2021 BOA Grand Nationals (Nov. 11-13)

[Tubalord11]

Hey guys just wondering do y’all know if they will be doing a full retreat for this contest. Ik they didn’t at the regionals and I think the supers but they did at state so just wondering 

[AlphaOmega]

On 11/6/2021 at 8:09 AM, Tubalord11 said:

Hey guys just wondering do y’all know if they will be doing a full retreat for this contest. Ik they didn’t at the regionals and I think the supers but they did at state so just wondering 

They haven't done them at the Super Regionals, so I'm not sure they'll be doing them this time around. I really wish they would, but I understand why they aren't. 

[AlphaOmega]

Hello, everyone! 

If you're a student (or parent) going to Nats for the first time, I have some advice for you. I've been three times, once as a spectator and twice as a performer. 

Performers should bring the following:

Everything you need to perform

Toiletries (oral care, hair care, contact lens stuff, those kinds of things)

A thicker jacket (not a winter coat), beanie, maybe gloves, thick socks, sweat pants to wear over your rehearsal gear (it's gon' be cold)

A duffle bag or backpack to take to the Indiana Convention Center

Everything you need to rehearse, if your band's gonna do that

$50-100 in cash, or put money on their debit card, if your wallet allows. They're gonna wanna buy stuff at Lucas Oil! 

I recommend wearing leggings (guys too) under their uniform, and put thick socks over them. Please convince your band directors to allow this. I can't stress that enough. The walk from the ICC to Lucas Oil in uniform is not pleasant. 

Extra food - your metabolism will be through the roof, and you'll always be hungry. If your room has a microwave, bring some popcorn and fall asleep watching a movie! 

Phone, charger, and portable charger. 

Hand warmers

DEODORANT

Shower stuff other than shampoo. If you're gonna shower, you only need to wash your hair at most.

Things performers don't need to bring:

School stuff. You won't have time or wifi most likely. 

Pajamas - sleep in what you're wearing tomorrow

Video game systems - yes, kids will do this and stay up way too late playing games. Please don't do this. 

A winter coat - again, it takes up too much space. My first time going as a performer I looked like I was from Antarctica. The next trip I brought a thick hoodie and that was fine. If your student has a letterman, that's perfect! 

Other stuff:

Make sure either you or your kid buys the official Grand Nats patch and the official Grand Nats t-shirt. The patch is great for their letterman, and they'll wear that t-shirt until you put it on a quilt.

Don't let school get in the way. This trip is a time to put all your energy towards band. Worry about school when you get back. 

Like I said, this is a trip where you focus everything on band. Your rehearsals and performances will be a lot better because the kids aren't worrying about other things. 

Parents, make sure you have things ready to take care of the kids: medicine, extra snacks, first aid, etc. 

Boys, you smell. It's in your DNA. Even if you don't have time to wash your hair every day, you need to get in the shower at least once a day and soak. 

Ladies, unless you smell, which most of you don't, you could go the whole trip without a shower. 

You will average at 6 hours of sleep a night - parents included. When your band directors say to sleep, GO TO BED. 

It's the end of the season, and I'm sure you'll all be sick and tired of each other. Try to enjoy it, and don't talk bad about other people like you usually do during the season.

Students, this will be the best weekend of your life, as long as you put your focus on band and perform your absolute best. 

The only thing you should be drinking is water. You too, parents. 

Last thing: enjoy it. 

If I forgot anything, feel free to add! Have a good trip, everyone!

[AlphaOmega]

Regarding the above comment:

"Shower stuff other than shampoo. If you're gonna shower, you only need to wash your hair at most."

That should be in the "don't bring" category. For some reason it's not letting me edit. 

[Rubisco]

The San Antonio results make me think Nationals could be a bit all over the place, especially since the competitiveness here will resemble San Antonio to a greater degree than usual. The top 6 I feel pretty strongly about, like how I felt about the top 5 going into San Antonio. ABC + Flower Mound, CTJ, and The Woodlands. Reagan was closer to that top 4 San Antonio group than I expected after watching finals, and I could see them crashing the party here. I would also have Marcus and Vista Ridge in finals, based on their performances at San Antonio. That said, Vista Ridge's score was a little lower than expected in finals. (No, I didn't think they would top Vandegrift like they did at UIL Area, but still.) Dobyns-Bennett, for example, was able to crack 90 last week. Overall, I feel pretty strongly there was some downward pressure on the scores at San Antonio, likely caused by the sheer quantity of high quality groups.

I'm still leaning toward a Broken Arrow win, but I think both The Woodlands and CTJ made pretty big statements this weekend. Avon and Carmel, I wasn't jumping up and down about their shows at Indianapolis, but they tend to shape up by Nationals. I suspect that Flower Mound is also hanging around these bands, but they'll be a little bit of a wild card going into Nationals. It's important to note that even though there's only one week left, San Antonio results are not always the best predictors of National results. Blue Springs placing 6th at San Antonio and totally missing National finals in 2013 comes to mind, as does Flower Mound beating Marcus by over a point at San Antonio in 2017, only to be beaten by Marcus in National finals a week later. One week of cleaning/changes + different judging panels + a different venue. They all make a difference!

