longhornsax

3rd through 6th...yikes! Congrats to Marcus, Hebron and Bell! Wish I could've been there to see it. Gotta say, really happy for Hebron. They've come such a long way after jumping on to the scene with that classic DDR show. That was the show that made me realize how amazing this activity can be! Huge strides for them this year! Also really happy for Bell. I think a lot of people jumped off ship due to their lower than Bell standard of this years results, but it's good to see their risk in difficulty really paid off in the end. I'm thinking they'll be back on top in the very near future.

I will perhaps ignorantly and optimistically say that I think a regional in this area would easily attract 20 bands and i think stand a good chance at getting close to that 30 cap, particularly if it were at the same site as the area contest. I think many of the Austin area bands would jump at the chance for a short trip to a large (big name) contest. And lets just admit it, who wouldn't love seeing a majority of the top bands in the area duke it out in the palace...It would be like a 4A/5A Area D contest (plus those brave enough to jump in from elsewhere). Who wouldn't wanna be involved in that? I understand that many bands hesitate monetarily, but I think it would be a great opportunity for many bands in this quickly growing region. Do i have the statistical evidence to back that up? No, but I can dream can't I?

There are plenty of great new stadiums in CenTex, but I agree that I'm not sure if any of them have the capacity to host the large volume of bands a central texas regional would attract. I could see this regional getting 45+ bands, and that's hard for any venue in any region to host (which is why we love the Alamodome so much!) I would like to be optimistic and assume that the Palace could somehow logistically work out fitting these bands in if the opportunity presented itself. Heck let's just find a way to put it in DKR (trust me, I know the many flaws in that...but think of how cool it could be!!) But I am really intrigued by the CenTex regional idea, and would love to pretty much have a mini-super regional here.

I was wondering when we'd see the "reputation" card pulled. Afraid to to say that playing that card here is really against your point, as Round Rock is hardly a band with no reputation. They've been an iconic band in this area for a very long time. If anything, the fact that Round Rock didn't make finals is a testament to the fact that this contest doesn't use "reputation" in their judging rubric.

Brace yourselves...a wave of debate is coming. Not only the surprising lack of round rock, but also, what happened to Anderson? Thought they were on their way to a great season (not that this negates that!) But before that debate goes down, congratz to the advancing bands! Area D will be well represented!

My prediction - Prelims will have a mess of scores, as they should when there are this many high caliber bands, but people will complain about the system anyway...Finals will work things out, people will still complain about the score discrepancy some more, even though the right bands will be advancing.

yikes....so close to 7 too. Kind of a bummer since I'm pretty confident that 9-10 of these bands would be very competitive at state.

Has this ever happened? I think it's a relatively newer rule, but has it been used yet?

Bowie had arguably one of its best seasons in its long history last year...in my opinion they had a show that would have been top 3 at UIL state last year, if not the winning show. I think they're at the top of their game right now, and while history isn't everything, it's about all we got to go off of for these predictions (that mean pretty much nothing in the end). I think both Bowie and CTJ will be in the hunt for top 5 at state this year though. And Cedar Park, not a powerhouse?? A Grand Nat finalist and a state championship in the couple of years and they aren't a powerhouse? Do I like their shows now as much now as I did the 07/08 shows? No, but the level of achievement they reach with a band their size and the old school approach they take (none of the flashy props or story lines)...they're a powerhouse in my book.

I completely agree with this. Westlake doesn't compete much before UIL gets going...if at all. And they really don't need to. They have a system that just flat out works, and I don't see them changing that until something goes wrong. Are they flashy? No. They rarely stand out as the most entertaining band in this area...are they good? Heck yeah. They know their strengths and they play to them.

I don't think anyone is counting out Lake Travis, but the fact that they were 5th among bands that they are competing with at area at that contest, with really just a handful of those potential finalists at the contest, there is reason for doubt. Of course it's just one contest with a very different rubric for judging, but it's very hard to consider them a lock by any means. I do love the show though!

In 2008 The Woodlands was disqualified after area for what I think was an ineligible marcher? However, the decision in actually disqualifying them took a few days, meaning North Shore (the alternate) had an unbelievably short amount of time to plan that trip. It's exciting, but I can't imagine how stressful that must have been...

Ah yes, classic Area D. It seems every time a few bands drop down to 4A, only to be replaced by even better upcoming schools. I honestly don't think there are many locks in this contest, especially considering the lack of head to head results between the schools. So i'm just gonna do in order of my confidence of advancing Bowie CTJ Round Rock Reagan Westlake (when was the last time they missed state??) Cedar Ridge Anderson Churchill (how can everyone forget Churchill?) Hendrickson Lake Travis (not as hot as last year, but still a strong program) Pflugerville What a mess...yeah, that was 11 bands...so what?

What??? No area D talk yet? I would start that conversation, but I'm not even fully sure of who is 5A this year in Area D, so I'll let someone else start that discussion.

Agreed! Pure genius!

I wouldn't say either Vandegrift or Cedar Ridge were necessarily obscure...i mean that in a sense they didn't necessarily come out of no where. Both are really new schools and had a strong base to really be great bands when they grew up. The parallels are there, but to me the difference in Cedar Ridge's development is the shear size of their band. Vandegrift performed well in Houston, placing highly, and then I think barely missed BOA Finals. Cedar Ridge takes a very similar course, but I think they're size will help them slip into finals at SA. Of course, I haven't even seen the show, so that's total speculation, but we'll see

Anyone know the full rundown of scores?

I'm usually the one who does this contest, but unfortunately I was in Dallas witnessing what was supposed to be a good football game. That said, any updates?

You sure Connally is 220? I find that pretty hard to believe...?

Gotta admit, I knew Cedar Ridge was gonna be good in the future, especially after seeing them at area last year, but I didn't know they were gonna be this good, this soon...Watch out for this band.

My list of finalists and potential finalists is pretty much identical...we could see a few surprises here and there, but that list should hold pretty true. And I'm in no way saying Anderson can't knock off RR. If anyone has a chance, it is them. This will be a pretty big measuring stick for Lake Travis in seeing if they can keep up with the big boys in 5A (my bet is they can do it).

Looks like a slightly smaller lineup than usual...Missing a few of the regulars (Bowie, Akins, Leander), but overall it looks like the usual suspects. Don't think there will be much competition for Round Rock at the top, but the middle might be a little bit of a mess. Especially interested to see what Lake Travis has for us after their breakout season last year. I don't expect them to let up at all. And O'Connor has really come on strong recently at this contest, and a weaker schedule will allow them to compete near the top. This should also be a good chance to have a few new finalists at this competition.

I disagree actually. I like cedar park's show a lot actually, especially the visual package, maybe even more than last year. I think theyll continue to be dangerous this year.

Debate aside, I'm really glad we have both systems...I don't prefer one over the other, I simply enjoy the fact that we get the opportunity to witness even MORE marching band each year, and I think the kids enjoy more chances to compete. Differences aside, I think they both have their merit and flaws, but I enjoy keeping up with both. I hope neither gets faded out because I think the combination of the two make competition season pretty exciting.

yikes You would think that they would avoid that...being in the same district and all. Lots of intriguing shows this year. Should be really crowded towards the top. Really curious to see what Bowie does with all the momentum it has going for it. Is it competition season yet??!?