Hard Core Band Fan

It should be an interesting year, for sure. In the Austin area, we have Bowie, Hendrickson, Westwood, Cedar Ridge, and Round Rock that are all affected in some way with staff changes. My guess is that Bowie will fare the best and be the least affected with the changes. Hendrickson, Westwood, and Cedar Ridge will likely be affected the most and Round Rock affected the least of them all. It's just hard to tell in advance and there are so many factors to consider. A director that was very successful at one school will not necessarily do well at another previously successful program if the fit is not a good one and he/she doesn't match the DNA of the program. Conversely, sometimes a director that didn't do well in one program will have success at a different program. Sometimes there is push-back from the band and changes are not well received. I've seen all of these scenarios play out many times. My wish is that all of these programs flourish and do well for the students' sake. I hate seeing good programs drop off the map.

I noticed today that Prosper is on the list. This will not likely affect any of the finals spots.

Can't wait to hear Vandegrift's music on the field next year. Very Exciting!

I kind of like Mega Regional.

(And Bowie as well.)

Another thing you miss watching online is the deafening screams of hundreds of high school guard girls in the audience when someone does something that impresses them. It is very, very loud. It's like nothing else! The online audio can't begin to reproduce that.

Yep, if Park Vista got a 97.65, Leander deserved at least a 99+.

One thing you can't see unless you are there in the arena or if there is a camera close-up with the online feed, is the release of emotions with many of the scholastic class performers at the end of their finals performance, especially the seniors. At that point, they are very tired, emotionally spent, and it hits them that this is their last performance with their guard. Many of them leave the floor with tears in their eyes and it is very touching to witness. Just like marching band in fall, winter guard dominates your life and steals your Saturdays for the season. It's your life and when that life comes to an end, it's tough for many of them.

So very happy for and proud of our Texas guards in the finals tomorrow and, of course, also the for others who made the commitment to go and give their best. There are nothing but winners at the world championships and some of the winners get to perform a couple of more times. I'm always amazed at the talent showcased at this event. I'm just going to watch the finals and celebrate the opportunity to watch and the abilities displayed of these fine performers.

Whoa, I just had a scare. I reloaded the schedule for the SA finals and Leander was not on it. A refresh showed the full list. Whew!

There you go stealing my thunder. I had typed the same thing and thought I had accidentally posted. Ditto!

Eastlake's final flag ensemble work was the best I've seen all day - very well executed and uniform. I will not forget that soon!

Way to go McNeil! 3rd in Scholastic Open prelims and .5 over Eastlake. Congrats also to Eastlake, Georgetown, Klein Oak, Tompkins, Westwood, Keller, and Westlake for making the semis.

Blessed Sacrament's equipment work was spectacular! Very intricate and impressive!

In my world, Wednesday was a Thursday...

Leander just nailed their prelims performance!!

Do they have new staff? What are they rebuilding from?

I did notice - and was shocked - with Round Rock's placing at the TCGC State Championships. They have been typically in the top 3 for quite a while with their JV and varsity. Last year the JV was 3rd with an 89 and their varsity was 2nd with an 82. This year they are down to one guard and they were 8th of 9 with a 75. I feel so bad for those kids.

Yes, Will has done an excellent job for many years now. Looking forward to seeing them tonight at the prelims.

Again, thanks for your comments and insights. You are honest and credible. It's much easier to just complement what's good in each performance, but you tell it like you see it. I don't as I know too many people that have kids in current groups and try hard not to hurt anyone's feelings. At least most of the time. Also, I am glad to see that someone else is feeling the frustration of seeing kids not get the instruction needed to succeed and be their best. At the top of the list for me.

Bowie's shows have been a love it or hate it situation for several years now. As hard as I have tried, I've not been able to be in the love category. I too like The Woodlands' music and think the work matches the frantic nature of the composition. As far as the performance issues, that's the SW class. You have to take those high risks to have a chance in competing. No taking the safe route there!

You'd be surprised how common this has been. I have stories that you wouldn't believe.

1) The Dallas/Fort Worth area guards usually participate in the North Texas Colorguard Association and they are having their championship today as well. They also compete in the WGI competitions. 2) CTJ usually just competes in WGI as far as I know. We saw them in several of those competitions. (Ladybird HS doing a Ladybird show this year) 3) The WGI World Championships requires attendance of at least 1 regional competition in that season if there is one within 400 miles of your guard's location. As far as class changes, sometimes guards are promoted to the next higher class if they are performing at a level that is consistently above the other guards in that class. This is mainly in the lower classes. You can elect to move up to a higher class if you want want to.

Well, I liked the military bands back then, but really think that their day has passed. The level of difficulty of the performances today with corps style bands isn't the same as it was then. Everything has evolved to what we have now and is on a different place on the evolutionary scale. I'm not saying anything against the military bands and I have loved the journey along the way. I wish I could say that I quickly embraced all the changes, but some took a while to digest. I have to remind myself how much I love something today that I didn't care for when first introduced in the past. I am just as excited about what I see today as I was in the mid '60's.

I guess I'm the lone dissenter on Onyx. I liked their show a lot. I don't think it was the best, of course, but I did like it. Maybe in part because I am old school in regard to their organized entry, performance, and exit from the performance area. It reminds me of the days many years ago when I was in high school and we were told that our marching performance started from the time we exited the bus until we got back on to leave. Everything was organized and planned and we were "on" the entire time. It was a military style band and that was a long time ago, but I do miss that discipline and dedication to task.