~ME~

I’ve always really liked CTJ’s “classic” uniforms, they look really sharp and classy! I can’t remember, was 2013 the last season they marched with those? Personally I’m not a huge fan of the no shako thing going on (especially in DCI), but I get why people like it. I always loved being able to instantly recognize someone by their uniform, it gave groups an identity. But I guess it’s just where the activity is going, and there is more to a group’s identity then how they look. It would definitely fit some bands better than others though. Woodlands actually pulled it off really well this year and I could definitely see bands like CTJ and Leander pulling it off. It would be really strange to see some bands try it though like Marcus, Hebron, Vandy, Bell, Cedar Park, etc. And Round Rock has such awesome uniforms that I would be really sad to see those go. Will be interesting to see if more high school bands try it.

Team Texas did not disappoint!! All 6 bands made finals, we had 2 of the 3 Medalists, 2 of the 3 Captions, 3 bands in the top 5, and the Eagle is coming home! I can't say how happy I am for every one! VANDEGRIFT!!! Well deserved championship, way to bring the Eagle back home to Texas! They were just incredible all across the board, definitely the most dominant band there. It's honestly really incredible how much they've grown so fast. Feels like they were just bursting on to the scene yesterday, now they're Grand Nationals Champions! What an awesome moment for Vandy, I couldn't be happier for them!! They have been and are going to be a force to be reckoned with a long time. I'm so, SO happy for Hebron as well! They keep pushing themselves and raising the bar for what high school bands can do musically in the US every year. That music book was just so incredibly difficult. I was hoping they would get recognized for what they were doing musically and they finally did! So happy to see everything come together for them and to finally nail it at Nats. They have a heck of a medal streak going at these major contests, awesome to see them keep it going! Leander was absolutely amazing!! This was really an amazing year for them, that was such a great show. And you could tell just how into the show the crowd was, that finals performance had so much energy! I know everyone has been going on and on about how good the show design is and how that show was a GE monster, but I really can't stress enough how good they are at performing it as well! They're one of the Texas elite and a model program for a reason. Similar to Vandy, they just do everything so well! I think CTJ blew the doors off the stadium with their performance. Seriously, it's not often in high school band you get the entire crowd on their feet IN THE MIDDLE of a performance! I know they've had shows that did better competitively in the past, but this is by far my favorite show CTJ has ever done personally. It's just so good. The opening brass hit at the beginning, and the freaking soloists!!! Those dueling solos might be my favorite solos in years, and there has been some really good ones. They had one of the most memorable shows of the night and they performed it extremely well as always. The Woodlands cleaned like crazy between SA and Nats like they always do, and I'm not surprised at all! The amount of work they put in really shows. A really awesome showing from them this year, it was great watching this show grow throughout the season. It was so great to see it all come together and become a really fantastic product at the end of the season. They should be so proud! Round Rock showed exactly why you never count them out. They deserved that finalist spot 100%! And honestly I wouldn't have been surprised to see them place even higher than they did. They were fantastic this year, and really showed why they are a top notch program. Round Rock should be so proud of themselves for what they pulled off, just an amazing job! Also, it was really neat to see Vandy and Hebron celebrating together after they broke ranks as well, such a cool moment! I wish we could have seen more of that on the stream! Congrats to all!

I REALLY wish Reagan was taking this show to Nats this year, they are out of this world. Vamdergrift is looking really strong as well, I think they might have a shot to take it over Reagan or FloMo. I can see Hebron having a very similar year to 2015 where they place around 4th-5th at San Antonio but make a huge push at Nationals, and honestly I would say the same about CTJ. Any of those bands could medal but it does seem like the regional champions have the best shot right now. Reagan and FloMo especially are going to be really hard to beat though as far as first place goes.

Geez. It's not even funny how strong of a top 30 this is...

Haha tell me about it! Was kind of hoping that the Hebron finals curse would finally be broken tonight, but I guess the curse continues! HUGE congrats to CTJ for breaking the record and winning such a stacked contest, that is such an amazing accomplishment! And Vandegrift with the strong showing, WOW!! Congrats to them, it was well deserved! Shout out to Avon as well for making the trip down to Texas and providing us with an absolutely stunning performance, I hope you guys enjoyed your time here in Texas and good luck at Grand Nats! I haven't posted anything this season until now, but all I will say is this marching season was amazing to witness. I would say best marching season in the history of Texas marching band, but we all know this is going to get topped in 1-2 years the way things have been going anyways! It's just unbelievable how much things have progressed this past decade. These bands are just performing on a whole different level from what we used to see not even ten years ago. To all the programs that will be making the trip to Grand Nats, good luck!!! Here's to another great season of performances next year!

