Regional - Charlotte, SC (March 9-10, 2024)

[cybrunette]

The Charlotte Regional will be held March 9-10, 2024, at Northwestern High School in Rock Hill, South Carolina. This event will be streamed on FloMarching.

Registration CLOSED

[cybrunette]

Preliminary Schedule
Day 1 March 9

Schedule Generated on 03/07/2024;

Scholastic Regional A

12:00 PM - Dorman HS JV, SC 
12:07 PM - Berkeley HS, SC 
12:14 PM - Swansea HS, SC 
12:21 PM - Indian Land HS JV, SC 
12:28 PM - Nation Ford HS, SC 

12:35 PM - Break 

Scholastic A - Round 1

12:45 PM - Ardrey Kell HS JV, NC 
12:53 PM - Berkeley HS, SC 
1:01 PM - White Knoll HS, SC
1:09 PM - River Bluff HS JV, SC 
1:17 PM - Wando HS, SC 
1:25 PM - Catawba Ridge HS JV, SC 
1:33 PM - Lexington HS, SC 
1:41 PM - Green Hope HS Varsity, NC
1:49 PM - West Johnston HS, NC 
1:57 PM - Dorman HS, SC 
2:05 PM - Nation Ford HS, SC 
2:13 PM - Holly Springs HS, NC 

2:21 PM - Break 

Scholastic A - Round 2

2:35 PM - Porter Ridge HS, NC
2:43 PM - North Lincoln HS, NC
2:51 PM - Indian Land HS Varsity, SC 
2:59 PM - White Knoll HS JV, SC 
3:07 PM - Lexington HS JV, SC
3:15 PM - Catawba Ridge HS Varsity, SC 
3:23 PM - Ronald W. Reagan Combined Schools, NC
3:31 PM - East Lincoln HS A, NC
3:39 PM - Mill Creek HS, GA 
3:47 PM - Forestview HS, NC 
3:55 PM - Hickory Ridge HS, NC
4:03 PM - River Bluff HS, SC 
4:11 PM - Green Level HS, NC 

Exhibition

4:25 PM - Aurora Special Needs Winterguard 

4:34 PM - Dinner 

Independent A

5:11 PM - Clemson Tiger Guard, SC 
5:19 PM - Zodiac Independent, GA
5:27 PM - Appalachian Ascent Winterguard, NC 
5:35 PM - Charles Towne Independent, SC 
5:43 PM - Ardrey Kell HS, NC
5:51 PM - Georgia State University Winterguard, GA 
5:59 PM - JMU Nuance A, VA 
6:07 PM - Opus Independent, NC

6:15 PM - Class Break

Scholastic Open

6:19 PM - Marvin Ridge HS, NC
6:28 PM - Dobyns-Bennett HS, TN 

Independent Open

6:37 PM - JMU Nuance Open, VA 

6:46 PM - Class Break

Scholastic World

6:50 PM - Cleveland HS, NC 

Independent World

7:00 PM - Etude, SC 
7:10 PM - Reverie, GA
7:20 PM - Paramount, GA
7:30 PM - First Flight, NC

[LeanderMomma]

Bumping this one because it’s about to start and I’m anxious to talk about some of the groups performing today!

[cybrunette]

Preliminary Scores

Scholastic Regional A

1. Nation Ford HS (Fort Mill, SC) 77.02 
2. Indian Land HS JV (Lancaster, SC) 74.04 
3. Dorman HS JV (Roebuck, SC) 71.36 
4. Berkeley HS (Moncks Corner, SC) 69.84 
5. Swansea HS Varsity (Swansea, SC) 64.50

Scholastic A - Round 1

1. Holly Springs HS (Holly Springs, NC) 84.64 
2. Wando HS (Mount Pleasant, SC) 83.74 
3. Lexington HS (Lexington, SC) 81.55 
4. West Johnston HS (Benson, NC) 80.75 
5. Nation Ford HS (Fort Mill, SC) 79.78 
6. White Knoll HS (Lexington, SC) 77.02 
7. Dorman HS (Roebuck, SC) 76.63 
8. Green Hope HS Varsity (Cary, NC) 75.21 
9. Catawba Ridge HS JV (Fort Mill, SC) 71.18 
10. River Bluff HS JV (Lexington, SC) 70.09 
11. Berkeley HS (Moncks Corner, SC) 69.94 
12. Ardrey Kell HS JV (Charlotte, NC) 69.68

