2023 BOA San Antonio Super Regional (Nov. 3 & 4)

[BandNerdier]

42 minutes ago, bchorn said:

How on earth did McNeil beat Westlake, Leander, Moe & Gene Johnson, and Lake Travis (in prelims) at TMC?  

That finish for McNeil is looking more and more like an fluke/outlier.   

No McNeil affiliation here, but I thought McNeil had a great show, and am surprised their prelims placement wasn’t a bit higher.

[Dallas Hobbs]

This is the highest bell has scored since 2012 BOA SA prelims (92.50) and the highest finals score since 2011 BOASA (94.20). Awesome job! 

[Dallas Hobbs]

10 hours ago, GeekBoy54 said:

14th - Claudia Taylor Johnson - 89.15

--------------Finals Cutoff------------- 

15th - Cedar Ridge - 89.1 (Out by 0.05)

16th - Timber Creek - 88.75

17th - Cypress Woods - 88.15

18th - Forney - 86.80

19th - Lake Travis - 86.55

20th - Keller Central - 86.20

21st - Wylie East - 85.80

22nd - Westwood - 85.75

23rd - James Bowie - 85.00

24th Tie - College Park - 84.85

24th Tie - Moe and Gene Johnson - 84.85

Does BOA no longer break tied scores?

[Hard Core Band Fan]

9 hours ago, david19c said:

I noticed that Rouse had mics on each side of the field (not soloist mics, it looked like they were directly picking up the band). Is this not just a cheap way to artificially increase their sound? Seems like they’re less of a “small band with a big sound” and more of a “small band that can afford good microphones”. Especially since they only really have big hits when they’re at the front of the field.

Many bands use shotgun mics and have been for a long time. It's mainly for projecting their woodwinds during woodwind features and aren't used throughout their show.

[clarinetistkai05]

1 minute ago, Dallas Hobbs said:

Does BOA no longer break tied scores?

they gave 24th to College Park because of GE total I believe.

[yayband914]

3 hours ago, crunchycookie3 said:

It was a banner weekend for SO many bands! Here’s some honorable titles I just did my research on:

Vandegrift: Highest ranking in their history

Marcus: Highest ranking in 11 years

Rouse: Highest ranking in their history

Bell: Highest ranking in 11 years

Bridgeland: Highest ranking in their history

Westlake: Tied their highest ranking in 11 years

Wakeland: Highest ranking in their history

Timber Creek: Highest ranking in their history

Cy-Woods: Highest ranking in their history

Forney: Highest ranking in their history

Wylie East and McNeil also placed the highest they ever have at SASR. 

[Samuel Culper]

As many know, I am associated with Vista Ridge. I am an alumni parent, all three of my kids went through the program. I have been involved at Vista for 11 years now and remain involved today.

I am horrified and embarrassed at any suggestion that our parents are saying anything to denigrate other programs, ESPECIALLY our sister schools. That is NOT the culture that I have been a part of for more than a decade now. The Ranger Band family has always been supportive of other bands just as much as our own kids. We cheer loud and long for other bands' performances and celebrate their successes, again, ESPECIALLY our sister schools. We go out of our way to offer help and support if we can and love to make friends along the way.

My hope is that the individuals involved in any of these unfortunate situations learn that what they have said is NOT the way we do things. My guess is that these comments are from folks less involved as volunteers and I would suggest strongly that they get more involved. Volunteering to work with and for our kids will open your eyes to understanding just how hard they work, just like the kids from all other schools.

On behalf of the Ranger Band family, I sincerely apologize for any and all of these unfortunate incidents. They are not representative of who we are.

And congratulations to Rouse on an amazing season! The Ranger Band family is happy for you and immensely proud of the honor you bring to LISD.

[Tubalord11]

I really wonder how things would have shaken out if Hebron,Flomo,Pearland,Coppell and Keller had attended! I think Keller would have been the only one at risk of not making finals, but even so that would have meant based on the prelims results no CTJ, Wakeland, Leander or CP, kinda crazy to think that could have happened, just goes to show how unbelievably stacked HSMB is here in Texas! 

