Rubisco

And the fact that there are something like 9 groups that could potentially medal or win makes those prelims performances all the more important. You don't want to get stuck performing first in finals when all of your nearest competitors are performing in the last half.

Eh. Considering that Marcus also won in 2010, I wouldn't really say that Marcus has a pattern of winning every 5 years. That said, they are more than capable of winning it this year (along with probably 8 other groups).

It's good to note that SA was the late-season regional in 2002. That wasn't always the case prior to 2003, when it became "super."

Ah, yes. Carmel 2002. There were lots of cranky (and humbled) Texans after that one. Take a look at the finals scores from 2002, if you want to know where a decent amount of my pessimism comes from. Of course, Texas bands are way more put-together visually than they used to be, and that's great, but there are still things they can learn from their Midwestern competitors.

Yikes. 75 groups? Did I count correctly? And Avon's the only out-of-stater. BOA is definitely striking gold in Texas. I'm wondering how many will be left on the list after drop-outs and waitlist rejections. Probably at least 65. Also, it looks like literally all of the best TX BOA groups will be there. (Often there's at least one that doesn't attend.) Of note, there are only 2 Texas bands on the list that have beaten Avon in a finals performance in the past decade -- L.D. Bell and The Woodlands. Nevertheless, I anticipate a close fight for the top between Avon and Flower Mound, with possible upsets from a host of other groups, including The Woodlands, Hebron, Marcus, Vandegrift, Leander, Claudia Taylor Johnson, and Ronald Reagan. Texas groups need to hit that visual HARD between July and SA, if they want to take down Avon. Avon will be a complete package visually. They always are.

And here I was complaining about how there was too much talking in POC's soundtrack. It's actually part of the piece! Interesting! That's the great thing about following activities like DCI, WGI, and BOA: because the shows are designed by knowledgeable people (especially knowledgeable music majors), you get introduced to all sorts of new music. Thanks to WGI this year, I'll be exploring Rzewski's other work now, as well as Shirley Horn's work, which was featured in Aimachi's show, May the Music Never End.

Yes, a wonderful improvement from CGT Dallas. They really made a statement about themselves this year. Congrats to them! Scores were definitely closer at the top than I was expecting, at least in the Scholastic class. Carmel's 97.550 to Avon's 97.0, and Pride of Cincinnati's 97.9 to Aimachi's 97.650. Avon actually beat Carmel in Equipment Analysis. I didn't see that coming. Meanwhile, Aimachi took both Movement Analysis and General Effect, but lost the gold due to Equipment Analysis (especially) and Design Analysis. No surprises there. Furthermore, Aimachi took Effect on the strength of Performance as opposed to Repertoire. Again, not a surprise. They might not have won the title, but this is Aimachi's best showing ever. Huge congrats to them! Well, it was fun talking to myself for most of this thread! There wasn't as much interest as I was expecting, but who cares. Congrats to all of the performers on a great season!

I love how they zoomed in on the Japanese flag at the start of Aimachi's performance. "It's Japan's year!" it seemed to scream. Even though I personally prefer POC, I wouldn't mind it going to Aimachi, if only because it'd be a first. The world championships have for so long barely been a world championship. It's pretty much just a national contest with *occasional* appearances by groups outside of America. Maybe Aimachi's success will make it seem like less of an American thing, which could help attract new participants. Of course, that's not why Aimachi should win; it's just a potential outcome of them winning.

Yeah, Pride just about nailed it. I'd give it to them. What Pride does with the equipment is just so much more difficult than what Aimachi does with it. And the show is so interesting, so engaging -- unlike anything I've seen before. On the flip side, Aimachi is always a huge crowd favorite, and the energy in the room was palpable. That counts for something. That, and their performance was on point. We'll see!

Easily the best performed Aimachi show I've ever seen. Guard skills are much improved. It lacks the ingenuity of Pride's show, but if Pride gives a less than stellar performance, it'll be Aimachi.

Actually, he messed up all three words. Imitations on Immorality, instead of Intimations of Immortality.

Solid performance from Bowie. I wish the announcer could have read the name properly. "Imitations of Immorality," really? Way to mess up both of the words!

