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Post by hewhowaits on Nov 6, 2023 14:56:57 GMT -6
Final schedule has dropped and so has Orleans. Batesville opens the show Thursday at 8:30 a.m.
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Post by 70sguardchick on Nov 6, 2023 15:08:22 GMT -6
News flash - the Volunteer shirts are green. I repeat, the volunteer shirts are green. Just allaying any concerns anyone might have.
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Post by hewhowaits on Nov 6, 2023 15:20:51 GMT -6
News flash - the Volunteer shirts are green. I repeat, the volunteer shirts are green. Just allaying any concerns anyone might have. Green green, or pastel green? Doesn't really matter, Allohak won't be able to tell the difference anyway.
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Post by 70sguardchick on Nov 6, 2023 15:44:23 GMT -6
News flash - the Volunteer shirts are green. I repeat, the volunteer shirts are green. Just allaying any concerns anyone might have. Green green, or pastel green? Doesn't really matter, Allohak won't be able to tell the difference anyway. LOL - I'll let you know on Thursday morning.....I'll tell him they're red........
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Post by bigtrombone on Nov 6, 2023 18:52:05 GMT -6
Viewer's Guide to the 2023 BOA Grand National Championships
In lieu of just listing the schedule again and saying who are must-watches and finals locks and finals bubbles, I decided to add more depth this time around and do a brief breakdown of all 8 blocks in prelims, akin to the 2014-2016 Grand National breakdowns. This year at Grand Nationals there are 90+ bands representing 18 states. To give you an idea of what to expect and to watch (though you should watch and support every band attending), here is my breakdown of each block of prelims, beginning with:
Block 1 - Thursday 8:30 AM-11:15 AM
We kick things off at 8:30 AM (7:30 AM if you're on central time like me) on Thursday with Batesville H.S., IN. Walled Lake will be one to watch to see if they can snag a spot in semifinals. Cabell Midland, West Virginia's top high school marching band, is also worth checking out.
Block 2 - Thursday 11:45 AM-3:00 PM
Things begin to start picking up with our 2nd Block on Thursday. Brownsburg will cap off this block and following strong showings at both the Indianapolis Super Regional & ISSMA State Finals, they'll be looking for their 2nd consecutive appearance in Grand National Finals. Homestead (IN) also makes their BOA debut this season in this block. Homestead has been having a solid season under their new director and recently finished 5th at ISSMA State Finals. While likely not a finals contender, they should be a safe lock for a semifinals spot. Centerville & Rockford should also be safe locks for semifinals as well. Outside of that, we'll also start to see our Class A battle start taking shape with multiple contenders in this block including Beechwood, Estill County, and Archbishop Carroll who won Class A at the Columbus Regional earlier this season.
Block 3 - Thursday 3:15 PM-6:30 PM
Block 3 will feature the remaining Cartwright groups attending Grand Nationals this year, William Mason & Pearland. Mason finished 3rd at the Indianapolis Super Regional a couple weeks ago and with a new ending to their show debuting this week, they'll be looking to see if they can get closer to Carmel & Avon. Pearland on the other hand is attending Grand Nationals for the very first time. Pearland has been a consistent finalist at Houston-Area Regionals and is a past San Antonio Super Regional finalist. While they didn't attend San Antonio this year, they did finish 4th at the Katy Regional and finished 9th at last week's UIL 6A Finals and should be a comfortable finals lock at Indy. Outside of those two, James Bowie kicks off this block and the 2023 Texas Takeover in their first Nationals appearance since 2016. Bowie finished in the bottom half of finals of both regionals they attended this season and missed finals at San Antonio this past weekend. However, as Hendrickson showed us last year, you don't need to make finals at San Antonio to make finals at Indy. Bowie is on the lower end of the bubble, but cannot be counted out of finals here. We'll also see some great AA bands in this block with Morton, Miamisburg, & Worthington Kilbourne as well some other solid Ohio groups such as Milford & Norton.