[MilBandDude]

So what do we think Vandegrift’s run of strong showings in both BOA and UIL, especially these last 2 years, without traditional Color Guard mean for the future of Color Guard? Vandegrift thinks so much of it that they have a dedicated dance department and credited dance courses at school.

At one time I would have thought you could use a Dance Company and do great at BOA, but perhaps not UIL. With the change in UIL judging I am starting to think it might be the way to go for other bands. To me dance, even though it is difficult, is less likely to show errors or issues being more fluid and flowing in nature. Color Guard just adds a level of possible issues to a program and could muddy the waters during a programs run. To me Vandegrift has figured out the only thing that matters are getting the points needed to win. You are not trying to be better than the other bands at anything in particular or entertain anyone especially the judges. Just make sure you program is smooth, precise and clean and you'll get the points needed. I am not saying this as a knock on Vandegrift, but as a compliment. To me they are ahead of all other Texas bands in knowing what it takes to win and I think the exclusion of Color Guard in favor of a Dance Company is a big part of their success.

[bchorn]

1 hour ago, BandNerdier said:

No McNeil affiliation here, but I thought McNeil had a great show, and am surprised their prelims placement wasn’t a bit higher.

I think they had a great show this year as well.  The score placements for them have been very puzzling.

[crunchycookie3]

5 minutes ago, MilBandDude said:

So what do we think Vandegrift’s run of strong showings in both BOA and UIL, especially these last 2 years, without traditional Color Guard mean for the future of Color Guard? Vandegrift thinks so much of it that they have a dedicated dance department and credited dance courses at high school.

Just personal taste- it’s not for me! I feel that (again, personally) that there is a big part of GE that is more successfully conveyed with silks and weapons-lines. Sure, the dance team provided a sense of elegance to Vandegrift’s show, but once the activity catches back up to them, I don’t think the dance team over traditional guard trend will be enough to keep top groups at the top.

[11BandMan11]

The Finals performances this year were INCREDIBLE! It astounds me the level of musicianship, performance, visual control, etc. these HIGH SCHOOL students are achieving now! 

How many more BOA San Antonio contests with this INSANE depth of performances will it take before BOA realizes they need to make the San Antonio Super into the same PreLims, Semis, and Finals format as they currently have for Grand Nationals? 

Not throwing shade at any of the other amazing ensembles and contests that occur outside Texas and throughout the country, but if we're all very honest with the depth of competition at the San Antonio contest specifically, any of the ensembles that placed between 15th and 25th at BOA San Antonio and DID NOT make finals this year, would ABSOLUTELY be making Semis at Grand Nats, and many would push and make Finals as well if they went up this year. 

Knowing how much time, energy, money, etc. these programs invest into performing at San Antonio, I would LOVE to see more performance opportunities for more groups! Just my 2 cents! 

Looking forward to seeing #TeamTexas at Grand Nats this year!!!  

[BandFan50]

27 minutes ago, MilBandDude said:

So what do we think Vandegrift’s run of strong showings in both BOA and UIL, especially these last 2 years, without traditional Color Guard mean for the future of Color Guard? Vandegrift thinks so much of it that they have a dedicated dance department and credited dance courses at school.

At one time I would have thought you could use a Dance Company and do great at BOA, but perhaps not UIL. With the change in UIL judging I am starting to think it might be the way to go for other bands. To me dance, even though it is difficult, is less likely to show errors or issues being more fluid and flowing in nature. Color Guard just adds a level of possible issues to a program and could muddy the waters during a programs run. To me Vandegrift has figured out the only thing that matters are getting the points needed to win. You are not trying to be better than the other bands at anything in particular or entertain anyone especially the judges. Just make sure you program is smooth, precise and clean and you'll get the points needed. I am not saying this as a knock on Vandegrift, but as a compliment. To me they are ahead of all other Texas bands in knowing what it takes to win and I think the exclusion of Color Guard in favor of a Dance Company is a big part of their success.