[BandFan59]

Pending the UIL State results, I think Flower Mound is probably still the best chance for the Eagle to stay in Texas. The design of that show is unbelievably well done and really does create a world of Seuss. That said, CTJ and the Woodlands were very impressive this past weekend, and I can see either crashing the party in the top 3 spots. I'm leaning towards CTJ as the most likely to do so just based off their strong GE scores at San Antonio, though they'll have to clean up those music scores to really have a run at the Eagle. They sounded fantastic and I love them like I always do, but I do admit at times they sounded a little unfocused and blasting. If they can control their sound more and not have any stick outs individually then I don't see a reason why they can't medal or even win. The Woodlands blew me away in finals, I was not expecting them to come out with so much energy. The show is super fun and the performance levels of those students is incredible. I can't wait for next weekend!

[PLC137]

Yeah, I'm amazed how consistent the judging is given all the variability and subjectivity inherent to these contests.  That said, there is a lot of variability.  Judges and bands are all humans.  In most fields, experts, in spite of being experts, tend to vary all over the place - even courtroom judges have been proven to hand out different sentences depending on the day of the week.  So I give the BOA judges a lot of credit given the very difficult task.

The last point of Vista had me thinking (being one of my hometown bands that I follow).  They rated 8th in prelims with 91.94, 0.11 points from making the top 7 (which was 92.05).  I wonder had they positioned in the top 7, would their score have been a little higher.  Same could be said of many.  They were solidly in the finals (with 88.35 being first one out).  I don't have the close eyes and ears most of you have, but I couldn't see why technically it swung that much.  

[BandFan59]

The last event of the season begins in two days! My final predictions:

1. Broken Arrow (M/V)

2. Flower Mound (GE)

3. Avon

4. Claudia Taylor Johnson

5. Carmel

6. The Woodlands

7. Marcus

8. Ronald Reagan

9. William Mason

10. Vista Ridge

11. Blue Springs

12. Dobyns-Bennett

 

Honestly I can see any bands in the top half winning the whole thing. The field this year is so incredibly competitive. What a time Thursday-Saturday will be!

[WILKINSON]

Long shot, but would anyone happen to have a recording of Round Rock? BOA SA or UIL State. 

[Hard Core Band Fan]

13 minutes ago, WILKINSON said:

Long shot, but would anyone happen to have a recording of Round Rock? BOA SA or UIL State. 

PM me.

[Tubalord11]

So, other than the general stuff, is there anything specific I should bring as a spectator. Me and my friend who are in band will be here, and we’ve been to a couple of contest, but nothing this big, so just wanted to know if there way anything special or what to bring for this contest. We’re very excited!

[vistaridgefan42069]

bring your best listening ears and viewing eyes!!! (best clapping hands will be useful too!)

[Rubisco]

I'm very excited to see all the bands perform at Lucas Oil Stadium. Better acoustics!

UIL just happened, and the best-sounding bands (at least from a technical perspective) ended up on top like they pretty much always do. Doesn't seem like the new judging system changed the outcome much. I'm hopeful Marcus can use the momentum from their top 3 finish at UIL to make a strong final statement at Nats. They sound fantastic!

I'm getting somewhat of a 2004 vibe from this lineup. Like, a lot of horses, but one isn't pulling too far ahead of the others. Lawrence Central and Kennesaw Mountain held onto top 3 placements in both semis and finals in 2004, but besides them bands were all over the place. I think Carmel jumped up from 8th to 3rd and won GE in finals, which is pretty crazy. Of course, this was before bottom half/top half performance order was implemented, so we'll probably get at least a little more consistency, and an overly large point spread between the two halves after finals.

I'm still leaning toward Broken Arrow winning this thing, but I bet Avon and Carmel have improved significantly. FloMo did just fine at UIL State. Maybe some were expecting them to duke it out for 1st place at UIL, but this Seuss show is tailored for BOA Nationals. Tim Ochran, who will be judging in semis at BOA Nats, had FloMo in 1st place in the design category at UIL prelims, so I'm betting they'll get a perfectly fine GE score at Nats, even if Tim's not judging that category. Groups like Reagan and CTJ trading places at UIL just reinforces that these groups are close in quality. I still prefer CTJ's music to Reagan's, but the scores were close enough at BOA San Antonio that I could see Reagan moving into the top half of finals at Nats. In true Bluecoats fashion, The Woodlands seems to have more of a crowd-favorite than a judges' favorite show this year. Their score at BOA SA was still great, and 5 of the 7 judges had them in the top 3 (tied with Hebron in that regard), but no 1st place scores is a little concerning, at least if their aim is to come out on top at Nats. The question for Marcus is whether they can transform their performance polish into a higher GE score. I'd still have Vista Ridge in finals based on music performance, and making finals at both BOA SA and UIL should be a good sign. I think Round Rock is still in the running to make finals, but that finalist bubble is large!

