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So I have seen a number of comments this year about a Texas Trophy for the winner of BOA San Antonio. The Bands of Claudia Taylor Johnson Foundation and the CTJ Band Parents Assc. serve as the host program of the BOA San Antonio Super Regional. While it will not happen this year, the bands of CTJ Foundation has made the request to MFA/BOA to create a traveling trophy similar to the grand nationals eagle (Kevin) Trophy. I hope that we can have this in place for next years BOA San Antonio Super Regional. I have heard a number of suggestions for the trophy to include the "armadillo" and the "road runner" - there is interest in UTSA in sponsoring the Texas Road Runner trophy but I will keep you all posted as this develops. It would be my intent that, that the trophy would recognize the previous winners of BOA San Antonio since it became a Super Regional on November 1st 2003 (FYI - San Antonio was the first Super Regional). those would include the following 2003 - Westfield 2004 - Reagan 2005 - Reagan 2006 - LD Bell 2007 - Marcus 2008 - LD Bell 2009 - LD Bell 2010 - Marcus 2011 - LD Bell 2012 - Marcus 2013 - The Woodlands 2014 - Claudia Taylor Johnson 2015 - Flower Mound 2016 - Flower Mound 2017 - Claudia Taylor Johnson 2018 - Flower Mound 2019 - Reagan 2020 - Cancelled due to Covid 2021 - Hebron once we have support of MFA/BOA, we will create a poll to decide the name of the trophy - including the nickname of the trophy - FYI - the Woodlands is credited with naming the Eagle as Kevin after hosting him in 2013. welcome your thoughts.

Round Rock was superb! The way they've experimented with the Rite of Spring is one of the best I've heard a high school put it on the field. For me, they are a finalist for sure!

It’s Happening!

OK, we are less than a day away from the start of this contest and I am so excited! I haven't spent as much time actually watching videos this year as normal, so for most of these bands, this will be my first time seeing their show all season. There is a lot of talk about who will make finals (rightfully so) but I wanted to give a shoutout to so many other great bands that deserve recognition. I decided to create a list of my top 25 from each panel as well as a simulation for the top 11+11+8 if there had been a semifinals. I do not know enough about the lower classification bands to guess the hypothetical advancers based on class so I did not do that. If anyone knows how to create spoiler tags here, please let me know so I can make this wall of text appear nicer. Panel 1 Top 25 (in alphabetical order) Argyle Bowie College Park CT Johnson Cy Fair Cy Woods Del Rio Flower Mound Forney Foster Friendswood Glenn Hays Hendrickson Keller Keller Central Lake Travis Leander Marcus O'Connor Pearland Reagan Round Rock Sachse Timber Creek Panel 2 Top 25 (in alphabetical order) Alexander Brandeis Cedar Park Cedar Ridge Coppell Dawson Dripping Springs Hebron Highland Park JE Taylor Klein Oak LD Bell McNeil Oak Ridge Rock Hill Rouse Seven Lakes The Woodlands Vandegrift Vista Ridge Waxahachie Westlake Westwood Wylie Wylie East Semifinalists: Panel 1 Top 11 (in alphabetical order) Bowie CT Johnson Cy Fair Flower Mound Hendrickson Keller Marcus Pearland Reagan Round Rock Timber Creek Panel 2 Top 11 (in alphabetical order) Cedar Park Cedar Ridge Coppell Hebron LD Bell Rouse The Woodlands Vandegrift Vista Ridge Waxahachie Westlake Next 8 (in alphabetical order) Brandeis (Panel 2) Keller Central (Panel 1) Lake Travis (Panel 1) Leander (Panel 1) Rock Hill (Panel 2) Westwood (Panel 2) Wylie (Panel 2) Wylie East (Panel 2) Finalists: Panel 1 Top 5 (in alphabetical order) CT Johnson Flower Mound Marcus Reagan Round Rock Panel 2 Top 5 (in alphabetical order) Cedar Park Coppell Hebron Vista Ridge Vandegrift Next 4 (in alphabetical order) Cedar Ridge (Panel 2) Cy Fair (Panel 1) Keller (Panel 1) The Woodlands (Panel 2) Top 40 (in order) 1. Hebron (Panel 2) 2. Vandegrift (Panel 2) 3. Flower Mound (Panel 1) 4. Vista Ridge (Panel 2) 5. Cedar Park (Panel 2) 6. CT Johnson (Panel 1) 7. Reagan (Panel 1) 8. Coppell (Panel 2) 9. Marcus (Panel 1) 10. Cedar Ridge (Panel 2) 11. The Woodlands (Panel 2) 12. Round Rock (Panel 1) 13. Cy Fair (Panel 1) 14. Keller (Panel 1) 15. Rouse (Panel 2) 16. Westlake (Panel 2) 17. Pearland (Panel 1) 18. LD Bell (Panel 2) 19. Timber Creek (Panel 1) 20. Waxahachie (Panel 2) 21. Bowie (Panel 1) 22. Hendrickson (Panel 1) 23. Leander (Panel 1) 24. Wylie East (Panel 2) 25. Westwood (Panel 2) 26. Wylie (Panel 2) 27. Lake Travis (Panel 1) 28. Rock Hill (Panel 2) 29. Keller Central (Panel 1) 30. Brandeis (Panel 2) 31. Forney (Panel 1) 32. Seven Lakes (Panel 2) 33. Sachse (Panel 1) 34. Friendswood (Panel 1) 35. Klein Oak (Panel 2) 36. Cy Woods (Panel 1) 37. Foster (Panel 1) 38. Dripping Springs (Panel 2) 39. Oak Ridge (Panel 2) 40. Alexander (Panel 2) 41. Dawson (Panel 2) 42. College Park (Panel 1) 43. JE Taylor (Panel 2) 44. Argyle (Panel 1) 45. Highland Park (Panel 2) 46. O'Connor (Panel 1) 47. McNeil (Panel 2) 48. Hays (Panel 1) 49. Azle (Panel 2) 50. Churchill (Panel 2) Please forgive me for the length of this post!

