Jump to content

BOA San Antonio Changes


Recommended Posts

  • Replies 56
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Parking. That's the reason we don't have Texas State Marching Contest there anymore. There also isn't a really great place to hold warm-ups or unload buses. Basically the whole thing would be a logistical nightmare.

I believe that the State Marching Contest got kicked out when UT's Memorial Stadium changed to natural grass. The grounds keeper didn't want all of us marchers destroying the field.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I believe that the State Marching Contest got kicked out when UT's Memorial Stadium changed to natural grass. The grounds keeper didn't want all of us marchers destroying the field.

 

 

What about Heroes Stadium at NEISD in San Antonio? Its new and has lots of parking.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm sorry, but I'm missing the point on how adding another regional in Texas will somehow alleviate the mass number of bands from the San Antonio super regional. Would that many bands really opt out of playing in the Alamodome at the end of the season to instead go to a smaller venue around mid-season? I'd imagine most groups interested in a Cen-Tex regional would want to go to both that and the San Antonio super regional anyways!

 

Unless they started putting a cap on the number of bands that can go to BOA San Antonio, forcing those who don't register early enough to simply not be able to go and instead go to a different BOA competition if they so choose to do so, then this would make sense. But that seems kind of harsh to me... :unsure:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yea, but where are they gonna put all the buses and trucks? The venue can only host about half the amount of bands the super-regional hosted. I'm not sure if there is a cap on how many bands can compete in a regional contest, but I'm assuming a Regional contest is central Texas would attract a few more bands than the Area D contest did.

 

There are plenty of great new stadiums in CenTex, but I agree that I'm not sure if any of them have the capacity to host the large volume of bands a central texas regional would attract. I could see this regional getting 45+ bands, and that's hard for any venue in any region to host (which is why we love the Alamodome so much!)

 

If they added a 4th Regional, it would be a standard Regional like Arlington or Conroe, and like Arlington and Conroe it would be limited to 30 bands. Every Super Regional that BOA hosts is always held in a dome and is "capped" at 60. I put caps in quotes because MFA tends to bend the rules in some situations....it's not in anyone's best interest to turn a band away, though BOA has to think about its contest staffing situation to be able to best provide a positive experience for everyone involved.....this becomes harder when they go over their anticipated attendance limits.

 

I don't think it could logistically work at Gupton in any shape unless like no more than 25 bands showed up.

 

25 would probably be quite a realistic number to expect for an Austin Regional, actually. Maybe less. I'll explain in just a sec.

 

I'm sorry, but I'm missing the point on how adding another regional in Texas will somehow alleviate the mass number of bands from the San Antonio super regional. Would that many bands really opt out of playing in the Alamodome at the end of the season to instead go to a smaller venue around mid-season? I'd imagine most groups interested in a Cen-Tex regional would want to go to both that and the San Antonio super regional anyways!

 

Unless they started putting a cap on the number of bands that can go to BOA San Antonio, forcing those who don't register early enough to simply not be able to go and instead go to a different BOA competition if they so choose to do so, then this would make sense. But that seems kind of harsh to me... :unsure:

 

Keep in mind the goal here isn't simply to split San Antonio. All 3 Regionals are operating near their enrollment limits. The Austin bands--and also the SA bands like Johnson, Reagan and Churchill (among a few others) that drive 4-5 hours to Houston or Dallas to do an early season Regional-- are divided between these 2 Regionals. An Austin Regional would pull most of the Austin/SA bands from the early season Regionals....it wouldn't draw many but it would draw a few of the Austin bands that want to compete in BOA that have been driving to SA for the Super Regional that would choose a local regional over a 2 hour drive....and would also pull a lot of bands from a lot of the local Austin and SA contests; the ones that have no interest in driving 2-4 hours for a simple invitational, BOA or not.