[WILKINSON]

Yeah. Broken Arrow is scary good. This was their send-off performance with the full show on the field.

 

 

[BandFan59]

Team Texas has their work cut out for them to top that, sheesh. Broken Arrow is coming back STRONG this year.

[Minimaster]

56 minutes ago, WILKINSON said:

Yeah. Broken Arrow is scary good. This was their send-off performance with the full show on the field.

 

 

 

Eh, the ensemble tuning is rough.

The Woodlands, Marcus, CTJ, Reagan sound better.

Coppell that lost to them in St. Louis sounded better.

I'd even take Avon and Carmel(They will be the real tough out for the Texas bands) over them right now.

 

 

[Asaiah]

4 minutes ago, Minimaster said:

 

Eh, the ensemble tuning is rough.

The Woodlands, Marcus, CTJ, Reagan sound better.

Coppell that lost to them in St. Louis sounded better.

I'd even take Avon and Carmel(They will be the real tough out for the Texas bands) over them right now.

 

 

Broken Arrow sounded better in St. Louis than they have in any outdoor recording I've seen since. Probably just the cold!

[Rubisco]

2 hours ago, Minimaster said:

 

Eh, the ensemble tuning is rough.

The Woodlands, Marcus, CTJ, Reagan sound better.

Coppell that lost to them in St. Louis sounded better.

I'd even take Avon and Carmel(They will be the real tough out for the Texas bands) over them right now.

 

 

Yeaaaaah, that was something I also noticed at the OBA performance, and it's there again in the send-off. That said, there are lots of other things Broken Arrow does very well, and I'll reserve judgment until I see them at Lucas Oil Stadium. Overall, the show is extremely effective, and that will carry them far, I think. Do I love everything about it? No. The opener goes on and on, for example, and the almost nonstop, full-field flagwork becomes distracting to the rest of the visual program. But the show has some really epic, rousing moments, and the kids really sell it.

Speaking of music performance, which band is the consensus pick for that caption in finals? Or consensus picks? I'm guessing ABC for the visual caption, because always. Broken Arrow and FloMo seem to be the consensus for general effect. But what about music?

[Minimaster]

1 minute ago, Rubisco said:

Yeaaaaah, that was something I also noticed at the OBA performance, and it's there again in the send-off. That said, there are lots of other things Broken Arrow does very well, and I'll reserve judgment until I see them at Lucas Oil Stadium. Overall, the show is extremely effective, and that will carry them far, I think. Do I love everything about it? No. The opener goes on and on, for example, and the almost nonstop, full-field flagwork becomes distracting to the rest of the visual program. But the show has some really epic, rousing moments, and the kids really sell it.

Speaking of music performance, which band is the consensus pick for that caption in finals? Or consensus picks? I'm guessing ABC for the visual caption, because always. Broken Arrow and FloMo seem to be the consensus for general effect. But what about music?

Yeah, it wasn't the cold either. The lowest it got in Tulsa Tuesday night was 57, and besides the soloists were in tune.

 

 

 

[Rubisco]

7 minutes ago, Minimaster said:

Yeah, it wasn't the cold either. The lowest it got in Tulsa Tuesday night was 57, and besides the soloists were in tune.

Yeaaaaah, I just looked that up myself, because that's the 2nd time we've heard the cold remark. It looks like it was probably around 60 degrees when the send-off performance was done. Yeaaaah.... But hey, there's more to music performance than intonation! And Lucas Oil Stadium is Broken Arrow's friend! Hahaha.

[Rubisco]

Oh, it was me. I brought up the cold first a page back, without knowing whether or not it was actually cold. Hahaha. My bad!

[vistaridgefan42069]

personally found the timing issues more noticeable than the tuning in that performance. they’re still amazing and definitely still the favorite to win, and i love their production this year, but if they play like that in finals and win the music caption i may raise an eyebrow. their visual is impeccable and should contend with the indy bands for that caption. 

 

maybe we’re all just spoiled by having listened to hebron four times in the last week 😍😍

[Minimaster]

7 minutes ago, vistaridgefan42069 said:

personally found the timing issues more noticeable than the tuning in that performance. they’re still amazing and definitely still the favorite to win, and i love their production this year, but if they play like that in finals and win the music caption i may raise an eyebrow. their visual is impeccable and should contend with the indy bands for that caption. 

 

maybe we’re all just spoiled by having listened to hebron four times in the last week 😍😍

Why is Carmel not the favorite?

 

They have a better show than BA and no tuning issues as of two weeks ago.

 

 

[Caroline]

10 hours ago, Minimaster said:

Why is Carmel not the favorite?

 

They have a better show than BA and no tuning issues as of two weeks ago.

 

 

That performance was second to Avons

[LoudBaritone]

I went to The Woodlands send off for grand nats and I will say this y'all are under estimating them.  You can tell that band is out to win it all they have a vengeance to win it all.  I have BA first but TWHS second with Avon third and FloMo 4th.  I may be way wrong but from what I've seen this is what my gut is telling me.