The dance team is more of a tradition to the program at this point

[goombatrony]

16 minutes ago, 11BandMan11 said:

The Finals performances this year were INCREDIBLE! It astounds me the level of musicianship, performance, visual control, etc. these HIGH SCHOOL students are achieving now! 

How many more BOA San Antonio contests with this INSANE depth of performances will it take before BOA realizes they need to make the San Antonio Super into the same PreLims, Semis, and Finals format as they currently have for Grand Nationals? 

Not throwing shade at any of the other amazing ensembles and contests that occur outside Texas and throughout the country, but if we're all very honest with the depth of competition at the San Antonio contest specifically, any of the ensembles that placed between 15th and 25th at BOA San Antonio and DID NOT make finals this year, would ABSOLUTELY be making Semis at Grand Nats, and many would push and make Finals as well if they went up this year. 

Knowing how much time, energy, money, etc. these programs invest into performing at San Antonio, I would LOVE to see more performance opportunities for more groups! Just my 2 cents! 

Looking forward to seeing #TeamTexas at Grand Nats this year!!!  

That actually would be a pretty cool thing

[GeekBoy54]

1 hour ago, Dallas Hobbs said:

Does BOA no longer break tied scores?

Not in prelims, only in finals.

[VistaGuardDad]

33 minutes ago, crunchycookie3 said:

Just personal taste- it’s not for me! I feel that (again, personally) that there is a big part of GE that is more successfully conveyed with silks and weapons-lines. Sure, the dance team provided a sense of elegance to Vandegrift’s show, but once the activity catches back up to them, I don’t think the dance team over traditional guard trend will be enough to keep top groups at the top.

I agree, it's not my favorite. If the world was run by me we'd have a requirement for two types of equipment used by guard/dance team or whatever you want to call it, but luckily for us all I'm not in charge of the world! Nothing against Vandy, they were amazing last night and I loved their show. They deserved their 97.60.

 

I think my favorite was Reagan, they have a good mix of talented dance team and a strong guard that uses flags, rifles, sabers, etc.

[natertater21000]

The SA super regional never disappoints. last night was filled with so many amazing performances from top to bottom. Huge night for Leander ISD which has had an insane amount of success over the past decade. There have been 10 SA supers from fall 2013 to now (no contest in 2020) and here is how the district has stacked up.

Vandegrift- Attended all 10 and made finals at all 10, placing in the top half 7 of those times (2013,2016,2017,2018,2019,2021,2022, and 2023) and placed on the podium 4 of those times.  3rd overall in 2017, 2nd overall in 2019 and 2021, and of course 1st overall in 2023.

Leander- Attended 9 of the 10 and made finals 7 times. They placed in the top half 4 of those times (2014,2016,2018, and 2019) and placed on the podium twice. 3rd overall in 2014 and 2016. 

Cedar Park- Attended all 10 and made finals 8 times. They placed in the top half twice (2014,2015) 

Vista Ridge-Attended all 10 and made finals 6 times. They placed in the top half 4 times (2018,2019,2022,2023) and placed on the podium once with third overall in 2019. 

Rouse-Attended all 10 and made finals twice. They also performed as the class 2A champion in 2018. They placed in the top half for this first time this year, and I expect we’ll see more from them in the future. 

Last night was also the second time ever that 5 LISD bands made finals with the first being in 2021. 

I have no doubt Glenn will follow a similar trajectory in the years to come.

[MilBandDude]

8 minutes ago, VistaGuardDad said:

I agree, it's not my favorite. If the world was run by me we'd have a requirement for two types of equipment used by guard/dance team or whatever you want to call it, but luckily for us all I'm not in charge of the world! Nothing against Vandy, they were amazing last night and I loved their show. They deserved their 97.60.

