Well here we are! After a smoky beginning, and a bout with San Antonio’s revenge, our men are in Indy for the 2023 DCI World Championships, coming off three great shows in Allentown, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati.
I like to clear my head in the “dead period” between last show and prelims, and attempt to look at the whole slate of Drum Corps and make a “head” prediction of how with hootenany is gong to turn out. My “heart” prediction has us running up to 6th.
But I’m going to do this differently this year. I’m not going to predict other scores or placements. I’m not going to predict OUR placement.
I’m going to predict our score on Saturday night.
93.25
And after what we experienced in Spring Training and post- San Antonio, that’s a quite remarkable recovery from both.
I don’t know where that number will park us, but it’s safe to say anywhere from 5-8.
But I’ll think you’ll see on your Cavaliers’ faces in the LOS parking lot Saturday night this was never about a “number”.
It was about brotherhood, fighting through adversity, pushing to a level of excellence they didn’t know they could achieve both as a corps and as individuals, and heading home on Sunday knowing they’ve got a family for life.
So… the official prediction is 93.25
(Oh… I almost forgot… AND a Sanford High Percussion Trophy)
Can you believe it? We’re almost here! DCI 2023 is almost underway.
I’ve spent a fair amount of time following off season activity and think that we might have, top to bottom, one of the most competitive seasons in recent DCI history. And not just at the “top” but through each “tier” of competition.
I honestly consider this the first season “since COVID” since last season was marred by it with our guys taking as big or bigger of a hit than anyone. Let’s pray it’s in the rear view.
As I look at our first show, there are some interesting storylines in the competitive realm.
In 2019, I would’ve looked at this first show roster and pre-circled a “win” for our Cavaliers. But it’s 2023 now… Phantom Regiment is thankfully returning to old form. The Blue Stars have improved dramatically. And our guys, like a lot of other corps post COVID, had big ageout classes in 2021 and 2022. Throw in a new direction with teaching staff and what do you get?
The Unknown! Which is super exciting for a fan of the overall activity.
Some other general observations surrounding the “COVID era” of DCI.
1. In general, I think the COVID era allowed corps to tack back a little towards their traditional roots. Phantom put on a more traditional show in 2021 as did our guys. Less props, and a lot of focus on just plain entertainment and fun.
2. That said, two corps chose to use the “unjudged” season of 2021 to hone their design chops and put on a seriously competitive show in a “exhibition year”. Boston Crusaders and Bluestars. You’d have to say it helped their programs significantly in the competition realm as both made significant moves in 2022.
3. That said, I wouldn’t trade “Live From The Rose” for anything! Super fun, crowd entertaining, and not stressing over scores and rewrites was the right call in a year of pandemic stress and the unknowns of touring with it.
So what does this all mean for 2023? No one knows! But the first look at that will be Wednesday night… and I’m predicting without seeing a step or hearing a note that we’ll be in an immediate competitive elbow swing with Phantom and Bluestars.
And that’s what excites me! And to be clear, I want to see the BEST out of each corps. I don’t quietly hope another corps has rifle drops, botched drill, a splatted note, etc. Nope! Let’s see the best! Then the fans win regardless. And when the fans react to our kids’ hard work… they’ve already won. Scores don’t matter.
So here’s to great stepoff Wednesday night. And to the best initial run we have in us . Then letting the scoring chips fall where they may.
Okay…first let’s admit…all parents are biased. We are. That’s human nature. What our little Johnny or Betty does on the field is the BEST! Did you hear that solo? Did you see that rifle toss, triple turn, and catch? What about that tenor drummer playing upside down? We’re the BEST…how can the judges not see that?
I recently interviewed a ( not to be named because of fierce desire to be seen as completely impartial) DCI judge friend of mine to ensure the way I’ve been characeterizing scoring in laymen’s terms was at least somewhat correct. And with a few further characterizations, it has been. Here are some excerpts from our conversation that I hope will help parents, both old and new to the activity, understand what’s going on with the judges as they watch our favorite corps.
