Storyline/Prediction

[LHSax]

The marching pads are finally active again and the horrible tan lines have begun! Marching season is back and it's time to get some fun discussion rolling on these boards. So here's what I'm proposing - post one (or more) storyline(s) you're excited to follow this season, and add a bold prediction. 

 

For example-

 

Storyline - As always I'm excited to follow what might be the final epic chapter (for now) of the Leander ISD blood bath. After this year these bands will likely divide into different classes, and the opening of a new school will once again take a little toll on these schools. But this year, these bands will be fully stocked and loaded, and I think will be better than ever! The Vandy/CP/Leander/Vista showdown will have many chapters this year, meeting at least 3 times (BOA Austin, Texas Marching Classic, Area) before the final rounds in San Antonio. Will there even be enough room for all these bands to advance to state? I sure hope so. I wouldn't be surprised to see a different band end up on top at each meeting. 

 

Prediction - Leander ISD will get it's 3rd straight 5A (4A) title (maybe not so bold), but it won't be from a band that got the district the last two. 

[principalagent]

Here are a couple I'm thinking.

 

Storylines:

 

Return to old design staff - Reagan and LD Bell, while still great, aren't what they were last decade after a few director and design team changes. Returning to Guidry and Cartwright, respectively, may help bump both schools both were. This is something worth watching.

 

Changing of the Guard - Neither Marcus nor Bell medaled for the second year in a row at BOA San Antonio, and the competition had a new champion from a relatively new school. TWHS also didn't medal after winning Grand Nationals the year before. Another strong year by schools like Leander, Hebron, Flower Mound, Vandegrift, and CTJ could continue this trend. (Subplot - Bowie's consistency through this changing).

 

Predictions (pretty safe for now):

 

- BOA Austin and San Antonio have new champions

- All 5A LISD bands advance to finals in all events attended

- Furthermore, Area D sweeps medals again at 5A State

- The Austin area will again have the plurality of BOA San Antonio finalists, if not a majority, including at least one medalist

- A 2A band will make San Antonio Finals for the first time

- Hebron and TWHS flip spots between San Antonio and Grand Nationals

- Texas has two new Grand National finalists.

- Both returning finalists will make it again, yet won't place as high as 2013.

- A Grand National Finalist from a recent year will miss San Antonio finals.

[HighSchoolBandNerd212]

Storylines:

- Like Ronald Reagan and (to a lesser extent) L. D. Bell, it remains to be seen how Cedar Ridge and Westlake will rebound this season after having to undergo director changes.

- How competitive will the middle pack at BOA San Antonio be in the future? It seems like the section of bands that are within ~5-10 points of the last finalist band (basically, any bands that have the slightest chance of being a finalist) has grown and become more competitive over the past couple of years. What I'm really asking is how much more competitive can San Antonio get in the future. In ways both good and bad, that thought is scary.

 

Predictions:

- BOA Austin will become even more like a mini BOA San Antonio in terms of competitiveness*

- Case in point: Westwood, who got 13th at last year's UIL 6A State Contest, will be a bubble band for BOA Austin, but will make finals at BOA Conroe and BOA Atlanta.

- L. D. Bell, Winston Churchill, and Cypress Falls will also make finals at BOA Atlanta. Clements will be a possible dark horse for finals.

 

*On a side note, this year's lineup for BOA Arlington is probably more stacked than the lineup for Austin, possibly making Arlington another mini San Antonio.

[knoxisawesome348]

Storylines:

 

I think the 3 Lewisville ISD schools will be scoring closer together more than last year. Marcus and Hebron were already pretty close but I can see Flower Mound threatening their monopoly on gold and silver at BOA Arlington. I think there will be some flip flopping.

 

 

I think Round Rock's trajectory will be interesting to watch. I feel like the past two years they've done exceptionally well at BOA Austin but then kind of stagnate by the time San Antonio rolls around. And of course in 2013's case, they jumped ahead a crazy amount in quality for grand nats. I'm wondering if this trend will be the same for next year, or the new varsity band structure will help (or possibly hurt) them.

 

Predictions:

- Flower Mound beats either Hebron or Marcus in a BOA preliminary round

- The best shows come from bands not attending Grand Nats

- 2 Lewisville ISD schools medal in SA prelims, but none medal in finals

- Johnson and Leander have the 2 best designs of the year

- Bowie's show is lackluster, but performed to near perfection

- Hebron dominates in music and music GE at GN, but is bottom half for visual and visual GE

- One Keller ISD school comes in 12th at nats, but the other in unlucky 13th

- Cedar Ridge misses one BOA finals but makes it at another

- Reagan and Bell both take medals home from.... somewhere

[takigan]

Storyline - Seeing just how far CTJ will go before they ultimately peak.  Maybe this year they'll caption-sweep.

2008 - BOA San Antonio (29th)
2009 - BOA San Antonio (23rd)
2010 - BOA San Antonio (10th)
2011 - BOA San Antonio (5th)
2012 - BOA San Antonio (4th)
2013 - BOA San Antonio (4th + prelims GE caption)
2014 - BOA San Antonio (Champion + Vis & GE captions)
2015 - ?????????