2023 WGI: The Slay All Day Thread

[Rubisco]

Friendswood got reclassed after week 6?! Ugh, that's rough. And pretty unexpected based on the early trajectory of their season. They were literally last place in finals in equipment at Houston.

And what happened to Jordan? I don't see them in the Open seeding anymore. Did they pull out of Dayton or successfully appeal their Open reclassification?

I thought NTCA was going to have their championships streamed on Flo, but that no longer appears to be the case. So, no streaming of either of the main Texas championships. That's disappointing. It doesn't look like TCGC is doing their typical double panel of judges, either. I only see 5 listed. Must be a cost-cutting year!

[stellamo]

33 minutes ago, Rubisco said:

Friendswood got reclassed after week 6?! Ugh, that's rough. And pretty unexpected based on the early trajectory of their season. They were literally last place in finals in equipment at Houston.

And what happened to Jordan? I don't see them in the Open seeding anymore. Did they pull out of Dayton or successfully appeal their Open reclassification?

I thought NTCA was going to have their championships streamed on Flo, but that no longer appears to be the case. So, no streaming of either of the main Texas championships. That's disappointing. It doesn't look like TCGC is doing their typical double panel of judges, either. I only see 5 listed. Must be a cost-cutting year!

I’m not surprised at all by their reclassification. I think it’s warranted. 
 

TCGC had to add a second day to the State weekend so unfortunately it looks like they are cutting costs to pay for Reed. 

[packwick]

1 hour ago, Rubisco said:

Friendswood got reclassed after week 6?! Ugh, that's rough. And pretty unexpected based on the early trajectory of their season. They were literally last place in finals in equipment at Houston.

And what happened to Jordan? I don't see them in the Open seeding anymore. Did they pull out of Dayton or successfully appeal their Open reclassification?

I thought NTCA was going to have their championships streamed on Flo, but that no longer appears to be the case. So, no streaming of either of the main Texas championships. That's disappointing. It doesn't look like TCGC is doing their typical double panel of judges, either. I only see 5 listed. Must be a cost-cutting year!

they only automatically review the top 2 As at each regional now instead of top 3. Friendswood got 5th at Houston and 3rd at Austin. post Dallas might be the first time the committee took a serious look at the show and they had i guess a different view about the equipment than the judges have had so far. tho Fwood did do well in that caption at Dallas. 2nd maybe?

[DFWSpinz]

Good news is that Texas is still well represented at the top of the A Class standings with Southlake Carroll 1st and Clear Brook 3rd!  But we all know it's anyone's game once they all get under the same roof.  Clear Brook and Southlake Carroll have already met once at the Dallas Regional.  Throw Noblesville, Dobyns Bennett and the others into the mix....it will be quite the match up.

[Parkwoodmom]

On 3/23/2023 at 9:34 PM, packwick said:

it's not a video of mine, it's available on YT.

i can send a link later. it's a Google drive w/ band videos going back to 1990. not much guard on it besides the 2 vids i was able to upload in Jan and the stuff in the twhs folder. my mother is a band and guard dvd hoarder but the drive is focused on band. she did give me her duplicates for wgi, which is like 7 DVDs i've never watched lol. let's see here, i have Volume 1 of the 2001 World Class championships, Volume 5 of Fans' 15 Favorites, 2004 Independent World Finals, 2006 Independent World Finals, 2008 Scholastic World Finals, 2009 Independent World Finals, and 2007 Independent World Finals. i feeeeel like all these are on YT already.

I think I prefer the term, “collector”!   🙂😛

[packwick]

schedules for Dayton have been posted.

https://www.wgi.org/color-guard/world-championships-cg/world-championships-schedules-cg/

no Jordan, must have withdrawn. that sux. twas hoping to see them end on a high note. i see Fwood in open, so def got reclassed. not diggin twhs' time slot in world. i thought they tried to evenly split up the top seeds??? maaaybe not. 4 of the top 5 in round 2. their nearest competition competes 3 hours after them. nooot ideal lol.

[Rubisco]

55 minutes ago, packwick said:

not diggin twhs' time slot in world. i thought they tried to evenly split up the top seeds??? maaaybe not. 4 of the top 5 in round 2. their nearest competition competes 3 hours after them. nooot ideal lol.

