drummerjoe

Well it's a big deal.

I don't know if we should consider Spring a dark horse, but there will be more than one unexpected school slipping their way into finals.

Haha chill, it's a joke.

UIL judges have always been the most inconsistent. Here's a list of the judges from Area D contest. Richard Herrera, Brandeis HS Kathy Johnson, Argyle HS Andy Sealy, Hebron HS Keith Bearden, Lubbock Rob Toups, Canton HS

And that's why CP got 7th at Area D prelims. Alright I will. ROUND ROCK WILL DOMINATE MARCUS.

My bad, let me fix that 4A Prelims - November 8th 9:30 Cedar Park HS 9:30 Cedar Park HS 9:30 Cedar Park HS 9:30 Cedar Park HS 9:30 Cedar Park HS 9:30 Cedar Park HS 9:30 Cedar Park HS 9:30 Cedar Park HS 9:30 Cedar Park HS 9:30 Cedar Park HS 9:30 Cedar Park HS 9:30 Cedar Park HS 9:30 Cedar Park HS 9:30 Cedar Park HS 9:30 Cedar Park HS 9:30 Cedar Park HS 9:30 Cedar Park HS 9:30 Cedar Park HS 9:30 Cedar Park HS 9:30 Cedar Park HS 9:30 Cedar Park HS 9:30 Cedar Park HS 9:30 Cedar Park HS 11:00 Dripping Springs HS

Nope, Round Rock CP = Lock.

Bold = my top picks.

Does anyone have the Oregon State marching championships results? Or how about Tennessee?

I'm pretty sure it'd come as a shock if Haltom was in the top 4 (really, it's only the top 4 on lock IMO). It'd be a shock if my school, Round Rock, was in the top 4 too. Haltom has done well this season and so has Round Rock, but neither school truly has the chance to do that well in a competition this big. And yes there are 14 bands in finals. That's why there is a bubble list instead of a just a list of the elite four and then a list of participants. The bubble list is the group that has the possibility to get the last 10 spots for finals.

I completely agree with you, except for one point: I don't believe Poteet could win Area D. If I am correct, you have to first be in Area D in order to win that competition

I see what you're saying with the step down from lock to bubble, but I still wouldn't consider it an insult. Being on either of those lists is just a way of saying "There are some good things happening at X high school." The difference between the two lists are essentially "They've always been good" and "They have been alright, but have really stepped it up this year." Also, being called a "lock" isn't some term of endearment, and is not the equivalent of "I'm proud of you." It's simply a way for people like the ones on this website to predict who they think will win the competition. It's what we enjoy doing. It's not specific to marching band, everybody predicts the outcomes of competitions. For example, when you fill out a march madness bracket, you are essentially doing the same thing as picking "locks" and "bubbles". They do recognize everyone who attended; they call out the names of all participating bands. But essentially, that's just getting you a participation ribbon. In a lot of modern band programs, the goal isn't to just have fun or something cheesy like that. The goal is to win competitions. If you think that your favorite band is a lock rather than a bubble, tell them to prove it on the field. If they make top 5 or so, then sorry, everyone on this website is wrong. But from what we've seen, the only true locks are the four elite bands this season: Marcus, Bell, Bowie and The Woodlands. And yes, it is alright to consider past seasons for those bands because they've have always been good, and haven't had major staffing changes (with the exception of Bowie's head director tragedy, but they've proven that they can perform well in his memory). If Haltom proves that they are a true force in the band world, then next year you will see them on the list of "locks". But as of right now, they are only a bubble, which isn't even an insult, it's a compliment.

AANNNDD Music of course goes to a Texas school.

I hear Pflugerville has lost a lot of good players, and after hearing them two nights ago at a football game, I'm not sure if they'll do well. As for SS1, CP definitely has a great program and they are gonna be the part of the biggest competition. RR has some insane music that most schools don't even attempt, but it really comes down to if they can play it themselves. Martin did well last year: they were trashed by one judge and ended up with a lower placing than they deserved. Two judges gave them first in ALL categories. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I heard Plano East won PdlC, so they must be good this year. Their music is never too terrible difficult, but they play it piss clean which is why they always do well. Oak Ridge moved up from SS2 Silver, so I really don't know much about them. As for marching, I think you have a good guess with Flower Mound. I don't really know much about those schools considering I'm from Central Texas, and have never actually seen any of them perform, but I've heard great things about all of them.

All I know about Area G is that Calallen got first and is advancing to state.

Yep, UIL judges are being UIL judges. Cedar Park got 7th in prelims, that's unheard of. And for them not to get first is odd. I congratulate Dripping Springs, but am very surprised with the results. They must have really stepped up their game.

Bam. But I guess it wasn't really a hard one to guess.

I'd say "bubbling" someone is a compliment considering how many of the schools attending aren't on either of those lists.

That's pretty sick. Cedar Park is a really great band, and playing some sick notes like that is incredibly impressive. Oh wait, I'm from Round Rock, I'm supposed to trash talk CP. Uhh, they suck and stuff.

I get what you're saying, but it becomes the difference between good and bad as defined by our society. Compliments are considered good and criticism is considered bad, and that's just the way it is. You could always try the sandwich technique, but I don't think any positive comments would really off set the magnitude of "Your band is declining, you suck."

You statement about ignoring the other good bands is untrue. There has been much talk about the "bubble" bands at BOA specifically, and talk about other contests as well. While the big name bands receive a majority of the talk (specifically Bowie this year, might wanna add that to your URL) the smaller bands receive a fair share as well. Plus, why does it matter if the big name bands are discussed more? That happens in most types of competition. People don't discuss Pioneer's show, just as people aren't talking about any baseball teams other than St. Louis and Texas. The bigger bands are more exciting to discuss. Nobody is interested in the debate over who's gonna get last. I agree that your discussion of the decline of Churchill is acceptable and valid, but to mention it where someone from that school can read it would actually be considered rude. It'd be similar to telling the head of Crossmen D&B that they have declined since the 90s and now they suck. They still try just as hard as the other corps, which deserves respect, but any speculation about how well there program is doing is best left for the judges, or for conversations without the corps members. And I understand that you weren't talking to the Churchill member directly, but you posted it on THE INTERNET, where nearly everything is available to everyone. Feel free to use the argument that I have just offended everyone in Crossmen or Pioneer, it doesn't bother me. Previously I would have assumed that someone calling you rude wouldn't have bothered you, but this past argument proves otherwise. And the fact that you changed it all to smiley faces and I had to read it from other people quoting you. Nice move.

Yea, me either. Have you seen their show this year? It's truly incredible.

Well that's not necessarily a bad thing. It means that the students have to work harder for a spot and end up being more skilled marchers, while some other schools have to put less experienced marchers on the field just to actually have a large field presence.

He's a troll, he's trolling. And he's already graduated.

It's really a loss not seeing CP in person, they have an incredible sound.