Block 4 - Thursday 7:00 PM-10:15 PM
We'll cap off Thursday's performances with our 4th block, which will feature half of the ISSMA Class A state finalists from a couple weeks ago. Carmel & Avon are the clear standouts who've both been going back and forth this year when it comes to who's ahead of the other (Carmel at the BOA Events, Avon at ISSMA) and both will be vying for the eagle on Saturday evening. Fishers will also be looking to make their way back into finals for the 2nd year in a row with their fun christmas-themed show. Center Grove will be a likely semifinals lock as well. Carroll will be the one to watch this block as they've been having an outstanding season so far. Despite a 7th place finish at ISSMA State Finals, they've been neck and neck with both Homestead & Center Grove this year and could very well be a semifinals lock. I'm excited to see what they bring on Thursday night. Outside of the Indiana groups, Claudia Taylor Johnson returns to Nationals and despite having a down year (for their standards), they are on the higher end of the finals bubble and we likely will see them three times this week. 2023 College Park Regional Champion, Kiski Area kicks off this block as they look to potentially medal in Class AA. Nation Ford returns to Grand Nationals and should be a safe bet for semifinals. Pinecrest Academy of Nevada Cadence also will throw their hat into the Class A battle and should be a fun group to watch.
Block 5 - Friday 8:00 AM-10:30 AM
Friday's round of performances kicks off with another potential Class A contender in Bourbon County, a past Grand National Class A Champion. Blue Springs highlights this block, following their first ever Super Regional win at St. Louis a couple weeks ago. The Golden Regiment should clean up Class AAA nicely and are a strong contender for a top half of finals finish. Aside from them, there are some other strong finalist-caliber groups in this block. Keller will be making their first Grand Nationals appearance since 2015. They finished 8th at the Prosper Regional last month and 14th last week at UIL 6A State Finals and are firmly in the finals conversation. Dripping Springs is the other Texas band making their Grand National debut this weekend. This group finished 11th at the Austin Regional and won a rain-shortened Waco Regional, but missed out on finals at UIL. Still, they should make a good impression in their debut and are definitely on the cusp of finals. The last of our finalist-caliber groups in this block is Bentonville. Their sunflower show is chock full of GE, and despite a 4th place finish at St. Louis, they'll be looking to make a push towards their first ever finals appearance at Grand Nationals. Some other groups to watch for as potential semifinalists in this block include TL Hanna from South Carolina, who's been having a strong season on their circuit, and Green Hope, who has made semifinals in the past.
Block 6 - Friday 10:45 AM-1:45 PM
If there was a block that I would designate as cannot miss, it would be this one. Hebron and The Woodlands are the standouts here and will both be vying to bring the eagle back to Texas. Hebron was dominate in their lone regional win of the year at Bedford and recently finished 3rd at UIL 6A State Finals, but like with Pearland, they didn't participate at the San Antonio Super Regional. Hebron's strong suit has once again been the music caption, and it will be fun to see them go toe-to-toe with Carmel for that this year. The Woodlands meanwhile won the Katy Regional, finished 6th at UIL 6A State Finals, and then finished 2nd at San Antonio while also winning the visual caption. The Woodland's visual program is one of the best in the country this year, and it'll be exciting to see how they will match up with Carmel & Avon. Aside from these 2 behemoths, we have a multitude of first-timers in this block. Western Tennessee programs Bartlett & Arlington are among them. Both made finals at the inaugural Memphis Regional, with Bartlett winning. I would be surprised if one of them didn't make semifinals. Missouri-based Sullivan makes their debut and will also be a part of the fierce Class A battle. However, the newcomer with the most excitement around them is Dartmouth from Massachusetts. A giant in the indoor percussion circuit, Dartmouth won the Rutgers Regional last year in their BOA debut, and followed it up again this year with another win. This is a group we could potentially see again Saturday evening as the Class AA Champion. Other bands to keep your eye on in this block for a possible semifinals appearance include Plymouth-Canton & Blue Valley.
Block 7 - Friday 2:15 PM-4:45 PM
The penultimate block of the day begins to wind the action down a little bit. The clear standout will be the final Texas group of prelims, Round Rock. The Dragon Band finished 7th at the Austin Regional, 13th at UIL 6A State Finals, and then finished 11th at the San Antonio Super Regional. After missing out on finals in their last appearance here in 2021, Round Rock should comfortably make finals this year. Marian Catholic makes their first appearance at Grand Nationals as a Class A Band. Like with Homestead, Marian Catholic also underwent a director change and are also having a quietly solid season. In their Class A debut at St. Louis, they easily swept through their competition and was even within a couple tenths of making finals. Even though they face a tougher challenge here, they still are a favorite to win Class A and receive another performance Saturday evening. Lastly Munster, Lawrence Township, and Lake Central are all pretty solid Indiana groups in this block that are worth watching.