WESTWOOD!!! Incredibly well done! (it took me an embarrassing amount of time to realize it was a wizard of oz show 💀)

JBA was the first show I got to catch after my class (college made me miss Cedar Ridge 😭 but I'll get to see them tomorrow night anyway) and WOW they were great! I always enjoy what I see of their shows and this year is no exception, they sounded and looked (especially) great!

That run was really something special, wasn’t it?!? They certainly could have used that one at Area B Finals. You saw it, now imagine how that could have influenced the predictions being made. Rest assured, Keller is still Keller and their process is fully intact.

I think if I was named George, Hays' show would send me into an existential spiral.

all these bands are so good. i reeeeally don't envy the judges. so many at a similar level.

Box 5 high cam cutting away from Round Rock because they were too powerful. That was excellent! Probably my favorite from them since 2016. The front flats are very reminiscent of their 2013 show. Maybe a little lacking in GE here and there (I wish the show told more of a story), but they were very clean until the closer. I expect to see them again tomorrow!

I thought Round Rock was excellent. I have them right up there with Cedar Ridge and Vista Ridge.

RR will be in finals!!! That show was just fantastic!!! I mean wow! And that low brass is so !!!

This is the best year for Westlake in a long time. I'm really happy to see them back to competing at a very high level. What a great show.

Wow! Westlake does not want to be first out again this year! Love everything about their show. Clarinets went off.

Well I can see why DS is already going to state as a first time 6A!!! They play so well, and so beautifully!!! I mean wow, just wow!!!

Cedar Ridge is always setting the standard when it comes to this contest! Their show is designed like a DCI show but also somehow has elements of UIL show design if that makes any sense. Their percussion is Steller I mean the left hands!! you can tell these kids have a great percussion director. Cedar Ridge is GE like crazy a lot of acting going on out there great work! I am a fan of this show and what it has morphed into since the beginning of the season.

good lord cedar freaking ridge

I'm here to watch! So excited!