 

2012 Attending Band totals:

San Antonio - 62/60

Conroe - 27/30

Arlington - 33/30

 

If there were an Austin Regional this year this might have been a possible split:

 

San Antonio - 57/60 (-5)

Conroe - 24/30 (-3)

Arlington - 26/30 (-6)

Austin - 14/30

 

So the totals subtracted from each Regional becomes the Austin Regional. But then add in another 6-10 bands that would have attended Westlake, or Vista Ridge or USSBA or the dozen other smaller contests in the Area depending on which week they put it on, and Austin might break 20 (which is a solid attendance total for a Regional by MFA's standards).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Couldn't it also be possible that bands that don't normally do BOA because of the locations would also attend an Austin regional? Obviously probably not many big schools (because if they are big they would probably be able to handle the travel costs and decided against BOA for another reason) but the smaller ones that is

Edited by Nosagi
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I believe that the State Marching Contest got kicked out when UT's Memorial Stadium changed to natural grass. The grounds keeper didn't want all of us marchers destroying the field.

 

That was also part of it, but logistical issues had UIL looking for other options before that decision was made.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maybe I'm wrong, but I believe a lot of the 5A bands that attend BOA SA do so (in part) to give the band kids the opportunity to play in the same dome where State UIL is held. It gives the kids a separate contest to see how different their show sounds in the Alamodome vs a regular stadium. Moving it or trying to have another regional to get the numbers down at SA probably won't work out very well, if part of the purpose of attending SA is to give the kids an additional experience at "the dome."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Every year, BOA San Antonio gets harder. This year, there were 62 bands with about 25-30 strong contenders for 14 spots. I think now is the time to add a semifinal to the competition. This would ensure that the right bands would be picked for finals as it is ridiculous to make the judges cut the competition down to 14 bands from 62 and not make mistakes.

 

A "Semifinal" for a Super Regional would be a logistical nightmare. For instance, the Thursday Grand Nationals lineup this year has just over 40 programs. Thursday Prelims lasts from 11:15 A.M. until 11:15 P.M., including breaks. You'd have to make the Super Regional three days long to accomodate a Semifinal, which means you'd probably have to put all of Prelims in one day. That is simply not going to happen. Which bands did the judges make a "mistake" on this weekend?

 

I already know what you're answer is going to be. It was the same answer last year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If there were an Austin Regional this year this might have been a possible split:

 

San Antonio - 57/60 (-5)

Conroe - 24/30 (-3)

Arlington - 26/30 (-6)

Austin - 14/30

 

So the totals subtracted from each Regional becomes the Austin Regional. But then add in another 6-10 bands that would have attended Westlake, or Vista Ridge or USSBA or the dozen other smaller contests in the Area depending on which week they put it on, and Austin might break 20 (which is a solid attendance total for a Regional by MFA's standards).

 

I will perhaps ignorantly and optimistically say that I think a regional in this area would easily attract 20 bands and i think stand a good chance at getting close to that 30 cap, particularly if it were at the same site as the area contest. I think many of the Austin area bands would jump at the chance for a short trip to a large (big name) contest. And lets just admit it, who wouldn't love seeing a majority of the top bands in the area duke it out in the palace...It would be like a 4A/5A Area D contest (plus those brave enough to jump in from elsewhere). Who wouldn't wanna be involved in that? I understand that many bands hesitate monetarily, but I think it would be a great opportunity for many bands in this quickly growing region.

 

Do i have the statistical evidence to back that up? No, but I can dream can't I?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What about the Area Regionals serving as "qualifiers" for SA?

 

I am a band parent from a new high school - Clear Falls. We went to SA for the first time last year (our 2nd year - no seniors). We had fun and it was great seeing all the elite bands, but in hindsite - it was a big expense and we would of probably been better served finding a small contest somewhere without the hotel and chartered bus expense. Qualification would of forced our hand.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Couldn't it also be possible that bands that don't normally do BOA because of the locations would also attend an Austin regional?