Scholastic A - Round 2

1. River Bluff HS (Lexington, SC) 83.96 
2. Catawba Ridge HS Varsity (Fort Mill, SC) 82.41 
3. Ronald W. Reagan Combined Schools (Pfafftown, NC) 81.26 
4. East Lincoln HS A (Denver, NC) 81.22 
5. Forestview HS (Gastonia, NC) 76.36 
6. Hickory Ridge HS (Harrisburg, NC) 76.32 
7. Indian Land HS Varsity (Lancaster, SC) 74.73 
8. Green Level HS (Cary, NC) 74.35 
9. Lexington HS JV (Lexington, SC) 70.96 
10. Porter Ridge HS (Indian Trail, NC) 70.87 
11. North Lincoln HS (Lincolnton, NC) 68.16 
12. Mill Creek HS (Hoschton, GA) 67.00 
13. White Knoll HS JV (Lexington, SC) 65.94

Independent A

1. Georgia State University Winterguard (Atlanta, GA) 86.00
2. Opus Independent (Gastonia, NC) 83.29
3. Ardrey Kell HS (Charlotte, NC) 77.58
4. Appalachian Ascent Winterguard (Boone, NC) 75.79
5. JMU Nuance A (Harrisonburg, VA) 75.66
6. Clemson Tiger Guard (Clemson, SC) 75.25
7. Zodiac Independent (Rossville, GA) 75.06
8. Charles Towne Independent (Charleston, SC) 71.18

Scholastic Open

1. Dobyns-Bennett HS (Kingsport, TN) 77.50 
2. Marvin Ridge HS (Waxhaw, NC) 52.20

Independent Open

1. JMU Nuance Open (Harrisonburg, VA) 79.80

Scholastic World

1. Cleveland HS (NC) (Clayton, NC) 75.50

Independent World

1. Paramount (Atlanta, GA) 91.20
2. Etude (Rock Hill, SC) 87.30
3. First Flight (Cary, NC) 75.90
4. Reverie (Atlanta, GA) 68.00

Full Recap: recaps.competitionsuite.com/a06a0216-197d-484d-a13e-8e2ad1aa747b.htm

[LeanderMomma]

Loved Wando’s show so much! Colorful, lovely sailboat shows always make me happy.

[LeanderMomma]

Also, that Nation Ford SRA group was HUgE. And really good. Can’t wait to see their SA group!

[cybrunette]

Finals Schedule
Day 2 March 10

Scholastic Regional A

10:00 AM - Dorman HS JV, SC
10:07 AM - Indian Land HS JV, SC 
10:14 AM - Nation Ford HS, SC 

10:21 AM - Class Break

Scholastic A

10:25 AM - Hickory Ridge HS, NC 
10:33 AM - Forestview HS, NC 
10:41 AM - Dorman HS, SC
10:49 AM - White Knoll HS, SC 
10:57 AM - Nation Ford HS, SC 
11:05 AM - West Johnston HS, NC 
11:13 AM - East Lincoln HS A, NC 
11:21 AM - Ronald W. Reagan Combined Schools, NC 
11:29 AM - Lexington HS, SC 
11:37 AM - Catawba Ridge HS, SC 
11:45 AM - Wando HS Mount, SC 
11:53 AM - River Bluff HS, SC 
12:01 PM - Holly Springs HS, NC 

12:09 PM - Lunch

Independent A

12:55 PM - Appalachian Ascent Winterguard, NC
1:03 PM - Ardrey Kell HS, NC 
1:11 PM - Opus Independent, NC
1:19 PM - Georgia State University Winterguard, GA 

1:27 PM - Class Break

Scholastic Open

1:31 PM - Dobyns-Bennett HS, TN 

Independent Open

1:40 PM - JMU Nuance Open, VA

1:49 PM - Class Break

Scholastic World

1:53 PM - Cleveland HS, NC

Independent World

2:03 PM - Reverie, GA
2:13 PM - First Flight, NC
2:23 PM - Etude, SC 
2:33 PM - Paramount, GA

Exhibition

2:43 PM - White Knoll HS Special Needs Color Guard, SC

[srv1084]

Marvin Ridge needs to request that WGI allows them to move back down another division or two, and I don't think it would be a controversial decision for WGI to make. They really need to focus on building back confidence and basic weapon and movement skills, and performing in SA or even SRA is the place to do it without the additional pressure of competition. It looks like a very young/fresh group compared to their recent Open/World Class guards.