By the way, this means we'll be seeing Klein Oak in the Open Class next year. Way to go!

Bravo, Klein Oak! And to Dawson, too, for placing 5th. Congrats to Allen and Southlake Carroll as well for making finals in a very crowded field. And congrats again to the three finalists in the Scholastic Open Class: Little Elm, Hendrickson, and Eastlake. Ya did us proud! Now, on to the World Class guards. James Bowie, CGT Dallas, and Black Gold will be representing Texas in finals. Best of luck to them! After semifinals, it looks like the judges tried to set up a showdown between Pride of Cincinnati and Aimachi in the Independent class, and Carmel and Avon in the Scholastic class. It seems a bit forced to me, but who knows, maybe Aimachi and/or Avon will pull out surprise wins -- sort of like last year when POC hugely upset the SCV world guard, which had placed first in every round of every competition up until WGI Finals night. I'm mostly excited to see if CGT Dallas can force their way into the top 3. They scored a 94.1 to Imbue's 94.9 in semis. We shall see.

James Bowie was absolutely wonderful in semis. I was a bit surprised to see that the Amy Winehouse show came out over theirs in prelims (and by over a point). There's an artistry to Bowie's show that the Winehouse show sorely lacks, as fine as those performers are.

Congrats to Little Elm, Hendrickson, and Eastlake for making finals in the Open class! Have fun!

Catching up on performances. The Woodlands gave what was very clearly their best performance of Out of Line ever. They should be very proud of themselves. It should be a close one.

Was it not State Street Review in a tie-breaker?

Way to go, Klein Oak! Keep it up!

I *really* hope the finals performances are multi-cam. I'm getting a little bored with the high cam, despite the fact that it's the same perspective that most of the judges receive. I'm ready to see the details and the personalities down on the floor!

92.1 for CGT Dallas. They're going into semifinals in 4th place. With a great performance, I think they've got what it takes to top one or both of the two groups above them. Maybe a more direct comparison will be of benefit to them. If they do manage to place in the top 3, I think it'll be the first time a Texas group has received a medal in the world class. Heck, I think 4th place would be a record, too. Good for them. Klein Oak was on point. I don't think I've seen them have an off performance this season.

POC's best performance yet this season. And it will be their SIXTH gold medal after Saturday night.

I thought CGT Dallas was excellent. I'd have them above both Imbue and Aimachi, but I'm not convinced the judges will agree with me. Much more ingenuity, as far as I'm concerned.

Ah, and Aimachi's score has been posted. 93.1 to Imbue's 93.3. So yep. Pride of Cincinnati it shall be! Their fifth win? I wish Santa Clara were competing this year. Maybe there would have been more competition at the top.

Prelims underway in Dayton. Great scores for Dawson and Allen so far in Scholastic A. (Allen is currently the top scoring group across both prelims venues.) In Scholastic Open, Little Elm has come out on top among the Texas groups with an 89.7, although it might be a bit of an uphill battle into the top 3. A lot of groups are in the running for that. Hendrickson is one of them. Eastlake should be good for finals. In Scholastic World, Bowie should be safe for finals. They're at 11th after prelims, and they take 15. The Woodlands has an uphill battle. They have to beat 3 groups that beat them (although not by much) in semifinals to make the finals. Given how WGI schedules the groups in reverse placement order, that could be difficult. In other news, Carmel has proven what should have been obvious to everyone: that they're far and away the best scholastic guard in the world this year. They scored over 95 in prelims. I can't recall the last time I've seen a score that high after prelims in the Scholastic World class. They might become the first guard to crack a 98 in finals, since James Logan last did it in 2005. It would be well-earned. Arabesque is an outstanding show any way you look at it. It's also the only show that made me say, "Wow!" out loud this year. (It happened when the girls put the rifles on the swings, swung them back, retrieved them from behind, tossed them way up over the swing sets, went under the sets, caught the rifles on the other side, and swung back playfully on their stomachs. They just *nail* it. And it's so difficult!) Anyway, what a great year for the Carmel band and guard. Winning BOA *and* WGI. I enjoyed Aimachi. Lots of baton twirling again, which makes the crowd go crazy. I don't think it'll be anywhere near enough to top Pride of Cincinnati, but we'll see!