I'm curious how you think that particular group will play out. It seems like you've seen the most recent performances. The scores are very close this year in both World classes. When's the last time there was a tie at the top for both IW and SW? That might be a first.

Also, do you have an ETA on those videos? 😉🤤

[LeanderMomma]

17 hours ago, Parkwoodmom said:

I think I prefer the term, “collector”!   🙂😛

I can relate to that. 🤣

[LeanderMomma]

12 hours ago, packwick said:

no Jordan, must have withdrawn. that sux. twas hoping to see them end on a high note.

It definitely squashed their momentum being moved up a class when they were killing it in A. I was really wanting to see how they did in Worlds as such a young school and felt like they should have stayed in the A division but alas it was not meant to be. This is my huge gripe this season with all the classification changes. I’m not real happy about them deciding this late to move Friendswood up either. Wait until after WC, geez!  😡

[LeanderMomma]

22 hours ago, DFWSpinz said:

Good news is that Texas is still well represented at the top of the A Class standings with Southlake Carroll 1st and Clear Brook 3rd!  But we all know it's anyone's game once they all get under the same roof.  Clear Brook and Southlake Carroll have already met once at the Dallas Regional.  Throw Noblesville, Dobyns Bennett and the others into the mix....it will be quite the match up.

I’m more than a little excited about Dobyns Bennett, I’m not gonna lie. Clear Brook too. That show is phenomenal!

[LeanderMomma]

13 hours ago, packwick said:

not diggin twhs' time slot in world. i thought they tried to evenly split up the top seeds??? maaaybe not. 4 of the top 5 in round 2. their nearest competition competes 3 hours after them. nooot ideal lol.

TW ain’t diggin it either. I don’t understand why WGI would do it this way!  Put 1 and 4 in one grouping and put 2 & 3 in another!  Like the NCAA tournament. 😁 I hope TW goes in and obliterates everyone’s (outside of Texas) seemingly low expectations of them this year.  Go Woodlands!!!

[DFWSpinz]

4 hours ago, LeanderMomma said:

I’m more than a little excited about Dobyns Bennett, I’m not gonna lie. Clear Brook too. That show is phenomenal!

I'm all in on the DFW groups!  🙂   Southlake Carroll is beautiful this year, love the elegance of Burleson Centennial, love the soulfulness of Mt. Pleasant, Wylie is really making huge strides pushing to the end of the season, and Wylie East and Pine Tree shouldn't be counted out yet.  Coppell is a fan favorite in the Open division for sure...and Little Elm is amazing.  McKinney is really pushing hard going into the last 2 weeks with a truly emotional design.  And let's not forget all the really amazing independent groups making the trip from the DFW area as well.

But in the end...It's TEAM TEXAS!  Whether the teams are from North, South, East, or West Texas....we hope they all go up there and blow everyone's minds!  The Stars At Night....Are Big And Bright!!!!!

[packwick]

23 hours ago, Rubisco said:

I'm curious how you think that particular group will play out. It seems like you've seen the most recent performances. The scores are very close this year in both World classes. When's the last time there was a tie at the top for both IW and SW? That might be a first.

Also, do you have an ETA on those videos? 😉🤤

hmmm... im trained in DA and GE. i guess GE is better cause it counts for more, which is good cause i actually did assign scores last weekend lololol. based on best performances from last weekend, i.e. Carmel and Tarpon prelims > Carmel and Tarpon finals...

1st - Tarpon Springs Rep 94 (1) Perf 93 (1) - 93.5

2nd Carmel - Rep 92 (3) Perf 93 (1) - 92.5

3rd - The Woodlands - Rep 93 (2) Perf 91 (3) - 92.0

4th - Avon - Rep 90 (4) Perf 91 (3) - 90.5

5th - Miamisburg - Rep 88 (5) Perf 88 (5) - 88.0

nooot too far off from what actually happened.

Tarpon has a complete production. it's funny, my mom at KC was like, using live music seems cheap!, but for me it takes a certain attention to detail to line up that live soundtrack with the pre-recorded stuff. also it's not like anything is preventing the others from doing it too. plus you know those band members will also be judged on their movement lolol. overall enjoyable and well performed w/ good flow. in typical Tarpon style it doesn't move beyond the literal into the more figurative realm of poetry, but it accomplishes what it sets out to do.

