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2019 BOA San Antonio


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Hey, can any predict what Cedar Park, Cedar Ridge, Coppell, Bowie and Westwood are at score wise? Also, do you think Bowie's score was inflated because of lack of competition (I am just wondering) As in predict, I mean that if you recently saw any of these bands and you had to give them a score, what would it be. I know there are many factors but just a rough estimate

 

I don't think Bowie was inflated.  They blew me away in Austin at Texas Marching Classic.  I think they will continue moving up the ladder this season.  I see them in finals.  

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Hey, can any predict what Cedar Park, Cedar Ridge, Coppell, Bowie and Westwood are at score wise? Also, do you think Bowie's score was inflated because of lack of competition (I am just wondering) As in predict, I mean that if you recently saw any of these bands and you had to give them a score, what would it be. I know there are many factors but just a rough estimate

I'd say Bowie are probably an edge above the other four at the moment, although obviously any of the five can come out on top. The gap is definitely very small between all five of them.

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I will start doing my rundown for San Antonio, but a little differently. I have 65 bands out of the 84, but will post one block a day with the final Saturday block being posted next Friday. The programs I have selected are top 50 or extra class A/AA medal contenders that could place out. Here's block one to kick things off!

 

Friday, Panel 1:

 

8:15am Forney (Forney ISD, Forney) AA
Coming off two class championships in BOA, Forney is my favorite to take the class AA title and perform in exhibition in finals.
 
8:30am United (United ISD, Laredo) AAAA
Their 10th place finish in finals (9th before penalties) was surprising to say the least, but I think they will have cleaned up quite a bit and will have a fair shot at top 50 here.
 
9:00am East View (Georgetown ISD, Georgetown) AA(A)
This is one of the groups on the edge of AA and AAA, if they remain AA they have a shot at taking a class medal.
 
9:30am Katy (Katy ISD, Katy) AAAA
Coming off of their first state appearance last fall, I expect Katy to place well here. BOA Houston placements are hard to go off of to get a feel for how they’re doing this year because of the massive bubble, but they seem to be strong again this year.
 
10:00am Obra D. Tompkins (Katy ISD, Katy) AAAA
Earlier in the season, I mentioned how I wanted Tompkins to break out. They did fantastically at BOA Houston only one spot out of finals and ahead of Seven Lakes and later tying 7L at the Katy ISD Marching Festival in prelims before dropping below them in the finals.
 
10:15am New Braunfels (New Braunfels ISD, New Braunfels) AAAA
For the Austin rundown, I said they’d either be stronger or the same as last year, and they definitely were stronger from my point of view and score-wise. They have a beautiful space show this year and are performing the heck out of it.
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Hmmm, that seems a bit bold. It makes me wonder if you were at Waco or just looked at scores. If you read the Waco thread you will see some obvious dissent regarding James Bowie winning the music caption over Keller in Prelims and no defense of the decision. Keller did win music in Finals. The Waco thread also makes the case that people didn't think the score gaps accurately reflected the level of competition among the top bands and therefore the gaps were thought to be a bigger issue than James Bowie's actual score.

 

To provide perspective it helps to know the James Bowie Guard is Scholastic World Class and it showed, particularly in Finals. Keller's Guard is Scholastic A Class, smaller this year, and doesn't make the same level of GE contribution. In addition Keller's first public performance of their closer was at the football game the night before Waco. In 22 seasons I can only think of one performance where the closer was as dirty as Waco and that happened during a torrential downpour on a grass field at 2000 5A Area. The other apparently undisputed point of agreement in the Waco thread is that Keller's closing drill and music is headed for being an absolute monster.

 

We like to watch the kids mingle after the "Break Ranks" command at the end of Retreat. As parents were filing up the stairs past us, a group stopped to tell us how much they really loved the Keller show. I thanked them and told them we love it too. Then one of them said, "I can't explain what just happened." I agreed saying, "I can't explain it either." Then after a brief pause I added, "But at least we still have San Antonio to settle it."

 

At that point I noticed their shirts.

 

These were James Bowie parents.

 

When the parents of the winning band are surprised and openly admit they think they dodged a bullet, you can be sure the competition was a serious dogfight.