Mark: “So …Mr. Judge…the first thing I want to take on is the notion on the music and visual sections of the scorecard. Each judge has two sections to his score. The “Content” score and the “Achievement Score”…isn’t that correct?
Mr. DCI Judge: “That is correct. And they have two distinct purposes…”
Mark: “Okay…I want to keep this as simple to understand as possible. The way I understand the “Content” score is the judge recognizing the content the corps has programmed and is giving “credit” for the level of skill that would be required to perfect it. A degree of difficulty if you will. For instance, if the Cavaliers were to play “Mary Had a Little Lamb” in slow tempo, there’s only so much “difficulty” to that as compared to them playing “Flight of the Bumblebee” and the difference in those two challenges is reflected in the “Content Section” of a music score…is that a proper characterization?
Mr. DCI Judge: ” Generally yes… Remember though, content has to do with that level of challenges displayed AND met by the performer(s), through real time, and done through a myriad of factors, ie simultaneous responsibilities, environmental challenges, spatial demands, etc. NOT in isolation. But for a general statement of understanding scoring, yes…you’ve got about 85% of the content section covered with your characterization.
Mark: “Okay, thanks! That last fifteen percent is a little difficult for me to completely understand, but that’s because I’m not trained DCI judge! Thank you. Moving on to the “Achviement” score ( I’ve also heard it called the Execution score)…Is that simply how well the corps actually executes the planned content?
Mr. DCI Judge: “In general, yes…you’ve nailed it. Although, execution deals with individuals or small sections, while content is more holistic (especially when dealing with upstairs sheets).”
Mark: “So is it a fair “gauge” that if a corps brass content score is a full point ahead of their achievement score that there is still “headroom” for the score to improve…and conversely, if the content and achievement score are almost identical, that particular caption is getting “maxed” out for scoring purposes?
Mr. DCI Judge: “At a particular point in time, perhaps. But this is a tricky one. Because the content score incorporates both level of challenges ( you said “degree of difficulty”….DCI judges say “level of challenges” ) being displayed AND met by performers, the content score is fluid and can still go up as the performers MEET the level of the challenge. So…a Content score on a show in late June will certainly not be set in stone by the “level of challenge”…it’s a breathing thing as the corps demonstrates the ability to MEET the level of those challenges. And yes I know that sounds like “achievement”, but its different and nuanced.”
Mark: “Okay…that sounds nuanced beyond my ability to characterize or explain. But safe to say that if on Prelims night in Championship weekend there is still a meaningful gap between Content and Achievement in any caption, there is meaningul headroom for the corps score to go up over that weekend…and more likely to go up than a corps whose content and achievement scores are almost identical?”
Mr. DCI Judge: ” For the sake of discussion, yes. That’s probably the most easy way to characterize the relationship between those two scores…and what they mean to the corps” chances of improving their score in that particular caption.”
Thanks to this judge for taking time out of his day to spend a little time with me. As we watch competitions unfold this season, I hope this will provide a helpful backdrop to the results.
And yes…the guy who told you three posts ago not to get caught up in scoring is ….well…getting caught up in scoring. But this is what helped me stop worry about scores. I know two DCI judges very well. And when I hear THEM talk about the activity, I become more and more convinced that they are just trying to do the very best they can to discern even the smallest differences from WORLD CLASS PERFORMANCES. It’s a tough job…and my hat is off to all of them.
In the next installment, we’ll talk about GE Scores, which are characterized slightly differently.
In the meantime, I hope this helps someone this summer when they are about to scream “The judges are morons! How can they NOT see we’re the best! ” Not that a Cavaliers parent would ever do that.
20 days til step off…can you tell it’s on my mind? 🙂
Hello all! Firing the blog back up to hopefully stay connected to my friends and cohorts with the Cavaliers while also expending a good bit of energy working with Spirit of Atlanta this season to get our team in Baby Blue headed “back on the field, and back up the charts”.
