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As a now "retired band parent" of the L. D. Bell band program, after 6 years of 1000 plus volunteer hours, my heart will always be with the Bell band.  The community is extremely supportive and to this day I am still amazed that they do so well. In HEBISD high school starts in 10th grade, not 9th like most.  That is a whole extra year the top competitors have on the Bell kids just getting familiar with the field, their instruments, and the body movements needed to march and play.  Always been that way, even in the days they regularly took first second or third. I will be there Saturday to cheer them on for sure!!  

 

My heart says Bell, but my mind says Flower Mound.  The amount of work those parents put into those props is amazing.  Same with Marcus, Keller, Haltom, Birdville and Hebron, just to name a few.  Prosper is gaining on all of them fast.  This might be their breakout year as well.  

 

What I have gotten to be a part of is Bell's legacy and tradition. What I love is seeing ALL the programs working so hard to perfect their shows.  Amazing experience for my kids as well as myself.

 

Good luck to everyone competing on Saturday, should be pretty good weather, as September weather goes anyway!

 

Blue Raider Band Fan 4 Life!! (#BRBF4L) :D

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As a now "retired band parent" of the L. D. Bell band program, after 6 years of 1000 plus volunteer hours, my heart will always be with the Bell band. The community is extremely supportive and to this day I am still amazed that they do so well. In HEBISD high school starts in 10th grade, not 9th like most. That is a whole extra year the top competitors have on the Bell kids just getting familiar with the field, their instruments, and the body movements needed to march and play. Always been that way, even in the days they regularly took first second or third. I will be there Saturday to cheer them on for sure!!

I'll be at the Bell football game tomorrow night against Marcus, and BOA on Saturday. From one "retired" band parent to another, go #TeamTexas!

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As a DFW native, I'm changing my predictions slightly now that we've seen some things (also to revive some discussion in this thread hopefully):

 

1. Flomo: This contest is theirs to lose. From what we've seen the past few years from them, especially last year, they will be the band to beat, bar none, at this contest. I could definitely see a situation where Marcus or Hebron edges them out, but honestly, Flomo has a great chance of winning it all.

 

2. Marcus: They usually seem to be cleaner than Hebron early season, and being a Grand Nats season for them, they're going to be going hard this year. Also, they'll be out for blood after state last year. They have such a fantastically consistent program, but so does Hebron, and Hebron could definitely grab the silver from them. But, I think Marcus is going to be in second.

 

3. Hebron: They're amazing. Nothing much else to say. The three LISD powerhouses could switch up 1-3 between themselves, but in my opinion, this is the most likely matchup.

 

4. Keller: I'm gonna place Keller a little higher than others have been here. I think their program, over the past two years especially, has been achieving amazing things. Last year was one of my favorite shows of all time, and if they continue to improve off it, they'll be a total powerhouse soon.

 

5. Bell: Last year was great for them. They'll be back very strong once again. I can totally see them and Keller switching, but I don't think they're quite ready to break into the top 3 again. I can't wait to see what they have in store for us this year. Immortal and last year's show (can't remember the name.... beyond the veil?) were just fantastic.

 

6. Coppell: I want them to be higher and get back to their old levels of success, similar to Bell's rising back up after a hiccup year. I think this year could go very well for them. They're one of the few bands that releases videos from every performance, including games, and they just look.... fun. I don't think they'll beat Bell, but 6th or 7th seems to be a very realistic spot.

 

7: Wakeland: Fantastic program that had a hiccup last year and missed finals here by 1 spot. And what was that hiccup? Oh, just their entire staff changing. And they still had a fantastic season. Can't wait to see what they can do now that they've settled a little.

 

8: Keller Central: They always do really well at early season BOA contests. Great concepts, fun shows, and a successful program.

 

9: Waxahachie: They're off some people's radars, but they'll be making for a top 5 bid at 5A state now that some of the Leander schools have moved up to 6A. They've been doing great stuff the past few years, I don't think this year will be any different.

 

10(?): Vista Ridge: Amazing band who is facing a horrible performance time, as well as travel. If they had a better performance time, I could see them being higher- actually, they're such an awesome group I can still them being higher than 10. But I really do feel bad for those kids.

 

10(?): Duncanville: A great, consistently successful band. The only obstacle they face is a brutal performance slot, which can just destroy some bands. Also, this is their first BOA contest in a long time, which doesn't always work out well. I can see them sneaking in to finals, but to be honest, it'll be tough to get ahead of some of these other groups.