Shoutouts to the Woodlands for bestowing such an iconic name for the Eagle, never knew that!!😮🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱

My whole philosophy if I were to be a judge of anything is simply: if they’re good enough, they’re good enough. This speculative “prove it to me” phase that groups supposedly have to go through has always just been unjust silliness to me when people try to bring it up. That’s not how it should work, and lately, we’ve seen pillars of UIL in this area, L.D Bell, and Duncanville miss out on a competition they’ve had a stranglehold on for decades. It’s great to see them back of course, but I always dislike this kind of discourse where groups that haven’t been there before have to navigate baseless biases that aren’t even there in the first place, we have to stop with this. And I definitely agree that each performance on the day for any school is much more impactful than any reputation may have.

absolutely atrocious ❤️

“You’re entitled to your opinion. I’m entitled to mine. Yours is informed by no better evidence than mine is..” Objection. Facts not in evidence. This statement has no basis for support and is therefore purely speculative. “But I will say that there is evidence.” Anecdotal evidence is largely meaningless, only empirical evidence matters. Due to the nature of this forum and some participant’s preferences neither of us will be allowed to openly discuss the evidence and I have no desire to take this conversation outside the forum. I’ve been down this path enough times before. Hang on to your opinion if it helps you rationalize outcomes and enjoy competitions. It didn’t help me when I was getting started. “I will say also that I have heard, with my own ears, directors communicating that the phenomena does occur.” So have I, generally from Directors struggling to rationalize their programs difficulties breaking through to the next level. Saying something happens doesn’t make it true. “I’ve heard judges say it does occur.” No comment. Addressing this directly would require breaking our programs Code of Conduct. I’m not going to do that. However, I will add that I notice you didn’t indicate whether the judges you heard said they have personally made decisions based on reputation or if they were saying they know about others who admit to doing it. “So it’s not just my opinion.” Correct. Unfortunately it’s a very widely held fallacy. Again, that doesn’t make it true. “If you reread my original post, I don’t quibble with it.” No need. I noted that the first time. I’m not convinced that bears any relevance on the subject. “Your esoteric explanation really dances around the key word- it’s subjective. Just like gymnastics and ice skating - and therefore it uses criterion that aren’t objective.” This activity is a combination of science and art. Of course it’s subjective; I did not suggest otherwise. One of the issues in UIL judging is that the relative value of these subjective preferences are not well defined. For example, are musical and visual accuracy more or less valuable than demand? This example, to a certain extent, also falls on a sliding scale of subjectivity but that doesn’t mean it can’t be better defined through documented video training examples. The NFL and NCAA use this option to clarify pass interference rules changing from well defined objectivity in the ‘70’s to the highly subjective mess of today’s game. Another example would be whether music and drill demand have higher value when performed in combination versus being performed separately. This one is actually defined on the judging sheet but we routinely see some bands highly rewarded for what amounts to “park and play” even though this is clearly not in compliance with the current judging sheet. Adjudication based entirely, or even just heavily, on personal preferences is not sustainable. As for the esoteric nature of my comment, you seem to have missed the point. There are people on this forum who can, and will, learn when given the opportunity, simply because they want too. “Like reputation.“ Where exactly is “reputation” on the judging sheet? I’m not saying there are no Judges that have ever been influenced by reputation. But I am saying that it is a very small minority and also highly inappropriate. All a Judge has is their own reputation which is why they don’t let a bands reputation influence the outcome of a competition. Each performance must speak for itself or integrity and credibility is lost. “Boxing” An interesting example. A few years ago I asked a Judge I’ve known for decades about his decision regarding First and Second place at DCI Finals in Indianapolis. He talked me through the details and then said, “If you want to beat the World Champion, you have to do it decisively and leave no question about it.” On the surface that statement might appear to support the idea of reputation influencing a Judge but further discussion revealed that’s not what he was talking about. If you want to break through to the next level, kick down the door. Win decisively. Leave no doubt. “And that’s irrefutable.” Hardly, but you have made it clear you have no intention of being persuaded which is why I originally indicated I was done with this conversation. I chose to reengage because of the possibility that someone else will be open to the information and learn a new perspective. Thereby giving up on a tired fallacy, while gaining a better understanding of the adjudication process and more satisfying enjoyment of the contests they attend. It worked for me. Yeah, I know. My wife always tells me, “Too many words.” 🙄

Cedar Park! Great controlled energy, amazing contrast in emotion within the music, and the level of execution is unmatched. No wonder they're back-to-back (x4) state champs!

