Samuel Culper Posted October 26, 2015 Posted October 26, 2015 Has anybody looked at the schedule? There are 31 slots and due to the fact that they are holding the 1A contest the same day, Finals don't even start until 10:00. Holy crap that is a late night.
Robert_Jordan Posted October 26, 2015 Posted October 26, 2015 I hope that's some sort of type-o. Finals at 10:00 on weeknight? Shame on UIL if true... Parkwoodmom 1
principalagent Posted October 26, 2015 Posted October 26, 2015 I really believe they should have moved either 1A or 2A to the 4A/6A year. But for now, they only have two days to do four conferences. This was the only option, it seems.
Samuel Culper Posted October 26, 2015 Author Posted October 26, 2015 Oh, it's not a typo. Go to the UIL state marching page and they have posted the prelims schedule with all of the 1A bands assignrd times, as well as the 5A bands that had Area on Saturday. And yeah, 1A should be held the same day as 4A, not 5A.
principalagent Posted October 26, 2015 Posted October 26, 2015 However, I think it's fantastic that they're putting 1A prelims and finals in the middle of it all to ensure that they have an audience to perform to. I'm sure it'll be the largest crowd many of those kids have ever played for. And these kids 1) attend extremely small schools in less wealthy rural areas and 2) are very far away from San Antonio, generally, which means that parents can't come as easily and create large cheering sections. Since 5A will likely be pretty well attended, especially for finals, that'll be an awesome experience for them.
Samuel Culper Posted October 26, 2015 Author Posted October 26, 2015 22 bands in 4A last year vs 31 in 5A this year. That's a 2 1/2 hour difference. Just dumb.
TX_Band Posted October 26, 2015 Posted October 26, 2015 I'm sorry but that schedule is the stupidest thing I've seen in years. Breaking up prelims for the 5A class like that is really dumb. Start them at 7AM fine but do all of 5A and then start 1A. Dumb...dumb....dumb.... TigerFluteMom and Parkwoodmom 2
LKendrick Posted October 26, 2015 Posted October 26, 2015 That's really odd, you're basically stopping your judging for 5A, resetting your mind/standards/ect. for 1A, and then having to go back to 5A. I really am not a fan of that myself, it's almost like there's three competitions. Parkwoodmom 1
TX_Band Posted October 28, 2015 Posted October 28, 2015 And UIL just proves again how far behind the curve they are when it comes to this activity. Unreal..... Parkwoodmom 1
Robert_Jordan Posted October 28, 2015 Posted October 28, 2015 5A predicted results at or around midnight. Kids returning home at 3 - 4 AM. School night / work day (or night) for parents. Sheesh. Time to find a UIL contact and voice some complaints. Parkwoodmom 1
Samuel Culper Posted October 28, 2015 Author Posted October 28, 2015 Results will be more like 1am. If they go through Finals without a break, the last band will perform at 12:15.
Mash Posted October 28, 2015 Posted October 28, 2015 Yeah it is true and also insane. They kids pay the penalty on this for potentially playing their performance after midnight. I can't imagine that is beneficial for them performing their best when it really counts. Parkwoodmom 1
Samuel Culper Posted October 28, 2015 Author Posted October 28, 2015 I don't kust want to complain. I want somebody to amswer for why they thought this was a good idea to begin with. Why not do this on the 4A day?
Popular Post LHSax Posted October 28, 2015 Popular Post Posted October 28, 2015 While it creates some issues, I'm gonna play devils advocate here and agree with PA...this was obviously a move to allow for those 1A schools to get a chance to perform in front of a substantial crowd, and I honestly think it's a pretty admirable move if this is the case. Logistics wise, yeah, its causes some weird obstacles, but as PA mentioned, this will likely give these schools a chance to play for a crowd 10 times larger than what they've seen before. UIL will get some upset parents over this move...but I say kudos for understanding that the whole point of UIL is to give schools of all sizes a platform to create memorable/once in a lifetime experiences, and I think this does that. Xenon, BlackJesus and principalagent 3
Parkwoodmom Posted October 28, 2015 Posted October 28, 2015 Results will be more like 1am. If they go through Finals without a break, the last band will perform at 12:15. NOT fair to the kids at all!!!! Cannot imagine that the band directors like this.......it's for the state title for crying out loud!! Robert_Jordan 1
Robert_Jordan Posted October 28, 2015 Posted October 28, 2015 While it creates some issues, I'm gonna play devils advocate here and agree with PA...this was obviously a move to allow for those 1A schools to get a chance to perform in front of a substantial crowd, and I honestly think it's a pretty admirable move if this is the case. Logistics wise, yeah, its causes some weird obstacles, but as PA mentioned, this will likely give these schools a chance to play for a crowd 10 times larger than what they've seen before. UIL will get some upset parents over this move...but I say kudos for understanding that the whole point of UIL is to give schools of all sizes a platform to create memorable/once in a lifetime experiences, and I think this does that. I think it's going to be very neat for the 1A guys to get to perform for the big crowds and in the big dome. Totally awesome and I'm happy for them! But why not schedule this on a weekend? This is gonna be rough on kids and their parents. School getting missed, getting bogged down in school work and home work, and parents having to miss work. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise being an alternate. I know I'm going to miss a good one! Parkwoodmom 1
