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2019 BOA San Antonio


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I’m kinda surprised by people’s predictions for CTJ. Is this based on other productions or based on BOA Austin? Because trust me, it’s a different/much improved show than what was in Austin. Because correct me if I’m wrong but the only time anyone has seen CTJ is Austin. They’ve kept their videos pretty close hold and not all over YouTube like some others. Just really curious.

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 Some interesting Facts & Statistics as we get closer to BOA SA...

  • 2018 SA Finals average score was 92.80
  • 2018 SA Finals 11 of 14 finalists broke 90 with a low of 88.40
  • 2018 SA "next 10" (place 15-24 in prelims) averaged 87.7 with a low of 86.45
  • 2019 St. Louis Finals average score was 85.5 with 2 bands breaking 90 and a low of 81.45
  • 2019 Indy Finals average was 85.5 with 3 bands breaking 90 and a low of 81.20
  • 2018 GN Finals average score was 92.80 with a low of 89.3

Translation?

  • The "Next 10" from SA 2018 and SA 2019 would/ could have been in "top half" of Finals in Indy and/or St. Louis in 2019
  • All 14 bands in 2019 SA Finals should score high enough to be in 2019 GN finals and potentially all break 90

Disclaimer:  I know this is all apples & oranges with comparing across different competitions, years and judges.  However, since we are in the middle of the MLB World Series and baseball guys
are notorious for diving deep into some odd statistics, I thought I would have a  little fun with this.  Enjoy!!


 

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I’m kinda surprised by people’s predictions for CTJ. Is this based on other productions or based on BOA Austin? Because trust me, it’s a different/much improved show than what was in Austin. Because correct me if I’m wrong but the only time anyone has seen CTJ is Austin. They’ve kept their videos pretty close hold and not all over YouTube like some others. Just really curious.

I honestly think it’s just that no one has seen CTJ in a month. Out of sight, out of mind so to speak?

 

And hopefully we ALL have improved and added on in the last four weeks. San Antonio will be a fresh contest and no doubt there will be some surprises. I’m certainly not counting them out for a medal!

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Literally the only show I haven’t seen this season is CTJ. How are they this year? Do they have a shot at maintaining their top 5 record? Maybe a medal? Please fill me in!

Not many people have seen them since BOA Austin, so no one really knows what to expect. Knowing CTJ though, they'll have made a ton of improvements since Austin and I wouldn't be surprised to see them maintain their top 5 standing at San Antonio.

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Literally the only show I haven’t seen this season is CTJ. How are they this year? Do they have a shot at maintaining their top 5 record? Maybe a medal? Please fill me in!

Definitely top 5. They were pretty much a disaster at BOA Austin and scored very well regardless. Probably the group I'm most excited to see progress. Top 3 is in reach but it'll be pretty steep.

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Technically a day late, but only by a few minutes, here's block #3!

 

4:45 Pflugerville (Pflugerville ISD, Pflugerville) AAA
Pflugerville has been rising up the ranks since 2016 and this was their first year competing in UIL 5A where they appeared to have fared pretty well, as 2nd state alternate. Their BOA results haven’t been their highest ever, but I am not concerned of them dropping out of the top 50.
 
5:00 Vandegrift (Leander ISD, Austin) AAAA
After sweeping prelims and finals at BOA Austin, Vandy has been on my radar for a championship contender at both San Antonio and Nationals. It will be interesting to see where they land this year, but they are one of my 4 major medal contenders. 
 
5:15 Leander (Leander ISD, Leander) AAA
Leander has my favorite show of the season, hands down. I see them being strong in the top half and potentially even medaling, but the latter is unlikely. The favorite to win Class AAA by a longshot.
 
5:30 Vista Ridge (Leander ISD, Cedar Park) AAAA
VR’s show has been a hit all season and will be fighting to live up to last year’s phenomenal show and placement. With an overall stronger field, I could see them just outside the top half, but still comfortably top 10. 
 
5:45 McNeil (Round Rock ISD, Austin) AAAA
I had them on my list for top 50 last year, but that didn’t pan out for them. This season appears to be much stronger for them so that’s why I have them returning, their showing at McAllen was very impressive. 
 
6:00 Cedar Park (Leander ISD, Cedar Park) AAA
CP had a very strong start to the season at BOA Austin, but they seem to be plateauing a little bit if you look into TMC results. A strong contender for finals and a lock for class medalist, but their UIL-focused show might be hurting them just a little bit.
 