It’s about this time every year I actually begin “preparing” for the DCI Season in several ways, and thought that some of my “preparation” might be useful to some of our new DCI parents. And if not, as with everything I write, feel free to ignore! So here goes…
1. FloMarching – If you want to really keep up with the season, a 2-month engagement with FloMarching.com will give you access to a lot of the bigger and more important shows that you’re just not going to be able to get to in real life. So here’s a tip to minimize your expense while maximizing your access.
If you’re going to be in Indy and see the shows there live, you can wait all the way until June 28th to turn on a $29 monthly subscription that you can cancel after one month. For that $29, you’re going to get the first show of the season all the way through the Atlanta Super Regional. Not a bad deal at all. To get the whole season, you’d need to bite off an additional $29 to see the few shows between Atlanta and Finals week. If you’re not going to be able to make Indy, you can subscribe on July 13th and see the meat of the season and Finals for $29.
2. Hotel in Indy – If you’re going to Indy, there’s a NASCAR race the same week as Finals this year and hotels are filling up quickly. Don’t wait. Rates will only be going up.
3. Predictions/Corps Progress – If you choose to watch a lot of people that are way over-invested in drum corps talk about the current season, register for an account at http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com . The “Forums” section has a message board for “DCI World Class Discussion”. Opinions are aplenty. One note of experience…I “lurked” on this board for a full couple of years before ever posting anything. If you post, and it’s a hint controversial, be prepared! But I do enjoy reading the opinions of seasoned drum corps fans, no matter how “homer” people might be to their own corps, etc.
4. My fearless ( and fairly obvious) preseason predictions. Always fun to take a guess at how the season will turn out without seeing a single show, hearing a single note, or assessing a single crowd reaction. Because it makes any predicti0n a silly wild-a** guess. And I don’t think I’ve ever put a preseason prediction on this blog for that reason…but here goes. We’ll check on this in mid-August to see how things shaped up.
Tier 1 – From reading the offseason blogs at DCP and Reddit, and observing momentum and ageout numbers from 2022, I believe that tier 1 this season will be Blue Devils, Bluecoats, and Boston Crusaders. Shocking, I know. Truly edgy predictions. 🙂
Tier 2 – This tier has more members this year than I would have put in years past. Starting with our Cavaliers, Carolina Crown, and Cadets. But honestly, I think this is the year that Phantom Regiment reaps some of the rewards of their post-COVID strategy and is in this tier slinging elbows too. And finally, you can’t ignore the improvement that Bluestars have made post COVID.
So just with those two tiers, we’ve already slotted 8 spots at Finasl.
Tier 3 – Mandarins, Blue Knights, Troopers ( who I’m personally cheering for to make a big splash again like they did last year ).
That has 11 of the 12 Finals slots taken.
Tier 4 – Crossmen, Madison Scouts, Pacific Crest, Spirit of Atlanta, Colts…These fine corps will be battling all summer to position themselves to make Finals.
Okay, Mark…real edgy….the same old same old. Pretty true….so let’s up the stakes and call a Final 12 in order for 2023 without a single step marched.
1. Bluecoats – They have the talent, the instruction staff, the energy, and the support to do what the Bluecoats do…excel.
2. Blue Devils – I feel I don’t have to explain this pick.
3. Boston Crusaders – Bringing more of what 2022 got them with minimal disruption to staff, lots of experience returning, etc.
4. Carolina Crown – When was the last time they finished out of the top 5?
5. Cavaliers – Huge staff changes but loving everything I’m reading about the show, the design, the staff, and the desire to put on a “love letter” to 75 years worth of Cavaliers fans.
6. Cadets – They’re back.
7. Blue Stars – Was highly impressed with their improvement in 2022 and nothing leads me to believe it won’t continue.
8. Phantom Regiment – Made a strong push at end of 2022 with a young corps. Their vector is pointed up.
9. Mandarins – Their vector has been pointing up since 2019. They might just inherit some SCV talent as well, now that SCV isn’t fielding this season.