 

From my previous post: "...and would also pull a lot of bands from a lot of the local Austin and SA contests; the ones that have no interest in driving 2-4 hours for a simple invitational, BOA or not." That was the point I was really getting at, though I admit it doesn't look entirely clear.

 

Maybe I'm wrong, but I believe a lot of the 5A bands that attend BOA SA do so (in part) to give the band kids the opportunity to play in the same dome where State UIL is held. It gives the kids a separate contest to see how different their show sounds in the Alamodome vs a regular stadium. Moving it or trying to have another regional to get the numbers down at SA probably won't work out very well, if part of the purpose of attending SA is to give the kids an additional experience at "the dome."

 

You're not entirely wrong.....but the bands that attend SA do so for all sorts of reasons....Your theory only applies to maybe 1/3 of the bands in attendance.....While many 3A and 5A bands used this as a warmup for today and tomorrow (State), most of the other bands are there for no other reason than that it's just a "really big band competition". Most will choose SA over an Austin Regional, but the point is that some won't....and you only need to swing a half dozen tops to solve your overcrowding problem.

 

And I didn't really mention this in my previous post, but BOA's decision to open new regionals often has more to do with attracting new prospects than it does relieving overcrowding. If they did open another regional, "attracting new bands" would be priority number one with "relieving overcrowding" being a distant second.

 

What about the Area Regionals serving as "qualifiers" for SA?

 

I am a band parent from a new high school - Clear Falls. We went to SA for the first time last year (our 2nd year - no seniors). We had fun and it was great seeing all the elite bands, but in hindsite - it was a big expense and we would of probably been better served finding a small contest somewhere without the hotel and chartered bus expense. Qualification would of forced our hand.

 

This would never happen because it doesn't fit the vision of Music for All. BOA competitions are celebrations as much as they are competitions.....they want to give everybody the chance to compete in an exciting venue. This is why Grand Nationals is open to everyone and doesn't require a "qualifying round". Most fans don't really care about the multitude of smaller less successful schools, but MFA does....that's why they go out of their way to provide participation awards, exhibition performance opportunities, class achievement awards, spirit awards and other methods/awards to include as many bands as possible in the festivities.....not just the insanely good ones. They try to do this as much as possible without detracting from the excitement of the competition side of it.

 

Another member last year posted in the BOA San Antonio 2011 thread about BOA being a big moneygrabbing scam and suggested radical adjustments to the contest proceedings to save bands money. The poster saw BOA San Antonio as nothing more than a competition, to where it's in the attendees' best interests to leave early and cut costs if they don't make finals.....I insist that it's a festival and event to where you should make a trip of it regardless of how you place:

 

http://www.txbands.com/forums/index.php?s=...ost&p=81251

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This would never happen because it doesn't fit the vision of Music for All. BOA competitions are celebrations as much as they are competitions.....they want to give everybody the chance to compete in an exciting venue. This is why Grand Nationals is open to everyone and doesn't require a "qualifying round". Most fans don't really care about the multitude of smaller less successful schools, but MFA does....that's why they go out of their way to provide participation awards, exhibition performance opportunities, class achievement awards, spirit awards and other methods/awards to include as many bands as possible in the festivities.....not just the insanely good ones. They try to do this as much as possible without detracting from the excitement of the competition side of it.

[\quote]

 

I realize that - but could not the Regular Regionals fill that void and the Super Regionals be something special.

 

Given that - we kinda used it as our "band trip" last year - being a new program - trying to buy a trailer - we were very strapped for funds.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I realize that - but could not the Regular Regionals fill that void and the Super Regionals be something special.

 

I'm....not really following you here. MFA's vision becomes even more pronounced for the more extravagant Super Regionals and Grand Nationals.