6:15 Cypress Falls (Cypress Fairbanks ISD, Houston) AAAA
I was very surprised with their low placement at BOA Houston, I thought their show was very effective and they sounded good. Some visual dirt (especially in closer) that I’m sure they’ve had time to clean up.
 
6:30 Weiss (Pflugerville ISD, Pflugerville) AA(A)
I’m pretty sure Weiss will be moving up to Class AAA this year, but if they remain AA then they will be great competition for Forney for the class championship. Weiss is very strong this year in spite of the director change and will be top 50 either way.
 
6:45 Archbishop Alter (Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Kettering, OH) A
The first out of state group at San Antonio this year! This class A band has many class championships under their belt and a fair share of class-rep semis performances at Nationals.
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Disclaimer: Predicting this competition is impossible. But why not try.

 

2nd Disclaimer: Most bands’ seasons will end in prelims (obviously). There are also many bands who could make finals at any other BOA competition that will be left out here. I think everyone’s main goal should be to appreciate the art on the field. Marching band is subjective, after all.

 

1. Ronald Reagan - Everyone else’s favorite to win. Mine too. In my opinion, they have nearly perfected everything from the Loop formula that worked so well last season. Their huge lead at Houston and TMC is something we haven’t seen from them recently. They will obviously be completely maxing out here. Reagan might just break the FloMo & CTJ winning streak. And then gets to march in the Macy’s Parade!!!

 

2. Flower Mound - There’s not much to say about this program. In general, they are the best band in Texas. With a huge lead over Hebron at DFW and a stunning UIL region performance, a medal seems very likely. FloMo will surely bring the mojo with their final two performances of this season.

 

3. Vandegrift - People severely underestimate the amount of GE that Vandy brings on a non-state year. Their Austin almost-sweep was obviously well deserved and I think their momentum will hopefully carry far this season. Will likely give a near-spotless performance; a cleanliness that rivals FloMo and Marcus. All around their best show ever.

 

4. Hebron - It’s a little concerning to hear that their show was unfinished at DMI, especially since weather will be interrupting rehearsals this week. Nonetheless, their music performance will probably be the best even if their show still needs time to be fully realized.

 

5. CTJ - A bit of a wild card after a quiet season. Although they frequently fluctuate in the top 5, their top 5 consistency is extremely admirable. Like Hebron, this show might need significantly more time. Trying to recreate magic is HARD but not impossible. Would not be surprising to see them pull a 2017 and take this whole thing.

 

6. Leander - Probably a strong lock for top half. Definitely not a 2017 year for them ;) !!! Surely the most “fun” show we’ll see in finals! Took visual from Vandy @ Austin and almost took music. Easily could move up a few places but the field is so stacked!

 

7. TWHS - If clean, this show could be a monster in GE. Haven’t placed top half here since 2016 and generally isn’t super consistent. I am absolutely ecstatic to see them switch it up this year because they honestly became somewhat stale after last season. They might have my favorite show of the year.

 

8. Vista Ridge - Vista Ridge is here to stay. Ditching their 6A championship design team was a bold and brave move! They certainly turned the tables on us ;)! Jokes aside, their edgy soprano solo heavy show is a unique display of excellence and perseverance.

 

9. Marcus - In one word, Marcus is Undeniable. Excluding 2017, this storybook show design and theming is probably their strongest (at least my favorite) in a long time. The fact that they didn’t miss a beat despite major staff changes is a testament to the most respectable Texas program ever.

 

10. Keller - Keller might be the single most consistent Texas band of the past few years. Last time they missed finals at a competition was all the way back in 2014. Dangerously close to top half (in prelims) last year and has placed 9th with a +1 point lead over 10th for the past two years. I would not be entirely shocked to see them push into the top half for the first time ever with that stellar closer. I have a very difficult time placing them out of finals, let alone the top 10.

 

11. Westlake - Still severely underrated. Watch out.

 

12. James Bowie - Should’ve been in finals last year imo. After “meh” results at Austin and TMC, they stunned with a big lead at Waco. However, one good result isn’t nearly enough for me to move them into the top 10. Their finals chance is looking very very strong.

 

13. Cedar Ridge - Quiet season so far but don’t worry about them. Consistent finalist with a recent top 10 finish (which could very well be retained). Might get passed by bands with more grand visual products but who knows. They are so used to setting the standard for finals. Expect a very energetic prelims performance from them!