I really feel for those kids at Bell, but there's nothing for them to hang their heads about. I personally thought they had one of their best shows in years, so I am genuinely confused about their absence in finals. Hendrickson has had this coming for a while now, so I couldn't be happier for them. They definitely earned that finals spot! The same goes for Cypress Falls, good for them! It's always nice to see Churchill in finals as well! Can't wait for finals!

If motivation and "wanting it" from the students was all it took then there would probably be about 30-50 elite bands in Texas all competing for gold. Once you get to a certain point, show design and instruction is everything (especially in the BOA world). It's why bands like Flower Mound, Round Rock, and Leander all exploded onto the scene in a short amount of time (although Leander already had a successful history, but they got WAY better in the matter of one year back in 2014). All of those bands probably had very talented and motivated members long before they were what they are now. They just stepped up their show design game to highlight the talent they had. And when it comes to instructors, Marcus for example has been such a monster musically because their instructors took their talented individual performers and focused heavily on maturing their sound as an ensemble into what it has been the past decade, it's not because the kids simply wanted to be the best band musically. And I'm not trying to say that motivation and effort isn't important, because it's extremely important. I'm just saying a ton of bands in Texas have kids that are just as motivated as Flower Mound.

That was insane. Flo Mo is going to absolutely STEAM ROLL Boa San Antonio. They might have tougher competition in Music and Visual there when the other bands have reached their late season form, but they're going to win GE by a country mile. That show design is as good as it gets and they perform the crap out of that show. Dominating like that in BOA with the crazy competition these days is just unbelievable. And seeing LD Bell that strong is really cool! It wouldn't have surprised me if they had medaled, and the same goes for Bowie. Really, REALLY good stuff from all of those finalists. Definitely the strongest "BOA DFW" finalist group I've ever seen from top to bottom.

Way to go Keller!!! They did it! I couldn't be more happy for them, I'm sure they're pretty ecstatic over there right now! A very deserving Grand Nationals finalist spot for them! Really pulling for Hebron to bring that Eagle back to Texas!!! If they can pull it off on their first trip to Indy, my gosh... It still feels like a longshot with them going first and BA going last, but fingers crossed! Regardless of whether they win the Eagle or not though, they've already done something amazing for a first time GN band! Congrats to them! Round Rock and The Woodlands were just absolutely STELLAR as well! Huge improvements since San Antonio! I They should both be battling for top 5 spots, which they would both very much deserve! And I also of course have to give a shout out to Keller Central on an incredible semi finals performance, and placing in the top 22 in prelims! That's so awesome for them, they have a bright future ahead of them for sure! Congrats to all 5 bands once again! What a great year for Texas!

Cedar Park is just phenomenal. They may not be the most BOA friendly band in the world (though they were successful in BOA this year), but when it comes to marching and playing at a high execution level Cedar Park is one of the best bands in not just the state, but the nation. I mean their 2011 Mahler show is still one of the best high school marching band performances I've ever seen from a pure marching and playing standpoint, and this year's performance was on that same level. I truly believe they would've medaled at last year's 6A State contest with the performance they put on this year. Just outstanding.