 

In retrospect, I can explain James Bowie's win. Clean is King and...It's good to be the King!

 

For the record, Keller's rain soaked performance at the 2000 5A Area Competition is without a doubt the most fun I have ever seen any band have during a performance. So many huge smiles, hugs, and such unbridled laughter as they made their way off the field in their rain soaked and muddy uniforms. The Band Hall smelled like a wet dog for weeks.

 

Priceless memories.

 

I agree with this perspective, groups that perform to the judges and create clean shows will have a much better chance at making finals.

 

That is not to say that fan favorite's don't have a chance, but they will need to be sure to perform their best. Bowie is a legend and they know how to perform, which gives them an edge.

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I agree with this perspective, groups that perform to the judges and create clean shows will have a much better chance at making finals.

That is not to say that fan favorite's don't have a chance, but they will need to be sure to perform their best. Bowie is a legend and they know how to perform, which gives them an edge.

And Keller has a clear history of pushing the limits of difficulty, sometimes paying a small price in cleanliness and scores. I think the price, for both cleanliness and score, in Waco, was unusually large.

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I think Keller's relative dirtiness in their closer costed them a bit more at Waco. They'll have had two weeks between then and San Antonio to be able to clean that up and peak at the right moment as they seem to do every year. They'll also be competing against Hebron and Marcus tomorrow at the Duncanville Marching Invitational which will be a good meter to compare them by.

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I think Keller's relative dirtiness in their closer costed them a bit more at Waco. They'll have had two weeks between then and San Antonio to be able to clean that up and peak at the right moment as they seem to do every year. They'll also be competing against Hebron and Marcus tomorrow at the Duncanville Marching Invitational which will be a good meter to compare them by.

Scoring system differences aside, it should still be a good "eyeball" comparison.

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Marcus for sure will get nap time. I'm pretty sure (I have connections) Hebron will too. It's the only way to survive a day that starts at 3am.

 

Wait...I didn't say that...

 

And I'm still messing up quotes on my phone. I'm giving up.‍♀

 

Oh, yep...

 

And I'm still messing up quotes on my phone. I'm giving up.‍♀

Ha! Been there...

 

Okay, that's it. I'm banning myself until tmo.

No!!! Not that! Try scrolling down to the bottom of the page and hit the "Full Version" button. Then rotate your phone to landscape, drag the display to a readable size when you comment, quote, or edit, and everything should look pretty much like it does on a PC or tablet.

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And together they give an interesting perspective on different show design philosophies.

For me Bowie is art. Their shows are spectacularly designed and detailed and generally follow a character or story. Each performer is a character. Take their 2017 production for example. SO theatrical and story driven.

 

Keller’s show is very much a talent show to me. Completely focused on the skills and talents of the performers. Very exposed so it’s easy to be impressed but easy to see any flaws. Hardly any bells and whistles.

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Bowie's show is the type that grows exponentially, especially in the GE department. Hence their score differences over the season. 

True. And we know Keller will be cleaning like mad during the two weeks between Waco and San Antonio. James Bowie's show and storytelling at Waco seemed complete. So other than minor cleaning and addressing some bugs in the mics/sound mix, have they peaked? Or do more surprises await?

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I think this year's Keller show may be a lot like 2017 Keller. Not really anyone's favorite show and most people werent thinking much of them going into the contest, but they performed it so well in finals that they came out and gor 9th. I think this show has the potential to really show of the skill level of those students and get them another top 10 placement.

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My son is pit captain in Granbury. We are most definitely NOT a powerhouse, but we are super jazzed to perform there! Our band has come a long way in the past few years but still not quite where we want to be just yet. We may not make finals (which saddens me since this is my son’s senior year and will likely be his last performance—if we fall short at Area tomorrow), but I feel so blessed to have been a part of the marching band experience. Band kids are THE BEST! ❤️

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There’s a video of FloMo from region. Ugh it’s so good. Would surprised to see them not medal here, probably taking a spot in the top 2.

Seriously, they're just so strong on all fronts. I really love Reagan, but I think this is gonna be just like last year and 2015. Like usual I love the show with more viewings and they're performing at an exceptional level.

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