10. Troopers – Troop barely got in the door last year for their first Finals in over a decade. I think they continue to grow on it.
11. Colts – One of my favorite Corps who continue to improve.
12. Madison Scouts – I think this is the year they rejoin Finals.
I know in one of the Parents of The Cavaliers posts, I caution against getting overinvested in scores. I stand by that. But it IS a competition. So it’s fun to put opinions out. Let’s see how they hold up in mid-August.
Coming soon: A laymen’s guide to understanding DCI scores. Trust me, it will help remove your competitive edge to understand how these corps are judged, and that ( in general ) the judges do a miraculous job differentiating between world class entertainment taking place 15 minutes at a time.
Please welcome back Ryan Holthouse to the 2022 Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps. He is thrilled to be back as a trumpet with the Cavaliers for his 2nd year.
Like many others, he started playing trumpet at an early age, making his trumpet playing dad exceedingly happy. He continued playing throughout his middle school years and then moved on to marching with the nationally ranked William Mason High School marching band as a freshman.
With many of the Mason band instructors having DCI experience, Ryan soon found himself hooked on all things DCI. A favorite game he still torments his mom with is playing a clip from various DCI shows from over the years and then asking her to name which core and year it was from. She’s getting better at the game, but still lacks his vast knowledge on the subject. Anyway, Freddy Martin (from Spirit of Atlanta) happened to be on staff with Mason’s brass line Ryan’s senior year of high school and after a concert band performance suggested that Ryan give DCI a shot. He worked his butt off and took extra lessons, made the drive to audition for the Cavaliers, and the rest, as they say, is history.
After DCI Finals, Ryan will be heading home for about 2 seconds, only to have to turn right back around and move into his dorm to start his 2nd year at Miami of Ohio University. He is currently majoring in Computer Science and Software Engineering with a minor in cyber security and hopes to be accepted into the combined Bachelor’s/Masters Computer Science program in the Spring. A program that he will be able to complete all within 4 years thanks to a generous amount of AP credit he had going into Miami. He will also be a trumpet section leader this Fall with the Miami University Marching Band and when all of that isn’t enough to fill his time, he is also active with the Miami Men’s Glee Club (he sings!) and the Theta Tau Engineering and Phi Mu Alpha Music fraternities.
One last bit of good news we just got tonight – Ryan called us from Lucas Oil to tell us that he was awarded one of the 2022 Friends of DCI Peth scholarships and will be recognized on the field at Semi Finals tomorrow night. Mom and Dad are beyond proud of this young man and all that he has accomplished!
Please welcome Nico Ferreria to the 2022 Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps! Nico is a first year Euhphonium player.
Nico discovered DCI through old YouTube videos. He was set to march with a different corps for the past few years, but COVID dismantled those plans. Through either luck or fate, Nico met another Cavaliers member in the Northwest High School Honor Band and was able to find a home with the Cavaliers! He is thrilled to be marching with such a storied, founding member corps of DCI.
At the end of summer, Nico will be entering his senior year at Sammamish High School and is going straight to band camp. Outside of music, Nico enjoys anime, drawing, penguins, playing Go and shogi, judo, and gymnastics.
Please welcome back Garrett Sullivan, 5th year Cavalier and Drum Major of the 2022 Green Machine!
Garrett came home the first week of 6th grade excited to join band. His parents were a little perplexed because he didn’t know how to play an instrument. A few weeks later, he announced that he had chosen the tuba.
Evidently, the family car at the time was a Mini Cooper, not the roomiest car in the world to transport around a tuba… And his great musical adventure was underway. At Cypress Bay High School in Weston, Florida, Garrett joined the marching band his Freshman Year. He also filled his schedule with all the other music courses offered on the curriculum: Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band and Advanced Placement Music Theory.
