simple

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.