Carmel, very clear logical staging, i think DA may put them comfortably over twhs. very clean performance, charming loungy character maintained throughout. uses one piece of music, flows well w/ nice builds. not especially imaginative, well maybe a little bit. overall kinda feels like a dance recital or something bc of the pure piano soundtrack. could be more emotionally satisfying.

twhs, most imaginative concept of the top 4, weirdest wtf soundtrack too, which i appreciate, cause i don't think i would have done it lololol. the show takes you different places emotionally, feels more like a full journey than a couple of the others. doesn't totally spell things out for u, except for the word at the end lol. transition into final mvmnt is jarring and poorly planned. general set design and aesthetic not the most appealing, but none of them are this year. amazing top to bottom skills depth but some rougher patches from an excellence perspective. lots of wow risk/difficulty moments. compelling staging in first movement, starts to lack clarity or maintain my interest deeper in.

Avon, fun James Bond concept, high energy, audience reaction should be great. i don't think it really does anything i haven't seen before tho, which is why i have rep at 90, along w/ some continuity issues w/ the pop song mashup. they shine more from a performance perspective bc of their excellence and the way they sell the Jane Bond character. there's neeever any question what they're going for. they inhabit their roles entirely. it's verrrry clear in that regard. staging, i kinda feel similar to twhs, not always very compelling. they're still not quite at their pre-pandemic level via skills but theyre gettin there.

Miamisburg, hmmm, very cute show from a smaller guard. clear staging, clean performance. set is imaginative, w/ the Venetian gondola, love the costuming. overall i don't think the performers are at the level of the 4 units above them, tho they have a small handful of girls at that level that they do a good job of showcasing. they move well.

will this b how it plays out? dunno, don't care. we'll see in 3 weeks.

i'll upload the guard vids this wknd. i have no energy after work to do anything but play on my phone.

[Rubisco]

@packwick Please check your DMs, when you get the chance! Thank you!

[packwick]

1 hour ago, Rubisco said:

@packwick Please check your DMs, when you get the chance! Thank you!

?????? 🎵 u keep tellin me to loosen up my buttons, but i ain't seen nothin 🎵

oooo, this came up w/ YT. i didn't know there was some Bring It On sh** happening in my backyard. twhs guard directors should poach the rejects. poach like you've never poached before! lolol

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lEsMBp0km5s&pp=ygUPV29vZGxhbmRzIGVsaXRl

oooo, or have this lady teach y'all some stunts. she seems like a real harda**. pretty soon all the guard members will be desperate for post-it notes.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=esfFF6vzryg&pp=ygUPV29vZGxhbmRzIGVsaXRl

[Rubisco]

My apologies. I got a bit distracted. 😄

Is anybody here going to be attending the NTCA or TCGC championships this weekend?

[WoodlandsMom4ever]

Just now, Rubisco said:

My apologies. I got a bit distracted. 😄

Is anybody here going to be attending the NTCA or TCGC championships this weekend?

I’ll be there with twhs.  But don’t know how much I’ll actually get to watch.  

[Michelle C.]

On 3/26/2023 at 12:34 AM, packwick said:

i kinda picked up on that too w/ Westlake dominating in open here in TX. kinda like kennesaw winning A and Open one right after the other in 04, 05. but that's a full yr of extra development for your guard, so.... but yeah, pdcms is exceptional w/ the same season score match. also makin me a liiiiittle more worried about the TX opens lol. a 3 yr middle school gonna slay a bunch more 4 yr high schools. at least the ones in TX can blame it on the 8 hr rule hahahaha.

There's no 8 hour rule in Texas during winter guard season. Just marching. There must be something in the water with Palm Desert

[Michelle C.]

On 3/29/2023 at 9:59 AM, LeanderMomma said:

I hope TW goes in and obliterates everyone’s (outside of Texas) seemingly low expectations of them this year

There is no low expectation for the woodlands. The show has a weird vibe, but everyone is rooting for them.

[packwick]

1 hour ago, Michelle C. said:

There's no 8 hour rule in Texas during winter guard season. Just marching. There must be something in the water with Palm Desert

hmmmm, no, this is incorrect, tho it wouldnt surprise me if some guard directors incorrectly think this. the 8 hour rule in fact extends to ALL extracurricular school activities in Texas throughout the year regardless of whether there's a UIL contest for it. see the first point here:

https://www.uiltexas.org/policy/tea-uil-side-by-side/limits-on-practice-and-performance#:~:text=For each extracurricular activity%2C a,school day per school week.