 

Besides.....UIL runs the Area Regionals....BOA runs their stuff and they use entirely different judging systems and have different philosophies for using those judging systems. Using a UIL Area contest as a qualifier for a BOA Super Regional isn't even close to the realm of a possibility...it's not fair and it's not even the slightest bit practical. I don't even think BOA would be able to meet their 45-band minimum for designating one of their contests a "Super Regional" if they introduced restrictions for attending. And if they don't have a certain number of attendees, they lose money due to less participants spending money in the Alamodome.....The costs of running that Regional in the dome are huge!

 

BOA is a national organization....it is not in their interests at all to involve a local circuit like UIL into how they do business....especially if it's a risk in them facing another financial crisis like they did a few years back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This may be a stupid question, but instead of adding another BOA Regional, why not move one of the two north Texas regionals to central Texas? Do we need regionals in both Denton and Arlington?

 

Seems like having one regional in north Texas, one in the Houston area, and one in central Texas would cover the three geographic areas out of which come the vast majority of BOA participants.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This may be a stupid question, but instead of adding another BOA Regional, why not move one of the two north Texas regionals to central Texas? Do we need regionals in both Denton and Arlington?

 

Seems like having one regional in north Texas, one in the Houston area, and one in central Texas would cover the three geographic areas out of which come the vast majority of BOA participants.

There aren't two North Texas regionals. Arlington was moved to Denton this year. Only one of them occurred.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was not talking about UIL - I was talking about Denton BOA, Woodlands BOA and a possible third in the Hill country.

 

Are you saying the current "regular" BOA Regionals would serve the role of being qualifying rounds for the Super Regional?

 

If that's the case that wouldn't work either....because, again first off, it doesn't align with what BOA is all about and what these Regionals are all about. BOA's vision is to include as many band programs in their activities as is financially and logistically possible. This is why there are like 10 Regionals within 500 miles of Indianapolis and only a scattering of them in the Western United States. The Lone Star State Has Lots of Bands....but the Great Lakes Megalopolis is the most heavily populated area of the U.S. and they too have lots of bands.....just not as good as ours :lol:

 

Also, if only the 10 bands each that made finals at Denton, Conroe [and the hypothetical Austin] were allowed to compete in San Antonio, that would mean San Antonio would only have 30 bands tops (and that's if all of them wanted to go....many of them wouldn't). Even if they included the Finalists from the Utah and California Regionals, hardly anyone from those Regionals would bother coming because of the insane expense. San Antonio would flop because 30 bands isn't enough to justify the cost of running an Alamodome contest.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think adding a BOA regional competition to Central Texas would be a good idea. It could even be on the same day as another BOA competition. Since few of the Central Texas bands travel to the Houston or Dallas area competitions, it would be another chance for the bands in the area to compete and to receive feedback. Have it early in the season before UIL regional and area contests. This would actually help another 25-30 bands. If it was at Reeves, it would have to be limited to 30 or less.

 

Another positive of having another BOA competition is that BOA competitions are really more suited for modern bands. The UIL system was set up a long time ago for military style marching. Marching and playing was all you did, so all you were judged on was marching and playing. Later, it was kept that way to make things fair for the remaining military bands whose programs were less exciting and took away any advantage of the more modern marching styles with the new-fangled color guard and new percussion. Today, it only judges marching and playing for the 99+ percent of bands out there that are corps style for an old, outdated concept that gives little or no scoring credit for guard, drumline, and theatrical content. It's a Texas tradition and is very unlikely to change.

 

More BOA competitions means more competitions for bands of today!

 

By the way, I've been attending marching contests since all of the bands were military and it's time we provided more competitions that fit what is being done in the present.

 

Just my 2 cents...

Edited by Mal Payne
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Define Central Texas. Because the Central Texas I here everyone refer to is more southeast Texas.

 

 

Central Texas (a part of which is the Texas Hill Country), is a region (and a physiographic section within the Great Plains province, as it pertains to geography[1]) in the U.S. state of Texas. It is roughly bordered by San Marcos to Fredericksburg to Waco, and to Brenham, and includes the Austin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...

×
×
  • Create New...