 

I think my favorite was Reagan, they have a good mix of talented dance team and a strong guard that uses flags, rifles, sabers, etc.

I wonder if they should just add a caption called best of show or most entertaining or program I would love to watch play one more time? 😀

[Dog885]

Ok y'all I've got the final ripple counter for Leander. At finals they clocked in at about 83 ripples that I counted in the band. It would absolutely be over 100 if I were able to count guard at the same time.

[Dallas Hobbs]

47 minutes ago, MilBandDude said:

So what do we think Vandegrift’s run of strong showings in both BOA and UIL, especially these last 2 years, without traditional Color Guard mean for the future of Color Guard? Vandegrift thinks so much of it that they have a dedicated dance department and credited dance courses at school.

At one time I would have thought you could use a Dance Company and do great at BOA, but perhaps not UIL. With the change in UIL judging I am starting to think it might be the way to go for other bands. To me dance, even though it is difficult, is less likely to show errors or issues being more fluid and flowing in nature. Color Guard just adds a level of possible issues to a program and could muddy the waters during a programs run. To me Vandegrift has figured out the only thing that matters are getting the points needed to win. You are not trying to be better than the other bands at anything in particular or entertain anyone especially the judges. Just make sure you program is smooth, precise and clean and you'll get the points needed. I am not saying this as a knock on Vandegrift, but as a compliment. To me they are ahead of all other Texas bands in knowing what it takes to win and I think the exclusion of Color Guard in favor of a Dance Company is a big part of their success.

It was interesting to see them win color guard caption awards at contests like TMC because I thought that your “auxiliary” had to demonstrate proficiency in equipment work, but it seems dance skills are an integral part of the color guard’s repertoire 

[natertater21000]

2 minutes ago, Dog885 said:

Ok y'all I've got the final ripple counter for Leander. At finals they clocked in at about 83 ripples that I counted in the band. It would absolutely be over 100 if I were able to count guard at the same time.

I found it to be quite effective as well, generally speaking. 

[VistaGuardDad]

17 minutes ago, MilBandDude said:

I wonder if they should just add a caption called best of show or most entertaining or program I would love to watch play one more time? 😀

I would love that! I posted on another thread, but it always seems like the shows I find the most fun/entertaining get punished by the judges. Think ROUS (Rodents of unusual Size) from last year and CTJ from this year. Both are super fun and obvious audience favorites that the judges didn't seem to think were as good as some of the less university style shows.

[BandFan50]

I've seen a lot of hate towards Vandegrift and many of the other finalists bands on various band forums and discord, It makes me sad to see that it isn't just band parents but at the same time I've also seen so much support from the finalists bands towards one another

[Ruprecht88]

3 hours ago, goombatrony said:

Wow- are you seriously a VR parent, a sister school parent, trashing another school in your own district over some mics? Rouse has a big sound, with or without the mics. Even with less than 250 people in their band, unlike some of their sister schools. But I haven't seen one Rouse parent on here trashing their sister schools. And why are you so quick to discredit Rouse? Are you jealous? I have watched all of these bands all season. And while I may not like some of the shows I am not going to get on a forum and start trashing them. Rouse has had a very good season. From what I understand they have had a rough last 7 years and they are now at a turning point. And if you truly know what you are talking about, then you would know that Rouse is by no means a "rich" band. From what I've seen those kids have poured their hearts out on the field and have produced a solid, clean and entertaining program for this season. For the record, every band has done something to enhance their sound in one way or another. And I'm pretty sure I was watching every band last night blast sounds  right at the front of the field. So instead of trying to tear down a band program, why not just enjoy the victory that VR had this season. 

Has that person identified as a Vista parent that I missed, or are we assuming?

[goombatrony]

11 minutes ago, Ruprecht88 said:

Has that person identified as a Vista parent that I missed, or are we assuming?

It was a question- and the profile and previous posts would seem to indicate that. So to answer your question, no there was no assumption.