Garrett fell in love with DCI after seeing shows in Jupiter and Orlando. At first he thought he might audition with the Cadets but he fell in love with the Cavies. In his Junior Year, Percussion Caption Head Alex Siegelman, a Cavalier Alumni, suggested to Garrett that he audition for The Cavaliers. He flew to Chicago and he was offered a contract that first year. He has been an active member of The Cavaliers for 5 years. In his years with the Cavaliers, he was named “Rookie of the Year, and then a Section leader. Gartrett credits the Cavalier organization with mentoring him to be a leader. He is currently beginning his Senior Year at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL. Garrett’s major is Music Education. He is a member of the Marching Owl’s, the university’s marching band where he plays cymbals and bass drum.
He is also President of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, a fraternity “who, through a love for music, can assist in the fulfillment of [its] Object and ideals either by adopting music as a profession, or by working to advance the cause of music in America.”
In addition to the tuba, Garrett enjoys playing Bass, Piano, Euphonium, Trombone and percussion. He enjoys all genres but counts Jazz legend Jaco Pastorius, Salsa’s Gran Combo and anything Motown as his favorites. In contemporary music his favorite group is Vulfpeck, a Funk band from Ann Arbor, Michigan. His 5 year tenure with The Cavaliers culminated with the prestigious Drum Major position. A fun Garrett fact is that he loves Hawaiian shirts!
A note from the Editor ( hey, that’s ME! ):
I haven’t had the honor to have more than a “hello” with Garrett. And even then, it was at the Indianapolis Airport last year after Finals. He and my son, Davis, were talking over a beer at the airport bar ( I still chuckle a bit at that because my son isn’t much of a beer drinker, but whatever… ). And the little bit I heard while getting my beverage, I could tell that after the ’21 season was in the books, Garrett was already talking to Davis about this 2022 season. I remember thinking “These guys JUST finished a Drum Corps Tour…I know they are physically and mentally exhausted…and yet, here they sit already talking about next year when this year’s final notes were still echoing out of Lucas Oil…”
And I knew right then the Corps was in GREAT HANDS ( pun INTENDED). And as life would have it, I STILL haven’t had the honor to share a word with Garrett. But I know that Davis and Garrett have been on calls, Zoom conferences, etc. from that day in Indianapolis, and that one of the things that people might not see is how the incoming leadership and the outgoing leadership work hand in glove to keep this GREEN MACHINE we all love moving down the tracks. ( Yes, there were two show references in that last sentence…2006 and 2019).
And to Rick and Daphne Sullivan…well…you guys did pretty good with this one. Congrats and enjoy this weekend, the ageout ceremony, and watching your son lead this corps to all it will be on Saturday night. When it’s all over, it won’t matter if its 92 or 93, or 6th place versus 10th place. What will matter was the brotherhood, the struggles, the victories, the music, and that Garrett sits down for that beer with the NEXT set of musical hands that will take us into the future.
And while I will rightfully never know what it means…SPLOOIE!
Please welcome Perry Sundstrom to the 2022 Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps. Perry is a first year Baritone.
While participating in his high school marching band, Perry started watching all sorts of DCI performances on YouTube and it wasn’t long before his family started hearing about all of the amazing drum corps competing each summer. His first experience was marching with The Battalion Drum and Bugle Corps last year but being part of the Cavaliers is truly a dream come true for him.
This fall, Perry will begin his sophomore year at Utah State University where he is majoring in computer science. In addition to being a full-time student, Perry also plays lacrosse for his school. Other interests include fishing, pickleball and a girlfriend (not necessarily in that order).
Please welcome Charlie Burke to the 2022 Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps. He is a first year Baritone.
Charlie is a DCI rookie this year. He has participated in band, playing the euphonium/baritone since 6th grade, but he didn’t march until he was a junior in high school because he played football.
His high school band from Cypress, TX made state both years he marched. Charlie was Texas all-state alternate three years in a row. Charlie became interested in marching with the Cavaliers because one of his band directors and his private lesson teacher are both alumni. Charlie is going to the University of Arkansas this fall, majoring in business finance.
Rolling With the Cavaliers 