Dobyns-Bennett has a lovely show that should contend for SO finals if they can clean it. They would benefit from scaling back some of the tosses. No need to take the risk of tossing 6's and 7's in Open Class if it's not consistently achievable. Still, this guard looks like it has a great future in WGI.

[cybrunette]

Mar 9, 2024 17:39:31 GMT -6 srv1084 said:

Marvin Ridge needs to request that WGI allows them to move back down another division or two, and I don't think it would be a controversial decision for WGI to make. They really need to focus on building back confidence and basic weapon and movement skills, and performing in SA or even SRA is the place to do it without the additional pressure of competition. It looks like a very young/fresh group compared to their recent Open/World Class guards.

Dobyns-Bennett has a lovely show that should contend for SO finals if they can clean it. They would benefit from scaling back some of the tosses. No need to take the risk of tossing 6's and 7's in Open Class if it's not consistently achievable. Still, this guard looks like it has a great future in WGI.

Looks like you called it yet again. Marvin Ridge is not in finals & they also took down the 2nd SO slot that had been a placeholder. Not sure what class they dropped to though.. unless they just decided not to perform tomorrow.

[srv1084]

Mar 9, 2024 19:28:45 GMT -6 cybrunette said:

Mar 9, 2024 17:39:31 GMT -6 srv1084 said:

Marvin Ridge needs to request that WGI allows them to move back down another division or two, and I don't think it would be a controversial decision for WGI to make. They really need to focus on building back confidence and basic weapon and movement skills, and performing in SA or even SRA is the place to do it without the additional pressure of competition. It looks like a very young/fresh group compared to their recent Open/World Class guards.

Dobyns-Bennett has a lovely show that should contend for SO finals if they can clean it. They would benefit from scaling back some of the tosses. No need to take the risk of tossing 6's and 7's in Open Class if it's not consistently achievable. Still, this guard looks like it has a great future in WGI.

Looks like you called it yet again. Marvin Ridge is not in finals & they also took down the 2nd SO slot that had been a placeholder. Not sure what class they dropped to though.. unless they just decided not to perform tomorrow.

Unfortunately, I don't think that's always the case. Even in situations where all units would move into finals, there is still a minimum score required to advance. I believe it starts as low as 50 early in the season and scales up from there. In this case, they did not achieve the minimum score and did not advance, though this is certainly the type of situation that then results in the discussion to reclassify the unit. We saw this in 2022 with Homestead (CA) and their World Guard. They did not achieve the minimum and were then reclassified to Open for the remainder of the season (though the situation was similar enough to Marvin Ridge that they should have dropped one or two classes further). We also see this on occasion with IW and IO guards. Those are the units who aren't necessarily in this for the competitive side of things, but are in IW because there is no age limit and it allows them to compete. In those cases, there is no opportunity to reclassify the units, so they show up to regionals and perform only in prelims due to not achieving the minimum required score for finals, where all IW guards are expected to advance.

I've had issues with the WGI reclassification methodology for several decades now. They are too quick to promote units and it often happens en masse, making it feel more like it's about balancing the class sizes rather than promoting based on merit. Pop a high score at a regional? Move on to the next class because you're "close enough" - that's what it seems like at times, rather than "are they performing a program that has elements of what is expected of the next class." There have now been two occasions over the past ~15 years where WGI promoted 10-15 groups from PSA to PSO and from PSO to PSW on the percussion side. The first time they did this, only one of the ~15 groups advanced to semi-finals in PSO, and none made finals. The second time, only one made finals.

The "automatic promotion" of top 3 Open Class guards and top 5 A Class guards is a flawed system. There are too many variables that go into classification beyond one year's achievement. What if this guard was centered around a massive senior class that spent 4-5 years developing up to this point, and now the program is back to square one after they graduate? What if this is a tiny guard (like Marvin Ridge) and the stability from year to year just isn't there? The other automatic promotion methodology of promotion to Open Class after making finals in A Class three years in a row makes a lot more sense. At the lowest level of competition, those guards have shown stability and consistency for several years, and should theoretically be ready to make the move to Open Class. Open to World Class is an entirely different animal.