Block 8 - Friday 5:30 PM-8:00 PM
The final block of the day is pretty tame compared to other blocks but still worth watching. The standout here is the defending Class A Champion Archbishop Alter who will finish off prelims. Alter rebounded from a rough start to the season at Columbus to sweep through captions at the Orlando Regional. Their Scenes at a Italian Restaurant Show is another fun show from them and their salute is one of the best ones of the season (extra pizza anyone?). Aside from them, Lake Hamilton could be a sleeper pick for semifinals, following finals appearances at both the Memphis & Johnson City Regionals.
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Post by saturdaynightlights on Nov 6, 2023 19:03:10 GMT -6
I arranged it so I could get in a day early, which I’m very excited about. I did want to come say that for next year, we might be seeing some familiar faces from Utah a couple years earlier than expected, if a local news station is to be believed
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Post by 1970 on Nov 6, 2023 19:44:22 GMT -6
On train Hebron now...
1. 11:45 a.m. – Hebron H.S., TX 2. 8:45 p.m. – Avon H.S., IN 3. 1:15 p.m – The Woodlands H.S., TX 4. 9:30 p.m. – Carmel H.S., IN
5. 9:45 a.m. – Blue Springs H.S., MO
6. 5:15 p.m. – William Mason H.S., OH
7. 10:15 a.m. – Bentonville H.S., AR
8. 4:30 p.m. – Round Rock H.S., TX
9. 2:45 p.m. – Brownsburg H.S., IN
10. 8:30 p.m. – Fishers H.S., IN
11. 9:45 p.m. – Claudia Taylor Johnson H.S., TX
12. 9:00 a.m. – Dripping Springs H.S., TX
13. 5:45 p.m. – Pearland H.S., TX
14. 6:30 p.m. – Lake Hamilton H.S., AR
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Post by yayband914 on Nov 6, 2023 19:51:49 GMT -6
I arranged it so I could get in a day early, which I’m very excited about. I did want to come say that for next year, we might be seeing some familiar faces from Utah a couple years earlier than expected, if a local news station is to be believed Did you say… “some?” 👁️👄👁️
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Post by saturdaynightlights on Nov 6, 2023 20:09:49 GMT -6
I arranged it so I could get in a day early, which I’m very excited about. I did want to come say that for next year, we might be seeing some familiar faces from Utah a couple years earlier than expected, if a local news station is to be believed Did you say… “some?” 👁️👄👁️ One that was implied at least
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Post by yayband914 on Nov 6, 2023 20:19:29 GMT -6
Did you say… “some?” 👁️👄👁️ One that was implied at least I have an idea of whom it (they?) might be.
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Post by Allohak on Nov 6, 2023 20:35:02 GMT -6
Green green, or pastel green? Doesn't really matter, Allohak won't be able to tell the difference anyway. LOL - I'll let you know on Thursday morning.....I'll tell him they're red........ Hey I know what green and red are (I mean, what my brain sees as "green" and "red"...how can we know that what one of us sees as blue is the same as what any other sees?), just can't tell you if two objects are the same shade of green/red or are very different 😅
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Post by marimba11 on Nov 6, 2023 20:52:22 GMT -6
I wouldn’t count out Hebron yet either for the gold. Their performance captions at UIL were very strong. Just not sure about the g effect but maybe they won’t need it…
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Post by ilikeguard on Nov 6, 2023 21:40:22 GMT -6
Thank you for the Sullivan mention!! Go Missouri!!
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Post by aiden on Nov 6, 2023 21:54:45 GMT -6
Any ideas for snacks to eat during finals?
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Post by spookyookybandlover on Nov 6, 2023 22:00:16 GMT -6
Any ideas for snacks to eat during finals? banana laffy taffy
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Post by hewhowaits on Nov 7, 2023 5:45:18 GMT -6
Any ideas for snacks to eat during finals? Not during finals, per se. During awards, many of us will likely have some crow to munch on.
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Post by Allohak on Nov 7, 2023 6:30:19 GMT -6
Any ideas for snacks to eat during finals? Popcorn. It's gonna be a fun one
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Post by keshafan on Nov 7, 2023 7:09:39 GMT -6
Thank you for the Sullivan mention!! Go Missouri!! Correct me if I'm wrong, but I dont believe a Missouri band has ever made it to semis as a class A rep. Odessa was 0.5 out(including a .2 penalty)from qualifying ahead of beechwood in 2008. They were so close. I dont think Sullivans chances are great this year, but I hope they do well and I really hope they come back soon. Btw i'd reccomend the Odessa show if youve never seen it. Very ahead of its time.