You can tell that Hendrickson loves performing their show. So much energy!

Churchill Fulshear's trombone soloist was killer! Side note: it's interesting that Bluecoats using Eleanor Rigby in a fast paced style has made that become the defacto way to perform the song.

Round Rock is so clean which is great! Musically they are so on it this year! so happy for them I was a bit worried as their recent shows have not been my favorites but this year it looks like they are finding their footing. Only issue is GE I am thinking that they are targeting UIL and that's why it is a bit on the low side.

So far, my ranks would have to be 1. Vista Ridge (This show has grown so much over the season) 2. CEDAR-FREAKING-RIDGE (enough said) 3. Bowie (I really love their sound this year) 4. Dripping Springs (Kaval Sviri is such a great piece) 5. JBA-Westlake (Both were fantastic!)

Jack C. Hays has been pushed back to 5:15.

watchin' on hi cam. Cedar Ridge solid performance, a little bit o visual dirt here and there, but pretty locked in musically. still feel like the design is a bit simple, but that's prob just my tastes. Vista Ridge, super layered production, cool music, overall not as clean as i'd hoped. i also felt like the energy level dropped every time they weren't playing a long chord. given the challenges it makes sense. Westlake, that's gotta be some of the best clarinet playing ever on the field. great music. super enjoyable. love the voiceover, is that the guy from the Cadets? not super clean visually, but some cool stuff in there. finals worthy. actually i probably like Westlake's music more than both of the Ridges, which surprises me. more character.

Well then. I guess it's a good thing that judging is no longer done on a demerit basis. I was sitting on the 50 3/4ths of the way up and my tin ears couldn't hear any full band tuning issues. Poor Vista Ridge, I guess they aren't going to beat a clean Westlake to finals this year.

I have to agree

🙄

Dripping Springs was very clean and impressive. I don't think their GE matches those at the finalist level, but they are very close. I agree that we could see them sneak into state finals. JBA has had really great show designs for a few years now, but I think this was their best show from a performance perspective. They are really setting the standard for South Texas.

yeah JBA was really impressive a lot of GE in this one which may help them out. I know they tend to get hit on music every year so hopefully this year they place a little higher.

JBA…. Wow wow wow!!!! That was so amazing!!! They play with such dynamic contrast, snd look amazing while doing so!!! This show is fantastic! Great job y’all!!!

Dripping Springs! I'd have them pretty high up. Not sure what it is, but UIL seems to respond much better to their shows. If they're not in tomorrow they might be in Monday.

Quite impressed with New Branfauls! They had some really difficult passages in the beginning, and they are killing them! Great job y’all!

Anyways, I just want to write a little post before I head to bed. Good luck to all performing students from all around the state over the next two days. This has been a great season to keep up with and everyone of you has put in a lot of hard work. This is your moment and you’ve all worked hard for it. As for those of you that are watching, I’m looking forward to keeping up with it over the next couple of days and maybe even bantering with some of y’all😉 haha can’t wait for tomorrow!

idk about cedar ridge but there’s chance, small for sure, for coppell to overtake marcus

if we get support from UTSA - it will be named Rowdy - their mascot - but we are committed to making this happen with our without the UTSA support

The trophy should be named Tony

lol, but the mental image of looking up at the press box and seeing a bunch of hoary old judges looking through binoculars like Rear Window creepers is actually amusing. also CR's show simply isn't satanic enough. missed opportunity to have the gargoyles make a pentagram and sacrifice a goat in the middle of the field.

