two groups are separated out and judged by qualified professionals, because they need more attention. I'll be honest: I don't really trust wind specialists judging percussion and vice versa. Too many bad experiences listening to those tapes! Meanwhile, whether or not guard is mentioned in any substantial way largely comes down to whether the visual judge is trained in it. Frankly, you shouldn't be judging visual performance if you don't know the basic facts regarding the adjudication of movement and equipment skills. Everyone knows how to judge issues regarding spacing, alignment, timing issues, drill that clicks and is readable vs. drill that amoebas its way from one form to the next, projection of style, etc. Persistent issues with an auxiliary group are just as distracting. I like the inclusion of difficulty and challenges, but again, we need to be a bit more specific. What is considered dirty for a blind drill move, for example, as it's listed as "highly difficult" on the sheets? I'm not asking for some Olympic-style point docking system, just some clarification. For this reason, performance captions have sometimes become difficult to predict, because sometimes shows that are much dirtier than others (not just a little bit dirtier) end up getting significantly higher scores than cleaner shows. I'd love for BOA to go the WGI route and develop a "Box 6" for their sheets, which is reserved for groups that set new standards. These are the 98+ scoring groups. I agree that scores that high should be reserved for those groups really pushing the envelope in terms of artistry and demand. Having a "Box 6" provides a stronger incentive to try new things. Not really sheet-related, but I'd also love BOA to double the judging panels at major events like Nationals and the San Antonio Super Regional. Everything is so competitive that I feel like some safeguards are needed so that a group doesn't get screwed over by a single judge.

Guess the directors found the video lol.

I graduated from Summit in 2012. We never worried about homecoming. I would be shocked if they skipped finals for that.

It's $10 per car for parking. Should probably have cash but parking attendants are supposedly taking credit card as well. Also, there is less parking than normal due to construction on the north side of the stadium. Therefore, they may run out of parking mid-afternoon but BOA is providing shuttles from Oak Ridge High School down the street to the stadium as necessary.

For anyone making predictions, Carroll will not be performing in finals due to their homecoming being that weekend.

Updated Schedule - a few changes: Perf Order Class Band Performance Time 1 6A Liberty Hill 10:00 AM 2 6A Westwood 10:15 AM 3 5A Hutto 10:30 AM 4 4A Brenham 10:45 AM 5 5A Lake Belton 11:00 AM Judges' Break 11:15 AM 6 5A John B. Connally 11:30 AM 7 4A Tom Glenn 11:45 AM 8 4A Burnet 12:00 PM 9 4A Wimberley 12:15 PM 10 6A McCollum 12:30 PM 11 6A Louis D. Brandeis 12:45 PM Judges' Break 1:00 PM 12 5A Lehman 1:30 PM 13 5A Anderson 1:45 PM 14 6A New Braunfels 2:00 PM 15 6A John Marshall 2:15 PM 16 5A Marble Falls 2:30 PM 17 6A McNeil 2:45 PM 18 6A Stony Point 3:00 PM Judges' Break 3:15 PM 19 4A Manor New Tech 3:30 PM 20 5A LASA 3:45 PM 21 5A Bastrop 4:00 PM 22 6A Belton 4:15 PM 23 6A John Paul Stevens 4:30 PM 24 6A William Howard Taft 4:45 PM 25 5A Weiss 5:00 PM

I went over and watched Round Rock practice last night. They've added much more content to their show than what they had at Festival of Bands and the clinician Jeremy Spicer also was there too.

Figured I'd share this here- we're sitting at less than a week from this comp. This spreadsheet is how I've been tracking bands over the past few weeks. Tons of bands that are very neck-and-neck, and a good few more that I haven't seen any show footage of. If anyone wants/needs me to change something on the spreadsheet, let me know. Super excited to see how Conroe is gonna pan out! https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RM9LSfyrOQfsAdTyK-1f5xG6Z36sMFSftvvxhJUG-Vo/edit?usp=sharing Also gonna add that I have way too much time on my hands outside of rehearsal and practicing for region band so if any of y'all want me to make a similar spreadsheet for another competition I'd be down!

OMG I'm sorry. My comment wasn't even meant to be a criticism. I'm beyond mad at the district for not putting more resources to help this band out. These poor kids kill themselves at practice every single day and they deserve SO MUCH MORE than what they are getting right now. I am so very sorry if my comment was taken personally. It was not meant to be that way and I got super busy to be able to respond. BTW, the new unis are stunning. The light color tops really pop on the field.

They’re on higher ground than much of the metro and their community has some of the best flood planning in the area too. They should be okay to compete in a week and a half. They might just lose a day or two of rehearsal.