zururoua

I am absolutely in favor of full ensemble mics for any band that can get their hands on them. It's hard to sound good while playing as loud as some of these bands do, and being able to play 5% softer and get the same volume from the judge's perspective is a huge win. While some argue it's not about making it easier, think about it this way: if the band members can use 5% less energy on playing loud, not only do they sound better but they have more energy to focus on visual responsibilities. This means the directors can spend less time yelling at brass to play louder (or play with better tone) and more time learning and cleaning choreography, not to mention learning and cleaning drill. It's a win win imo.

No controversy or Ronald Reagan, so not exactly the typical Carmel win. Huh.

With Homestead missing, are there more Texas bands in finals than Indiana bands???

So many... Avon and Flomo this year had some of the best loud impact moments and I can't wait to see how they compete at Nats. I'm also looking out for Castle's Fly to Paradise hit, Homestead's ballad, Union's Bluecoats closer, Broken Arrow's closer, and all the other amazing groups from around the country that we'll be talking about after nats is over. Flomo 2016 had some of the most ethereal and amazing chords I've ever heard out of a high school music book, at such a high level too. Reagan's 2015 ballad was amazing. Woodlands 2013 opening hit was POWERFUL. Hebron's jazz ballads are stunning. Shows the true musicality coming out of DFW. 2015 and 2017 especially had really really special stuff happening in those ballads. CTJ just seems to have the best "say hello" moments. 2013 preshow, 2014 opening hit, 2015 opening drill, 2017 preshow and hit. 2016 was great too but didn't have the early show WOW factor that they do so well. Their closer last year was definitely one of the coolest and most "epic" things out of Texas last season, but had nothing on their show this year.

Do us proud TWHS!

How many bands are we gonna see next year that finish learning their whole show by the first competition? Definitely worked for ctj this year

Ctj has really good luck with SA finals draws lol

I think it's nice for woodwind players especially, brass not so much

It might just mean that your internet connection is less stable, but I'm no expert lol. That's usually what caused my similar issues.

Sometimes my internet acts up and refreshes the page, causing it to play an ad, but that's the closest thing to what you're talking about that I've experienced with Flo.

Well, the moment of truth has arrived I guess. Let the games begin!

How would that scoring curve translate to Grand Nats, though? (at Lucas Oil Stadium) ...and in fifth place, with a score of 98.75...

The top score at this has gotta end being like a 96, right? lol

My caption guesses: Music: Flomo or Hebron (outside chance of CTJ) Visual: Avon (outside chance of CTJ or Flomo) GE: Flomo or CTJ (outside chance of Avon or Hebron) Any of these four could theoretically take any caption imo, but these are most likely I think. The reason I put Flomo and CTJ at the top is that they are VERY strong in all three and could theoretically sweep (yeah, either of them). Hebron is very strong musically (probably the best of the four) but falls behind in GE and visual. Avon is great visually but their sometimes abrasive brass sound may not hold up well against the Alamodome and that characteristic Texas band sound. GE is a complete toss up for sure, but Flomo and CTJ both have THE show of the year imo. We'll see how things play out this weekend. It's gonna be exciting for sure.

Maybe some big cardboard cutouts of huskies.

I'm not sure- but after watching Vista's show that's what I thought would make a perfect GE addition for their show. I don't think it's it's allowed (?) but it would be darn cool.