I said this in another topic, but I think The Woodlands and Round Rock will have much stronger finishes at nationals than they did at San Antonio, simply because it won't be nearly as competitive at the top as San Antonio was. Not to mention that Round Rock seems to explode with improvement after San Antonio. Heck, Round Rock could even pass Hebron at Nationals on the off chance Hebron doesn't improve much. They definitely shouldn't be underestimated. And I think the Woodlands can finish strongly in the top 5, especially with enough tweaking to their show. The Woodlands still has just as strong of performers as they always do, so they will no doubt be a serious force to be reckoned with at Nationals even if their program isn't "Crossing Boundaries" strong this year. The Woodlands is also very experienced in going to Grand Nationals, so I'm sure that will play into their favor as well. I truly believe that both Round Rock and The Woodlands have it in them to finish in the top 5 at least. They should both represent Texas very well! Hebron is kind of unpredictable since this is their first time going to Nationals. They could move up or down in placements, but there's just no way to tell for sure. If I had to guess right now I would put them solidly around 3rd or 4th, but we'll see what they look like a week and a half from now. The one thing about them that I do feel pretty sure about is their chances to win the Music caption. I don't think Hebron really has any major competition in that area like they do at San Antonio, so they'll most likely win that caption pretty easily. Nothing's a guarantee in BOA though, so you never know. How they finish overall will be determined by how they do in visual and GE. I have no doubt they'll improve in those areas, but the question is how much. There are 2 other things about them that I'll be interested to see, which is 1). Will they add anything else to their show? and 2). What will their new uniforms do for their look visually (assuming the talk about Hebron getting new uniforms is actually true)? Regardless, they should do very well! I'm SO excited to see how Keller does. This is another group that may be a bit unpredictable since this is their first trip to Nationals. I want them to make finals so bad! And the exciting thing is that they definitely have it in them to pull it off. I was extremely impressed with how strong they were at BOA San Antonio, I mean this is honestly the strongest Keller group I've ever seen. There are other strong bubble bands that are going to be giving them competition, but I think they've put themselves in a good position as far as being able to compete for that finals spot. Since there will be so much competition it's all going to come down to whether or not the judging goes in their favor, and I really hope it does! They would be a very worthy Grand Nationals finalist. Good luck Keller! I think Keller Central is going to finish much better than people may expect them to. They have really made some impressive strides these past few years. In fact they kind of remind me of Wakeland last year. They may not quite make finals, but they are still a fantastic band that will make some noise in semis. This group has a bright future ahead of them and this first Grand Nationals appearance will no doubt continue their growth. Can't wait to see how they do! And as a side note, I really wish Flower Mound and Reagan were going this year. I think Flower Mound would have a very good shot at the Eagle, and it would be awesome to see Reagan return to Indy as a powerhouse/ medalist contender. They will no doubt get their chance some day in the future along with CTJ.

My thoughts: -That is SO AWESOME for Flower Mound!!! A well-deserved championship! I would have LOVED to see how that show would have fared at nationals! Congrats to all the hard working kids and the out-of-this-world design team at Flower Mound! I would also like to thank Flower Mound for fueling my nightmares tonight with the heads. Thanks guys... But seriously, WHAT A SHOW! -REAGAN'S BACK, BABY!!! -CTJ is just so impressive. I didn't think they would be able to pull off such an ambitious show, but boy did they ever! This band will be a very, VERY serious Eagle contender whenever they return to Grand Nats. -I'm glad the judges finally agree with me that Hebron and Marcus are the best bands in the state musically. They both definitely deserved that caption win. I think Hebron is a shoe-in for the music caption at Grand Nats, and I also think they will have a very real shot at the bronze medal there. -And the award for most underrated band of the year (at least on these forums anyways) goes to Cedar Park! They really blew me away! They truly deserved that 5th place finish! Congrats to them! -The Woodlands and Round Rock are in very good shape for nationals. I expect both of them to have much stronger finishes at Indy. Same goes for Keller as well! And they all are already fantastic! -Owasso had my favorite show of the year, and I'm clearly not alone in thinking that. Never would have expected to see a Kill Bill show in a million years, but MAN was it awesome! I'm so glad they made the trip down here, otherwise I might have missed out on experiencing this gem of a show! -I would complain about Bowie's placement, but the previous two years already led me to accept that things like this are just going to happen from now on with how competitive this contest is. That being said, Bowie was great as always! They have such a lush, rich sound that I just can't get enough of. -Wakeland was FANTASTIC! It was great to finally see them in finals at San Antonio! Congrats to them! -Vista Ridge is really proving themselves as a great rising band. They were an amazing surprise last year, and they have continued to impress me this year. The same goes for Vandergrift, though they've been a contender for a year longer. -Leander was AMAZING. I'm still kind of sad that we'll never know how they would have stacked up, but at least they still have state. Good luck to them there! -Cedar Ridge has still got it! So happy for them that they were able to make finals! Despite the weather setbacks (thank goodness everyone stayed safe), this was such a great contest! I didn't comment much this season simply because of how hard things were to predict this year, but this was a fantastic season and I enjoyed every second of it! Here's to another great one next year!