Well, time for my predictions. Definitely gonna forget a few bands so my apologies in advance. This comp is gonna be impossible to predict accurately. Panel 1 Locks: Ronald Reagan Claudia Taylor Johnson Flower Mound Marcus Panel 2 Locks: Cedar Ridge Vista Ridge Cedar Park Vandegrift Coppell Hebron The Woodlands That makes 11 bands, with one open top 5 spot in panel 1 and 2 of panel 2 locks are in the next 4, leaving 3 spots open. Panel 1 last spot Contenders: James Bowie Round Rock Lake Travis Leander Timber Creek Keller Pearland Cy-Fair Out of these I would say Round Rock or Keller look the strongest to me (even after a week showing at area last weekend, I got to see Keller's show tonight and it feels much cleaner and more complete. Definitely not a lock given results thus far, but their show seems to be reaching its peak.) The last 2 spots seem to be anyone's game. James Bowie Westlake Keller/Round Rock (Counting them as one since I think one of them will make it into the top 5) Lake Travis Hendrickson (? Them not going to Waco makes them a wild card to me) Rouse Leander Timber Creek LD Bell Pearland Cy-Fair Waxahachie That is 11-12 bands competing for 2 spots. To narrow it down just a bit, here are the 5 bands I could see making it into these 2 spots. Westlake Keller/Round Rock Rouse Leander Pearland That leaves my final list at this: Ronald Reagan Claudia Taylor Johnson Flower Mound Marcus Cedar Ridge Vista Ridge Cedar Park Vandegrift Coppell Hebron The Woodlands Keller Round Rock Westlake (Not ordered whatsoever) Dear lord that was hard. I feel like my opinion on Keller *could* just be cope, but I was incredibly impressed by what I saw tonight compared to every other time I have seen their show.

Okay I want to also put my thoughts here as it seems everyone else is! also, there’s a possibility that I’m able to go for Friday night prelims and all the comp on Saturday. But anyways, like almost if not everyone, Hebron will once again sweep. I think the top of finals will be Hebron Flomo Vandy CR CTJ Regan Vista??? my other finalist are Marcus, Woodlands, CP. the last 4 could be so many bands, and I don’t know how but it’s a ton snd y’all know who!

I honestly don't care about the acoustics. I'm tired of those Indianapolis schools having the luxury every year of participating in grand nationals while sleeping in their own beds and racking up all these finishes in finals. Let's see those schools start paying for trips to DFW and having to compete with the big boys of Texas.

Spicy. 👀👀

I've seen so many references to Vista Ridge/Vandegrift at Area vs State last year as if it's almost a given that the same thing will happen this year. Two points: 1 - Vista beat Vandy at Area in 2018 as well, also after finishing behind them at BOA Austin. We know how that year turned out. 2 - Vista's show this year is much stronger than last year. I think that it pretty clear. I'm not making any promises as to what will happen, that Vista will beat Vandy at either BOASA or State. But I am saying that they are a good horse to bet on to surpass most people's expectations.

Unfortunately that stadium is AWFUL for acoustics. As someone who has been to SA and GN in the same year, keep it in Lucas Oil.

I just revised the schedule in the original post to include the new changes made by BOA to Friday’s schedule.

I think we are on track to see the most competitive BOA event to date here this year! I see 10 locks where it would be VERY strange to see any one of these groups outside of finals this year: Cedar Park Cedar Ridge CTJ Flomo Hebron Marcus Reagan TWHS Vandegrift Vista Ridge That leaves 4 final spots for grabs between Coppell, Cy-Fair, Foster, Friendswood, Bowie, Keller, LD Bell, Leander, Lake Travis, Pearland, Hendrickson, Round Rock, Rouse, Seven Lakes, Timber Creek, Waxahachie, Westlake, Westwood, and Wylie East. Good lord! I think we’ll see groups placing around 30th that would be top- half super regional finalists in STL and Indy.