 

Quick side note, Wakeland did keep a one assistant and one percussion director.

 

Source: go to wakeland

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That's exciting! I hope that Timber Creek does well! How did Keller look?

 

Out of respect for the program, I won't say much about Keller other than I think that Sense of Direction is the best show they've put on the field to date. And I expect them to continue to Ascend. You'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out more  :)

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I appreciate that! I am excited to hear about it. As a Keller alum, I'm very obviously biased towards my own alma mater, but I think their program has really blossomed over the last few years. Musically they have been great for a while, but they lack the visual performance of the elite bands. Last year's show convinced me that Keller has finally figured out how to make a piece of art that can really impact those who watch. I hope they continue to "Ascend" as well.

 

Unfortunately, I now live in Utah, so I won't be able to see the show live, so I want to hear all about it. Same with all of the great bands. I'm planning to follow the live feed throughout the day as I did with BOA Austin and many of last year's contests.

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Just saw some interesting Candyland-esque pics on the FloMo Facebook page. I'm guessing it's a hint about their show. I'm sure I'm way off on theme. I just can't seem to describe exactly what I saw. Perhaps more fairytale like than Candyland. Hmmmmm...

Candyland?!?! lol, not quite.  I looked up the post, and this is what's there.

22007502_1557515714286555_1174901036924322046494_1557515710953222_7954032934376321768252_1557515724286554_9354287381154122008472_1557515720953221_1209597574475522089034_1557515757619884_2703826391925322007830_1557515754286551_2226579986617822008071_1557515764286550_6982214024560322045898_1557515760953217_66100757677005

 

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Anybody have an idea of Plano East's finals chances?

 

I haven't seen their show this year, so it's hard to say.  I just know that for PESH, they tend to finish their shows later so I don't expect them to have a complete show tomorrow.  I went to my first BOA in Denton back in 2012 when my son was at school there.  It was my first real experience with the Texas marching bands at that level.   PESH did "The Bells" that year and although it was good, it wasn't up to the level of the other bands at that time.   There were no finals that year as they were rained out.  They did however take that show to the finals in San Antonio,  so even if they don't make it here, don't count them out for SA :)

 

Unfortunately with the school realignment back a few years ago we now go to Plano Senior, so no more BOA for me as a band parent, but I still may see if I can talk my son to go with me tomorrow.

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I haven't seen their show this year, so it's hard to say.  I just know that for PESH, they tend to finish their shows later so I don't expect them to have a complete show tomorrow.  I went to my first BOA in Denton back in 2012 when my son was at school there.  It was my first real experience with the Texas marching bands at that level.   PESH did "The Bells" that year and although it was good, it wasn't up to the level of the other bands at that time.   There were no finals that year as they were rained out.  They did however take that show to the finals in San Antonio,  so even if they don't make it here, don't count them out for SA :)

 

Unfortunately with the school realignment back a few years ago we now go to Plano Senior, so no more BOA for me as a band parent, but I still may see if I can talk my son to go with me tomorrow.

 

Loved that bells show!  Plano natives unite!

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Rubisco, Rubisco, wherefore art thou Rubisco?

 

I still lurk here every now and then! I'm just not commenting on any specific program. What I will say is that based on what I've seen -- and I've probably seen most of the Texas heavy-hitters at this point, besides Marcus and Reagan -- is that everyone seems to be stepping up their performances this year. Let's call it the Flower Mound effect. I think that's something to be thankful for. I was very impressed by the groups in finals at Austin, and I'll probably be very impressed by the groups in finals at Southlake and the other Texas regionals.

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I agree with your point on Vista. They're a good program and I always love their shows, but I wonder if their performance time is going to meddle with their full potential. Overall really strong predictions.

Frankly, I have no idea how they will pull anything off.  Full day of school, football game, got on buses at 12:30am, play at 8:00am....They won't get back until 3am on Sunday....  Oh yeah, and study......it is crazy

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I still lurk here every now and then! I'm just not commenting on any specific program. What I will say is that based on what I've seen -- and I've probably seen most of the Texas heavy-hitters at this point, besides Marcus and Reagan -- is that everyone seems to be stepping up their performances this year. Let's call it the Flower Mound effect. I think that's something to be thankful for. I was very impressed by the groups in finals at Austin, and I'll probably be very impressed by the groups in finals at Southlake and the other Texas regionals.

Just missing the days of your in-depth analyses, man. Always looked forward to it!

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