It's possible for sure

1-4: These groups are all incredibly strong and all have a pretty good shot at winning the whole thing. Avon HS - With one of the most consistent visual programs in the country and a Harloff hornline, Avon is definitely in the running to win SA this year. Their show is a little lacking imo and they don't have the tasteful sound that the other groups at the top of SA will have, but don't count them out. They're coming all the way down to SA to win it all. Claudia Taylor Johnson HS - CTJ has already won SA in 2014, and they almost repeated in 2015 when they won prelims. They had a bit of a rough year last year placing in the bottom half of finals at nats, but they are back for sure. They've won every event they've attended this year by a significant margin and their show is very engaging and high energy. They could very well be the only BOA band to attend more than one event and still be undefeated this season. Will they do it? We'll see. Flower Mound HS - This group is one of the only groups ever to have won this event more than once, and not only that, but they've won it the past two years. Their show is incredibly engaging and they're definitely playing to win again this year. They lost to Hebron at Southlake, but the two Dallas schools have been very close this season, barely edging each other out at any given event. Will Flomo be the first school to three-peat SA? We'll find out this Saturday. Hebron HS - One of the best musical bands in the country, Hebron is having another strong year. They almost won Grand Nats in 2015 and many argue they should have. They've proven that their rich ensemble sound and difficult musical program put them in contention for that caption as well as the whole contest. Their show is entertaining, but not all the way through, and I feel that this may hurt them a bit in GE. I also don't think their visual book is quite strong enough for them to win it all, but don't count it out. Will Hebron become the seventh new band to win SA? Find out on Saturday! 5-9: These groups probably won't touch top 4, but this is the strongest "middle tier" we've seen in a while, if not ever, and depending on what happens one of these groups could break into the top. Leander HS - Leander has medaled at SA every time they've been since 2014 (and probably would have in 2015 had they gone), and they haven't backed down on anything since then. Their show is similar to past years but that's not a bad thing - they found a formula that worked and stuck with it. Leander has enjoyed success in BOA, including a top half of Grand Nats finals appearance last year. Will they be able to do something to set themselves apart from the incredibly strong middle pack? Come on down to the Alamodome this Saturday to find out. Marcus HS - Marcus is an older powerhouse that has fallen into the middle tier in recent years. They've won SA, but not very recently. They're looking to peak at Grand Nats this year, but a strong showing here will definitely show that they're ready to compete against the best of the best come Nats. How will they make their mark? We'll see on Saturday. Ronald Reagan HS - Reagan is another very strong group that will be at this competition this year. They've stolen captions and wins from Vandegrift, and proven that the two groups are neck and neck in the race. Which of the two will come out on top come Saturday? Find out this weekend! The Woodlands HS - Despite their 5th place showing at Conroe, TWHS is on track for a strong year. Them, along with many other Texas bands, are going to Grand Nats this year. TWHS has won SA and Nats as recently as 2013, and their incredible jump from Conroe to SA last year (leapfrogging CTJ and Reagan, and stealing GE from Flomo in prelims) proves that this unpredictable group can surprise us yet again. While they won't be aiming to peak at SA, they're going to want a strong showing here to prove that they can compete well in Indy. Will they pull a 2016? Come on downtown to the Alamodome and see for yourself! Vandegrift HS - This group has gotten two major regional wins in the past two years, winning Austin in 2016 and Conroe in 2017. At Conroe they were neck and neck with Reagan, pulling slightly ahead in both rounds of the competition. Later at the TMC, they were behind Reagan at an equally small margin. They've never been higher than 7th at finals of SA, and they're looking to change that this year. Will they pull it off? We shall see. Bubble: This is where things get a little sketchy. These groups will LIKELY be in finals, and could break into a higher tier with a strong performance, or fall out of finals with a weak performance. Cedar Park - They placed 5th at Grand Nats last year and 5th at Austin this year. They're no slackers to BOA contests, but it's a UIL State year for them, so they're definitely going for success there. Cedar Ridge - They surprised at Austin by beating many strong groups like Bowie and Churchill, and got 4th at Atlanta just yesterday. They're ready to prove that they can hold their own against the big dogs of Texas. Hendrickson - They made their first SA finals appearance last year and are thirsty for another one. While they haven't quite shown that they're up to last year's standards yet, it's still very possible that they break in again this year. James Bowie - They started their season with a 9th place finish at Austin, but surprised many by placing fourth at Conroe, above The Woodlands and a few groups who were ahead of them at Austin. They're ready to show that missing finals at Grand Nats last year was the exception, not the rule. Keller - Keller placed fifth at a very competitive Southlake regional. They are a group that is on the cusp of being in the next tier, and with the right showing they will definitely be in finals above groups we're not used to seeing them above. LD Bell - They missed finals last year, and it was a huge upset. However they're not going to let that get them down. Like Marcus, they've won SA before, just not recently. They managed to top (tie) Marcus in prelims of Southlake, but fell slightly behind them in finals. Either way, they're back this year and in it to make finals again and prove that last year was a fluke. Round Rock - They topped Leander to medal at Austin only to fall to 7th at Conroe. Which one was the fluke? They are headed to Grand Nats this year and a strong showing here can prove that they're not out for the count in Indy. Vista Ridge - They were 10th in Austin, but improved to 6th at Southlake even with a super duper early prelims performance time. They could certainly surprise and get into finals, especially if they add Siberian Huskies to their show. Winston Churchill - They're going to Grand Nats this year. Almost nobody expected them to make finals at SA last year, but they did it anyway, topping LD Bell and Cedar Ridge. While this isn't indicative of what will happen this year, it does prove that anything is possible when you bloom late. There are surely more groups that could make it, but these are the ones that came to mind for this year. My best guess?: 1. CTJ 2. Flomo 3. Avon 4. Hebron 5. Vandy 6. Reagan 7. TWHS 8. Leander 9. Marcus 10. LD Bell 11. Keller 12. Round Rock 13. Cedar Park 14. James Bowie Music: Hebron Visual: Avon GE: CTJ

I can't decide.

I predict that a band with jaguars as their mascot is going to bring home the gold medal.

1-2: Carmel/Flower Mound 3-4: Avon/Broken Arrow 5-8: Castle, Marcus, The Woodlands, Round Rock 9-12: Blue Springs, Homestead, Marian Catholic, Union Those are my tier predictions, though Round Rock could definitely be lower. I think people are too focused on their Conroe results, which isn't really fair considering they had some significant issues there that happened out of nowhere. They were 3rd in Austin, above Leander and Cedar Park, with a very short show. I think they'll peak at just the right time. Woodlands will either clean up great for SA/Nats or not be able to clean in time. We shall see. Homestead is another group with a TON of room to grow and I think they'll be in great shape come nats. My guess as to order? Something like this: 1. Flomo 2. Carmel 3. Broken Arrow 4. Avon 5. The Woodlands 6. Castle 7. Marcus 8. Round Rock 9. Homestead 10. Union 11. Blue Springs 12. Marian Catholic If it is Marian's year to miss finals (and I don't think it is, but if it is), then William Mason and O'Fallon Township are my next outs. Either of those could pop into finals with a great showing in semis OR of one of the lower possible finalists has a weaker run.

The spreads support as well. At Indy I'd say it says more about Castle improving than Avon or Carmel being worse, but a less than two point spread of Blue Springs and BA is telling imo

Wow, it was a night of low super regional scores I guess.

I think y'all are SEVERELY underestimating Tarpon. Regardless of what show they do they are an incredible group of a caliber met by very few around the nation. It would be very cool to see a Texas band win or even take a single caption from Tarpon. That's a group with consistent Grand National finals appearances and medals. It's possible but it's about as likely as Broken Arrow not winning St Louis tonight.

CTJ pulled a 90.2 last week at a less-than-stacked Midland regional, meanwhile Avon and Carmel are getting pretty similar numbers at a VERY competitive Indy Super. SA is going to be VERY interesting.