In Homestead's case, that was a self-inflicted wound. The directors decided to field a World Class guard without a promotion or former indication that they were ready for that class, and they quickly found themselves back in Scholastic A the next year. In Marvin Ridge's case, it's clear to see this was a program that was achieving beyond expectations, but not one where it seemed like they were ready to be World Class. They consistently fielded guards of only 9-10 members, and (I think) do not have a feeder guard. Forcing them to move to World Class through such a binary decision-making process is such a disservice to guards like this, and I can't help but feel like it can lead to emotional distress and lack of confidence for units this may happen to.

Of course, you then have the other end of the spectrum, like Clear Brook HS and Trumbull HS on the percussion side of the activity. Both showed unwavering stability and consistency by continually finishing top 3 in Open Class for the better part of a decade, but somehow refused to challenge themselves on their own with a move to PSW. It took WGI finally promoting Clear Brook mid-season last year, as the percussion side of the activity doesn't have the same automatic promotion guidelines based on prior year finish.

To conclude, "Old Man Yells at Cloud."

[Jake W.]

I hear you, srv1084. I posted earlier in the season about it when I noticed that Marvin Ridge had moved down to SO, and I'm not sure what the proper solution for promotions is. Obviously, case-by-case is almost always better than uniform wholesale promotions (top 3 finishers in the class each year). But again, as you mention, sometimes without the wholesale blanket promotions, then certain groups tend to languish instead of challenging themselves at the next level. But, I've also come to realize that that's not the worst thing in the world. 

But Marvin Ridge is such an enigma of a case. They were SO Finalists for FIVE seasons, 2016 - 2019, then 2nd to Kiski in 2022. Not only is that five consecutive Finalist berths in the class, but with Covid stuck in there as well - as we've learned, any group that came out on the other side of the pandemic scoring similar to their pre-Covid seasons could be viewed as nothing but sustainable. And, on top of that, their first year in SW was quite a success in my book - finishing in SW Semis with a very respectable 77.50 and solid numbers across all captions. Obviously at the bottom or "entry level" of SW class, but SW achievements nonetheless - they truly looked like they belonged. They were a great example last season of what entry into the class should and can look like - great design even if it doesn't rewrite color guard history, all members challenged & achieving.

But it wasn't sustainable, and that's where the case-by-case basis needs to come into play (although I don't see any way Marvin Ridge wouldn't have ended up in SW eventually). As far as I can tell, they have no JV guard, and I remember an interview or feature last season that talked about the group marching a few 8th graders to fill out their 13 member group. How do you maintain a SW unit over multiple seasons like that? The fact that they were an SO Finalist 5 times - all small units - and then fielded a great SW group for a sixth season is really phenomenal in today's competitive field. Shenendehoah often fielded 12-15 members in their SW groups, but they always had a sustainable pipeline from both a JV and a middle school guard. 

Who knows. Their performance was quite striking today. Obviously, there are 2-3 members who performed with the group last season and maintained those prior skills, and everyone else seems quite new. I do wonder if SRA is the most appropriate home this season - basic confidence, movement, & equipment skills for the group as a whole seems to be (or needs to be) the focus. I don't know if I've ever seen a group have such a rapid turnover in competitive levels - and to think they began the season in SW! Maybe a substantial staff change happened as well?

[cybrunette]

Final Scores

Scholastic Regional A

1. Nation Ford HS (Fort Mill, SC) 79.06
2. Indian Land HS JV (Lancaster, SC) 76.34
3. Dorman HS JV (Roebuck, SC) 72.46

Scholastic A

1. Holly Springs HS (Holly Springs, NC) 87.45
2. River Bluff HS (Lexington, SC) 86.82
3. Wando HS (Mount Pleasant, SC) 86.31
4. Ronald W. Reagan Combined Schools (Pfafftown, NC) 83.52
5. Lexington HS (Lexington, SC) 83.43
6. Catawba Ridge HS Varsity (Fort Mill, SC) 83.10
7. East Lincoln HS A (Denver, NC) 80.65
8. West Johnston HS (Benson, NC) 80.41
9. Nation Ford HS (Fort Mill, SC) 77.92
10. White Knoll HS (Lexington, SC) 76.51
11. Hickory Ridge HS (Harrisburg, NC) 76.34
12. Forestview HS (Gastonia, NC) 76.02
13. Dorman HS (Roebuck, SC) 74.53

Independent A

1. Georgia State University Winterguard (Atlanta, GA) 87.21
2. Opus Independent (Gastonia, NC) 84.64
3. Ardrey Kell HS (Charlotte, NC) 79.43
4. Appalachian Ascent Winterguard (Boone, NC) 77.56

