bksatx

I'm not trying to disparage any one of these kids. They all work very hard! I see it every day with my daughter. Regarding Dawson, they had a sizable advantage over the rest of the field after prelims. I know that none of that counts in Finals, but you do not typically see a large change in placement compared to prelims. Oh sure, you'll see a spot or two, but having College Park drop from 3rd to 8th was significant. Same for Friendswood. As for Dawson, they are a great band, never said that they did not deserve to be there. They had the advantage and momentum going into finals. They had a sizable advantage over CTJ based off of the prelim scoring. How is it bold saying it was theirs to lose? If they played and performed like they did in prelims, how could they lose? I thought that they played well, I thought that they marched well, I just thought that they may have messed up by changing their ending. I personally thought that after everyone performed, it was going to be a toss up between Dawson and CTJ. As it turned out, CTJ prevailed, but it was darn close. Again, I was not trying to downplay or be negative about another schools program. Like I said before, everyone of these kids should be proud of their hardwork. But in the end, it still is a competiton. I offered up my opinion based off of what I saw that day. If I offended anyone, I apologize. That was never my intent!

Here is my take on the contest yesterday..... - CTJohnson - totally biased, since my daughter is in the band!! I'm glad they won, but to me honest, I really thought it could go either way between them and Dawson. Their performance was much better in the finals than in the prelims. Musically, they were significantly better than any of the other bands. Extremely proud of them!! - Dawson - this was theirs to lose. They did a great prelims performance. Dawson was a good 3 points better than CTJ after the prelims!! I think where they messed up was in their choice to change the ending from the prelims performance. Musically, they were in the bottom 3rd, and the change in there show ending did not work. While I think it is going to be real good, it was not executed very well lastnight. - Cypress Fairbanks - this band totally surprised me. I think they were easily forgotten because they were one of the first bands to perform on the day. They let it all hang out in Finals and made a nice move in the finals. - Friendswood - I was surprised by their finish after the prelims. 9th!! They made a big move in the finals. They played with a whole lot more energy and it showed in their final placement. - Brazoswood - I like this band. They do very creative and fun shows. For whatever reason, it never plays well with the judges. In Finals, they were a bit amped up and it showed in the quality of their playing. - Westfield - I agree with mellopwn1, did not totally understand the show. Played very well. There just wasn't that story or emotion behind the show. Great color guard! - Oak Ridge - this was another surprise school for me. From talking to some other parents, they have a great color guard/winter guard. - TW College Park - disappointed in their drop. This was the most surprising result from Finals, I think. It is big going from 3rd to 8th. Musically they did well, 2nd best in Finals. They were really hurt by their Visual and GE. I really feel bad for those kids. - Clear Brook & Cypress Falls - I think they were where they were going to be after Finals. Cy Falls benefited from Seven Lakes having to go to a football game. I think it is tough on those Seven Lakes kids missing this opportunity. All in all a great day!! It was darn hot, and I've got the sunburn to prove it!! Looking forward to BOA San Antonio for the CT Johnson band. They keep on moving up and I am very proud of them!!! Thanks, Brian

Will anyone from txbands.com be at this competition blogging? Just curious.

Prelims scores: 1) 85.45 Marcus 2) 84.40 L.D. Bell 3) 82.15 Stephen F. Austin 4) 81.85 The Woodlands 5) 80.25 Cedar Park 6) 79.40 Claudia Taylor Johnson 7) 79.30 Winston Churchill 8) 79.05 Ronald Reagan 9) 78.50 Lafayette 10) 74.75 Brazoswood 11) 74.75 Pflugerville (tie broken by GE) 12) 74.60 Vandegrift 13) 74.50 The Woodlands College Park 14) 74.20 Friendswood 15) 74.15 Cypress Falls 16) 72.90 Oak Ridge 17) 71.70 Judson 18) 69.75 McNeil 19) 69.70 Cedar Ridge 20) 69.25 Alvin 21) 68.80 Clear Brook 22) 68.25 Westwood 23) 67.10 Clear Lake 24) 67.05 William B. Travis 25) 66.20 Calallen 26) 64.20 John Marshall 27) 64.00 Kaufman

I know the CT Johnson Band is looking forward to being back there next weekend!!! Had a great performance yesterday!!!

Finals results.... 10. 76.35 Churchill 9. 77.05 Reagan 8. 77.15 Brazoswood 7. 79.00 Lafayette, LA 6. 79.70 CTJohnson 5. 82.70 SFA 4. 82.70 Cedar Park 3. 83.15 The Woodlands 2. 85.45 L.D.Bell 1. 86.95 Marcus Music: Marcus Visual: Marcus GE: Marcus

Looking forward to this weekend! Lots of great bands will be performing! Good luck to all! Brian