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Post by bandmom2009 on Nov 7, 2023 8:29:03 GMT -6
I wouldn’t count out Hebron yet either for the gold. Their performance captions at UIL were very strong. Just not sure about the g effect but maybe they won’t need it… They had to adapt for the 8 minute limit on uil. Now they can perform their show the way it was meant to be.
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Post by ilikeguard on Nov 7, 2023 10:42:22 GMT -6
Thank you for the Sullivan mention!! Go Missouri!! Correct me if I'm wrong, but I dont believe a Missouri band has ever made it to semis as a class A rep. Odessa was 0.5 out(including a .2 penalty)from qualifying ahead of beechwood in 2008. They were so close. I dont think Sullivans chances are great this year, but I hope they do well and I really hope they come back soon. Btw i'd reccomend the Odessa show if youve never seen it. Very ahead of its time. The only semifinalists from Missouri have been Blue Springs (top 22), Grain Valley (next 8), and Camdenton (Class AA rep). Most likely contenders for the next spot are Nixa (who I expect to return soon) and Sullivan, as well as Blue Springs South, Lindbergh, Washington, and Kickapoo should they decide to attend soon (with the recent success of the first two, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them in the next couple of years). Not sure when GV and Camdenton intend to come back. Logan-Rogersville could be an A contender in a few years if they keep developing a BOA-focused program.
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Post by srv1084 on Nov 7, 2023 10:56:11 GMT -6
Any ideas for snacks to eat during finals? banana laffy taffy
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Post by 70sguardchick on Nov 7, 2023 11:01:57 GMT -6
Any ideas for snacks to eat during finals? banana laffy taffy Any flavor but strawberry ..... there, I said it....
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Post by redpants on Nov 7, 2023 11:27:05 GMT -6
Any ideas for snacks to eat during finals? There used to be band parents who would share little snacks in the LOS hallways. A dad from Avon would bring a big bag of Tootsie pops, a mom from Carmel would hand out Twizzlers, that sort of thing. I think COVID killed that .
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Post by aiden on Nov 7, 2023 16:04:39 GMT -6
I could also hoard soft pretzels if there's any place selling them
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Post by hewhowaits on Nov 7, 2023 16:28:11 GMT -6
Any ideas for snacks to eat during finals? There used to be band parents who would share little snacks in the LOS hallways. A dad from Avon would bring a big bag of Tootsie pops, a mom from Carmel would hand out Twizzlers, that sort of thing. I think COVID killed that . The Avon Tootsie pops are still a thing. It's a Pit Crew tradition that is shared with event staff who are deemed worthy (I don't think the bar is particularly high).
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Post by Allohak on Nov 7, 2023 16:36:03 GMT -6
There used to be band parents who would share little snacks in the LOS hallways. A dad from Avon would bring a big bag of Tootsie pops, a mom from Carmel would hand out Twizzlers, that sort of thing. I think COVID killed that . The Avon Tootsie pops are still a thing. It's a Pit Crew tradition that is shared with event staff who are deemed worthy (I don't think the bar is particularly high). Pretty sure the bar is "happen to be around and relatively pleasant"
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Post by jakeymam12 on Nov 7, 2023 17:14:15 GMT -6
I arranged it so I could get in a day early, which I’m very excited about. I did want to come say that for next year, we might be seeing some familiar faces from Utah a couple years earlier than expected, if a local news station is to be believed Did you say… “some?” 👁️👄👁️ Westlake is planning on going next year, along with American Fork
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Post by 70sguardchick on Nov 7, 2023 19:39:29 GMT -6
I could also hoard soft pretzels if there's any place selling them Ben’s Pretzels are mighty good - local business, too. Right out the door of the West Club.
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Post by 70sguardchick on Nov 7, 2023 19:40:35 GMT -6
The Avon Tootsie pops are still a thing. It's a Pit Crew tradition that is shared with event staff who are deemed worthy (I don't think the bar is particularly high). Pretty sure the bar is "happen to be around and relatively pleasant" I can be pleasant, but I’m not inthe hallway…
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Post by Allohak on Nov 7, 2023 20:03:04 GMT -6
Pretty sure the bar is "happen to be around and relatively pleasant" I can be pleasant, but I’m not inthe hallway… The real treat at Indy SR was provided by the Brownsburg pit crew
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