Scholastic Open

1. Dobyns-Bennett HS (Kingsport, TN) 80.40

Independent Open

1. JMU Nuance Open (Harrisonburg, VA) 81.60

Scholastic World

1. Cleveland HS (NC) (Clayton, NC) 77.80

Independent World

1. Paramount (Atlanta, GA) 92.50
2. Etude (Rock Hill, SC) 90.10
3. First Flight (Cary, NC) 77.80
4. Reverie (Atlanta, GA) 68.30

Full Recap: recaps.competitionsuite.com/b2b2893b-64bd-488c-addf-3e834718c385.htm

[srv1084]

Mar 10, 2024 3:10:55 GMT -6 Jake W. said:

I hear you, srv1084 . I posted earlier in the season about it when I noticed that Marvin Ridge had moved down to SO, and I'm not sure what the proper solution for promotions is. Obviously, case-by-case is almost always better than uniform wholesale promotions (top 3 finishers in the class each year). But again, as you mention, sometimes without the wholesale blanket promotions, then certain groups tend to languish instead of challenging themselves at the next level. But, I've also come to realize that that's not the worst thing in the world. 

But Marvin Ridge is such an enigma of a case. They were SO Finalists for FIVE seasons, 2016 - 2019, then 2nd to Kiski in 2022. Not only is that five consecutive Finalist berths in the class, but with Covid stuck in there as well - as we've learned, any group that came out on the other side of the pandemic scoring similar to their pre-Covid seasons could be viewed as nothing but sustainable. And, on top of that, their first year in SW was quite a success in my book - finishing in SW Semis with a very respectable 77.50 and solid numbers across all captions. Obviously at the bottom or "entry level" of SW class, but SW achievements nonetheless - they truly looked like they belonged. They were a great example last season of what entry into the class should and can look like - great design even if it doesn't rewrite color guard history, all members challenged & achieving.

But it wasn't sustainable, and that's where the case-by-case basis needs to come into play (although I don't see any way Marvin Ridge wouldn't have ended up in SW eventually). As far as I can tell, they have no JV guard, and I remember an interview or feature last season that talked about the group marching a few 8th graders to fill out their 13 member group. How do you maintain a SW unit over multiple seasons like that? The fact that they were an SO Finalist 5 times - all small units - and then fielded a great SW group for a sixth season is really phenomenal in today's competitive field. Shenendehoah often fielded 12-15 members in their SW groups, but they always had a sustainable pipeline from both a JV and a middle school guard. 

Who knows. Their performance was quite striking today. Obviously, there are 2-3 members who performed with the group last season and maintained those prior skills, and everyone else seems quite new. I do wonder if SRA is the most appropriate home this season - basic confidence, movement, & equipment skills for the group as a whole seems to be (or needs to be) the focus. I don't know if I've ever seen a group have such a rapid turnover in competitive levels - and to think they began the season in SW! Maybe a substantial staff change happened as well?

You're right, they certainly did maintain consistency for a number of years. They always struck me as performing material that was very squarely in an Open skillset at a VERY consistently clean and commanding level, a sign of excellent instruction while acknowledging what their students are capable of maxing out in achievement. I had to go back and watch their 2022 to remember how magical that show was. It's always impressive when a guard fields middle schoolers at this level. Mechanicsburg also had a great run in SW while fielding 7th and 8th graders in their World guards.

There really is no right answer, I suppose. There are a ton of Scholastic A guards out there doing turns under 5s and 6s (along with other advanced skills), and even if they're not achieving it, the material is solidly outside the spirit of what the class is meant to represent. That adds an additional variable into the mix. For me, the class system was always more about what units are trying to achieve, rather than execution. The automatic promotions come across as more about achievement than content, with the hope that those programs are then able to increase the content once they make the jump. In Marvin Ridge's 2nd place year, I feel like that show got there based on execution (6 out of 10 judges scored their achievement above content), whereas a guard like Kiski, while executing beautifully, was showcasing much more difficult content.

I hope Marvin Ridge is able to get back there eventually. The activity is better with them performing in finals. Other guards like Trumbull and Mechanicsburg had equally shocking and immediate regressions, and both of those were brought on by substantial staff changes. I think you may be right in this situation given the similarities, but hopefully for them it's just temporary.