Prestige of bands at State/BOA

[tubapop]

I used the search feature and didn't see this topic having been discussed before, although I'm sure it's on the forums somewhere.

To what extent do you think the prestige of a band influences its ranking in a given contest? I don't think a Vandy can come in, bomb their show, and expect to take first, but do you think that at some subconscious level, a judge "knows" what the final ranking should look like, more or less? Maybe they want to be conservative and not be totally out of the norm/usual expectations when coming up with their scores? Maybe if you're a judge and you find yourself scoring a newcomer higher than a perennial finalist, you think twice about that before you submit your scores?

[ChristopherRoden]

1 hour ago, tubapop said:

I used the search feature and didn't see this topic having been discussed before, although I'm sure it's on the forums somewhere.

To what extent do you think the prestige of a band influences its ranking in a given contest? I don't think a Vandy can come in, bomb their show, and expect to take first, but do you think that at some subconscious level, a judge "knows" what the final ranking should look like, more or less? Maybe they want to be conservative and not be totally out of the norm/usual expectations when coming up with their scores? Maybe if you're a judge and you find yourself scoring a newcomer higher than a perennial finalist, you think twice about that before you submit your scores?

I do think that name recognition plays some into how a band is perceived. 
this is especially the case, from what I can tell, in contests with a lot of bands right next to each other competitively. 
IE: if there are 10 bubble bands all at just about the same level, the 3 that made finals last year at this contest have a better shot at being in again. Curious if that’s been seen by others as well though 

[crunchycookie3]

I don't think name plays that much of a role, if at all, anymore. Historically, I would have said that groups in UIL tended to place better on name alone, but that has definitely changed in recent years, at least at the state level. Even in BOA, some groups with wonderful, rich histories have had less successful seasons. Hendrickson--a recent Grand Nats finalist--has missed regional BOA finals twice this year. LD Bell--a Grand Nats champion--missed BOA San Antonio finals five years after winning the competition altogether. Cedar Ridge--a medalist at state last year--failed to advance out of area this year. You're usually not going to see a top-tier program place low, not because of name recognition, but because they are SO consistent in successful show design that properly showcases the students' technical and artistic strengths.

[Karma_Savior]

^^^THIS! Couldn't have said it better myself.