Popular Post principalagent Posted October 28, 2015 Popular Post Posted October 28, 2015 So here's the deal. UIL is doing their best to give kids who do not have the resources and the attention that 5A/6A and even 4A programs have an amazing experience. While I agree that maybe the 5A day wasn't the best day and they could have moved it to the 4A day next year, that wouldn't solve the problem because 4A is now advancing ~25 bands to state, and that number is going to increase as well, considering that we're having another alignment which may add an Area to 4A, along with general inflation of scores. The only difference there is that significantly fewer people care about 4A than the bigger classes. I can honestly say that I truly don't believe that this would have the same vitriolic response on this board if this only concerned 2A-4A's schedule (yellowboard is a different story on this, although they aren't too happy with the current situation either; I do understand that this is an issue of demographics that frequent each board). While this does disadvantage 5A schools and their students in not particularly great ways, we do have to understand that this was likely to happen anyway. As mentioned earlier, 6A finals ran pretty late last year as well, and that's probably going to get worse across all the classes. While we could find another stadium in theory, no other stadiums are as central, large, indoors and acoustically sound as the AlamoDome. It would also be unfair to offer 1A-3A or 4A finals in a smaller stadium and only let the larger two or three classes have access to the AlamoDome. So the only real option here is to limit the number of schools that advance to Area, and to State as well. Which, looking at this year's Area D thread, is not a popular option. Increasing State by another day won't help the problem either, as that will just cause more disruption in school schedules, another issue brought up in this thread. Weekends are also difficult because of the cost of the AlamoDome to rent - also remember that it's a college football team's home stadium. Additionally, Sunday isn't really an option as a competition day in Texas, forcing UIL to find two or three different weekends to hold State. Bottom line is, there aren't really any more options, and while it is kind of a scheduling disaster, this is simply the fairest situation for all bands involved. Someone is going to get some kind of shaft. But honestly, I don't think what time finals is held will stop the best band from winning, and I'm sure all the performers will enjoy the experience of the competition all the same, even if they're a bit tired. Hard Core Band Fan, Xenon and BlackJesus 3
Robert_Jordan Posted October 28, 2015 Posted October 28, 2015 So here's the deal. UIL is doing their best to give kids who do not have the resources and the attention that 5A/6A and even 4A programs have an amazing experience. While I agree that maybe the 5A day wasn't the best day and they could have moved it to the 4A day next year, that wouldn't solve the problem because 4A is now advancing ~25 bands to state, and that number is going to increase as well, considering that we're having another alignment which may add an Area to 4A, along with general inflation of scores. The only difference there is that significantly fewer people care about 4A than the bigger classes. I can honestly say that I truly don't believe that this would have the same vitriolic response on this board if this only concerned 2A-4A's schedule (yellowboard is a different story on this, although they aren't too happy with the current situation either; I do understand that this is an issue of demographics that frequent each board). While this does disadvantage 5A schools and their students in not particularly great ways, we do have to understand that this was likely to happen anyway. As mentioned earlier, 6A finals ran pretty late last year as well, and that's probably going to get worse across all the classes. While we could find another stadium in theory, no other stadiums are as central, large, indoors and acoustically sound as the AlamoDome. It would also be unfair to offer 1A-3A or 4A finals in a smaller stadium and only let the larger two or three classes have access to the AlamoDome. So the only real option here is to limit the number of schools that advance to Area, and to State as well. Which, looking at this year's Area D thread, is not a popular option. Increasing State by another day won't help the problem either, as that will just cause more disruption in school schedules, another issue brought up in this thread. Weekends are also difficult because of the cost of the AlamoDome to rent - also remember that it's a college football team's home stadium. Additionally, Sunday isn't really an option as a competition day in Texas, forcing UIL to find two or three different weekends to hold State. Bottom line is, there aren't really any more options, and while it is kind of a scheduling disaster, this is simply the fairest situation for all bands involved. Someone is going to get some kind of shaft. But honestly, I don't think what time finals is held will stop the best band from winning, and I'm sure all the performers will enjoy the experience of the competition all the same, even if they're a bit tired. Hi PA I don't think anything has gotten totally vitriolic yet. I think the biggest deal with this is the date. If this weren't a week day, it wouldn't be as big of a deal. Make this a Friday or Saturday and I think the problem is (mostly) solved. Kids don't have to miss but one day of school. Far fewer parents have to make work arrangements and more people could attend. Parkwoodmom and LHSax 2
Hard Core Band Fan Posted October 28, 2015 Posted October 28, 2015 Well, I remember when all classes had state contest every year in Austin. Each class would have their prelims at a separate stadium, so you'd have to choose which one you wanted to watch. I typically watched the 5A's at Burger Center in South Austin. The finals for all classes were held at UT Stadium. There were around 5 bands per class in the finals and it was nice to be able to watch the best of all the classes perform. If I remember right, 1990 was the last year that all classes went every year and Bowie had just been established in 1988. This was before many of the current top bands were even opened, like Hebron (1999), The Woodlands (1996), Reagan (1999), CTJ (2008), Cedar Park (1998), Vandegrift (2009), Vista Ridge (2003), Cedar Ridge (2010), Flower Mound (1999), and Hendrickson (2003) to name a few. This too was a very long day, but you got to see all classes perform in the finals, which I do miss. Parkwoodmom and LHSax 2
Samuel Culper Posted October 28, 2015 Author Posted October 28, 2015 Just for comparison's sake, the population of Texas circa 1990 vs today is roughly 17 million vs 27 million.