Cyndi also mentions it in her interview w/ WGI.

https://wgi.org/thewoodlandshsthedoorsareopen/

relevant section reads:

In typical times, the team rehearses two days a week after school. Texas’ rule for extracurriculars limits them: rehearsals can’t be longer than eight hours per week. But Cyndi says that in some ways, the limitation is a blessing. The staff must ensure their time is spent efficiently and their rehearsals are well planned. There isn’t a minute to waste, and rehearsals are run like clockwork. Cyndi says, “That’s all these kids have ever known, and they rise to the occasion.”

also even if it were only during the fall that's an entire semester of only 8 hours per week which is pretty significant. i for one think it's a perfectly legitimate excuse for not doing as well as u want lolol

[packwick]

1 hour ago, Michelle C. said:

There is no low expectation for the woodlands. The show has a weird vibe, but everyone is rooting for them.

i don't think so either. even for the ppl outside the state. they could end up anywhere in the top half and id be impressed at their consistency. doesn't typically/ever happen from a TX guard in scholastic world.

[packwick]

siiince we're on this topic and i was curious, and juuust to put things into perspective in case u think ur not working hard enough or whatever, next week Avon's world guard is rehearsing 17 hours. 3 hours Mon, 3 hours Tues, 3 hours Thurs, 8 hours on Saturday, more than TX guards do in two weeks, or at least the ones following the rules i guess lol

the more ya know!

[Rubisco]

This confused me for many years. I would always say, "Screw the 8 hour rule! Drop out of UIL!" But unfortunately, it's not that simple. It's a more general regulation from the TEA Commissioner of Education.

All in all, I do think a lot of educators probably appreciate the 8 hour rule, even if it's a competitive disadvantage. Just like it does for students, it prevents extracurricular rehearsals from totally consuming educators' lives!

[Michelle C.]

13 hours ago, packwick said:

even if it were only during the fall that's an entire semester of only 8 hours per week which is pretty significant. i for one think it's a perfectly legitimate excuse for not doing as well as u want lolol

I don't know if you want to use that rule as an excuse for not doing well. The woodlands has a feeder middle school so I would hope the kids were at least the open class level by high school. Cindy certainly has her pick to fill each of her high school guards.

Just curious is the woodlands a class guard going to WGI?

[packwick]

1 hour ago, Michelle C. said:

I don't know if you want to use that rule as an excuse for not doing well. The woodlands has a feeder middle school so I would hope the kids were at least the open class level by high school. Cindy certainly has her pick to fill each of her high school guards.

Just curious is the woodlands a class guard going to WGI?

sorry that comment wasn't meant to be specific to twhs who im not trying to specifically make excuses for, they don't need excuses, they have lots of advantages, but for all tx guards, sooome of which dont have feeders. those ones that don't are at a reeeal disadvantage esp since many of those out of state guards w/o rehearsal restrictions have them too. as for tw, if i wanted to make excuses for them, all the guards they compete against in world have middle school feeders too, mostly 6th-8th. miamisburg starts in elementary school. elementary school!!! bellbrook too! the little belles i think they call them. sooo cuuute. nooot sure how many actually make it to high school guard tho lol. miiight lose interest. also mcc is only 7th and 8th grade w/ the same rehearsal restrictions that affect all TX scholastics. also, open class by high school is verrrrry idealistic lol. that's why PDCMS is so remarkable, can't think of any other middle school at that level. yet mcc is still somehow obviously better than all of the feeder programs for the groups twhs competes against besides i guess palm desert hs who hasn't made a splash yet in sw for some reason. def mcc is the main the main reason for tw's recent success. it's why their top to bottom depth is 💪👀.

i have no current connection to the program but my guess is twhs doesn't take their A to Dayton bc it's a huge hassle cause they have like a bajillion members. kinda makes the staging look blandly bulky, too many bodies, was complaining about that to my mom lolol. they could prooobably push that guard into open if they really wanted to. they did beat Jordan overall and in equipment just after Jordan had been reclasssed to open but was still competing in A. might be an outlier result tho.