Out of the group of bands that I think will have a shot at medaling (Flower Mound, CTJ, Leander, Reagan, Woodlands, Hebron, Marcus, Bowie, and maybe Round Rock), I can't narrow down 3 that I feel will have the strongest chances of winning. I feel like I have a pretty good idea of how Flower Mound, Leander, CTJ, Reagan, and Marcus will be at San Antonio, but I don't know how to compare them to the rest because there's too many factors about those other bands I just don't know. The Woodlands, Hebron, and Round Rock are all going at Grand Nats pace so we aren't really going to have an idea of what any of those 3 groups will look like at San Antonio until the day of. And Bowie could turn out to be a late season bloomer and show up to the Alamodome a much stronger group than people would've thought. Throw the BOA judges' varying personal opinions into the mix and you have a contest that's impossible to predict. And I'm not even going to try to give finalist predictions, that's even more impossible. At this rate, there is going to be like 30 medal contenders in a few years lol!

I couldn't be happier for Flower Mound! It's always great to see a new regional champion crowned! That show is and will continue to be a GE monster for the rest of the season, it's just incredible. Easily one of my favorite shows of the year so far. And them winning a performance caption in both prelims and finals is very interesting I must say, I don't know what to think of that. Even though it's impossible to tell exactly how well they'll place at San Antonio, I would absolutely love to see FloMo walk out of the Alamodome with medals. It's at least pretty clear that they're in for their best season yet, and I can't wait to see how the rest of it goes! Congrats to them once again on their first regional championship! I have to say I chuckled a bit when Hebron won visual, because it's a shining example of how impossible things are to predict now. I mean the only caption they won was the one caption nobody (myself included) thought they could win. We'll see what other visual judges think of them as the season goes on, but if they can at least continue to keep the visual caption from being a liability to them throughout the season then they will be in a very, VERY good position around San Antonio and especially Grand Nats when that show is fully developed. Marcus was just as fantastic as always. Every time they perform they show why they're 5 time state champions and put on a clinic for how a marching band should look and sound. Round Rock is on track to be awesome once again come Grand Nationals. This show is going to be really cool when it's finished and polished up, I can't wait to see it. I'm REALLY liking what I'm seeing from LD Bell. This mini resurgence they seem to be having is awesome! They are just so dang good visually, in fact to me personally they looked like the strongest band of the night in that area. Bell has still been great these past few years but this year in particular they really stand out to me. I can't wait to see more from them!

Oh my goodness. TW, Hebron, and CTJ ALL IN ONE YEAR??? It's probably not gonna happen, but can you imagine if Texas bands swept the top 3 at Nationals? That would be something! If they both do indeed go, I especially hope either CTJ or Hebron take the Eagle (Hebron in particular, seeing as how it would be really cool to see them become the first band to win Nationals on their first trip). If CTJ puts out a show like this year's, they'll obviously have a very strong shot. I'm curious to see if they'll keep the uniforms as I feel like they could be used for many other interesting show themes. CTJ seems to put out a better show every year, so I am unbelievably excited to see what they'll bring to the table next year. It may or may not be next year, but I expect CTJ to eventually win the Eagle some day. I also think Hebron is more than capable of taking the Eagle as well. They've got the talent to do it and they've got Kevin Nix. It will just depend on if every thing comes together for them or not (i.e. if Nix outdoes himself and writes another masterpiece, resulting in Hebron putting out their own "Beyond Perimeters" or "You Never Know"). They also can't afford to have the visual struggles they had this year. Hebron's obviously going to be taking a very good crack at that Eagle if they do indeed go to Grand Nats. We'll just have to wait and see if it's a homerun or a miss (and by miss, I just mean placing outside the top 3. Even if that happens, I obviously still expect them to do quite well). And really, the same goes for the Woodlands. They have the talent and design staff to do it, it will just come down to whether or not it all comes together for them. Even though I would prefer one of the other two bands to win simply because The Woodlands already got their first National Championship, I would still be super pumped to see TW take their second one. I think they'll have to top even their 2013 show to win next year (and if they do... wow, that will be one heck of a show to witness). Can't wait to see what next year brings! And concerning this year's Grand Nationals, I have to give a huge congrats to Flower Mound and Wakeland on representing Texas so well! Wakeland was a well-deserved semi-finalist, and I've got to say that this is the strongest I've ever seen a Wakeland band. I'm also very excited for Flower Mound! 6th place in their first appearance is amazing! All those kids should be very proud of themselves! And finally, it was great to see Tarpon Springs finally get their first championship! As you can probably tell, I love seeing bands get their first win. Well, another season is done. Here's to next year being just as amazing!