Popular Post bandparent99 Posted October 28, 2015 Popular Post Posted October 28, 2015 This shows and amazing lack of judgment by the UIL. First, lets look at safety. The last band will play at 12:45am. Announcements will come around 1:15 - 1:30am. Both are if the day stays on time. At around 2am, busses and trucks will be leaving the Alamodome. We will have bus drivers exhausted from sitting around all day, we will have truck driver (mostly volunteers) that will be weary from the long day, and will have parents and grandparents and fans - many with kids, driving home at 2am after cheering on the deserving bands. The schools within 100 miles are likely not staying overnight so this is a massive amount of bands, fans and families put in a very unsafe predicament. Granted travel risks are real at any time, but are compounded in the early morning hours. Second, think about the fans that would come with this schedule. Lets say a HS kid from BandX wants to come to watch their band perform. On a school night? 12:45 - Never. What about an eldery grandparent that tires easily - they will not come for the late show. Finally, what about the working parent, especially single parent, and especially the single parent with kids at home that has work at 8am the next morning. Will they be able to attend when they arrive at home 4am. Or will they choose to miss their childs biggest performance of the year. My guess is all these groups will be affected. Third, what about the performance implications. Look at the morning bands, some undoubtedly will be driving in Tuesday morning leaving there home schools at 5:00am. They won't return to their home until 3, 4 or 5 am the next morning. The UIL has an 8hour a week practice limit, yet has 23 hour a day expectation on the kids. The kids will be exhausted. Their performances will suffer. Options - If you read the website, the UIL offers no apology. At least give us the indication that you have thought of options. The reality is that any sort of planning would have avoided this but lets look at options. Most obvious is that Parents and fans pay $30 a piece for tickets, are you suggesting that the dome couldnt be secured for another day? Second, what about preliminaries for 1A or even 5A at an outdoor stadium in the SA area. Or alternatively, the 1A bands have only 13 bands so in the interest of time, the adjudicators could be asked to judge on a one-round only. This would free up two hours. The 1A bands could go from 5 - 8 so they get prime time, and the 5a finals roll right after. The disappointment in the UILs leadership is profound. They need to react before the temporary schedule becomes final. If the schedule stands, band parents need to seek out the UIL representatives at the dome and be heard. Robert_Jordan, Texas is awesome and Parkwoodmom 3
Hard Core Band Fan Posted October 28, 2015 Posted October 28, 2015 Just for comparison's sake, the population of Texas circa 1990 vs today is roughly 17 million vs 27 million. Yep. It would be crazy to try to do the same now. Imagine reducing the 5A or 6A finals to 5 participants for the finals. That would be insane!
DFWBandGeek Posted October 28, 2015 Posted October 28, 2015 Bands marched last weekend at the Cowboy Stadium. They were very positive about the experience. Maybe having state marching in Jerry's world is great idea! As for 1A students getting a larger audience. I would be SHOCKED if 5A parents and directors stay for any of that competition. They will go out to eat, back to hotel rooms, etc... I think that is a pipe dream.
Samuel Culper Posted October 28, 2015 Author Posted October 28, 2015 What difference would holding the competition at Jerry World make?
elemur Posted October 28, 2015 Posted October 28, 2015 Count me as one who thinks this timing would be a horrible decision for so many reasons (safety as mentioned above, bands exhausted for the final performance, missed school the next day, lower attendance for finals from out-of-towners, etc). The first and easiest solution I can see would be to eliminate approximately one hour or more (from 7:30PM to 8:45PM) between announcing the 5A Finalists and the beginning of the 1A Finals. No reason not to compress the schedule where possible to make this work. I know the UIL objection would be that they are counting on the additional revenue for Finals Ticket Sales and need to clear the stadium before finals, but since they are trying to fit this all into one day, they need to consider any and all options to end this thing before midnight (and as they say, they are trying to minimize loss of school time and travel costs). I don't think they will use the same judges for 1A and 5A, so judges breaks shouldn't be an issue. Robert_Jordan 1
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