 

14. Cedar Park/LD Bell - both of these shows have similar identities to me. Both are better offerings compared to last year. Great ensemble moments in each but hardly any exposed playing making both feel one-note to me. Also, both shows have stronger possibilities to peak earlier in the season. Also, CP has the most perfect state show it’s nuts. Bell’s performance time and returning finalist status has me slightly preferring them.

 

Dark Horse - Westwood - a unique and playful music and GE package. The drill design and difficulty is honestly underwhelming at best but there is something absolutely special about this show and how it reminds me of Lost and Found in that sense that it may not become an apparent threat until the very end. Won’t finish 4th like Vista did but a finals appearance would be 100% deserved.

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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.

Don’t miss Flower Mound at San Antonio. A lot has been added that will put this show over the top.

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Literally the only show I haven’t seen this season is CTJ. How are they this year? Do they have a shot at maintaining their top 5 record? Maybe a medal? Please fill me in!

CTJ is busy being CTJ - as noted, they had some issues in Austin, back screens blowing away in prelims, field stage prop in the wrong spot that required the kids to ad-lib 11 minutes of drill on the fly - and still took a bronze medal in one of the tightest regional events in the state.

 

while many have stated that they have not seen much of them since then, they are on their normal rotation - they did not go to McAllen as planned prior to Austin, that was a cost thing with an Indy trip this year. they have been at UIL and parts of their show have been on the field during Football games (CTJ and Madison battling for district 26 -6A) CTJ has not done Houston BOA since  2015 or DFW BOA since 2012 - all of those as well as Midland and McAllen require charter buses due to distance and are usually overnight trips - Huge cost with 350+ kids and 3 trailers

 

keep in mind, CTJ plays host to UIL Region - every year, UIL Area - 6A State Years and also hosts the BOA SA- this will be our 5th year to do so. this put a lot of workload on the families, so the program does not go compete every weekend

 

as for the show, it continues to grow and evolve and will do so through Grand Nats. I have seen many that have CTJ at 7 or so - while I am certainly biased, I do not see their streak of top 5 finishes at BOA SA ending this year and anticipate their best finish ever during their 3rd trip to Indy in a few weeks.

 

the show at the dome will not be what you saw in Austin -

 

good luck to all that are competing this weekend - I will be working at the field level for the entire 2 day event - hope to get some great pics for our #teamtexas Facebook page.

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CTJ will provide an interesting case study.  A top band that competed only once prior to BOA SA.  It certainly impacts the way they are perceived by us, but do judges have the same perception?

 

I would think that the ability to focus on the show without the competition pressure would lead to something great.  But will the fewer competitions impact the way its judged?  Meaning, an advanced show like CTJ could possibly benefit from being seen more frequently.  

 

For example, a show like Regan, with all its complexity, needs to be seen more than once to appreciate all the different things happening.  

 

I'm just riffing off the top of my head...

It could be - but keep in mind, that they have feed back from multiple judges in the season. the district brings in judges for feed back for the district FallFest for all school s in the district, they have UIL judge feedback - many who may also serve on BOA events' and many that consult to the program also judge other events to include UIL, BOA and other local/regional events - in 2014 CTJ only competed in Houston and San Antonio - Gold. 

 

like many programs, I am sure that they have outside judging/consulting that are providing them with feedback prior to the San Antonio event.

 

Good Luck to CTJ and all the programs that are competing this weekend

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I am so excited for BOA SA. Unfortunately, I will be watching it from the livecasts. The 8 hour time difference will make watching finals FUN. I want to make some predictions beforehand since everyone is! Here are my top 27.

 

Medal Locks (2):

  • Flower Mound: This show is amazing. It has the dynamic pop of their show last year and the windcutting precision of 2016. They had their full show on the field for Dallas, but the Region video shows just how much GE they add from their execution. 
  • Reagan: This show has it all. They play it with gusto; the visual design has so many 'aha' moments; and the music is captivating. 

Medal Hunt (3) : 

  • Vande
  • CTJ
  • Hebron 

Medal Hunt - Potential Surprises (4):

  • Leander
  • Marcus 
  • TWHS
  • Vista Ridge

Finals Locks (4):

  • LD Bell
  • Keller
  • Cedar Ridge
  • James Bowie

Bubble (8):

  • Cedar Park
  • Westwood 
  • Westlake
  • Clear Brook
  • Coppell
  • Rouse
  • Vista Murietta 
  • Wakeland

Post Bubble (6):

  • Round Rock
  • Lake Travis
  • Timber Creek
  • Oak Ridge
  • John B Alexander
  • Prosper 
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