|
Post by Samuel Culper on Nov 3, 2019 0:00:29 GMT -6
I'm so proud of Vista Ridge for following up a dream season last year with one that brought more levels of success new for the program. That was a tall order to fill. Now we can look forward to taking this to Indy next year.
|
|
|
Post by principalagent on Nov 3, 2019 0:04:33 GMT -6
What do you guys think about Rouse and Lake Travis placements? It seemed like they had a breakout year early from Rouse- boa austin and TMC and for lake travis boa austin The season is long, and the bands that made finals all have a LONG history of pushing to the end. And band that’s just breaking onto the scene may not have that skillset quite yet. It can take a band a bit of time to get cooking. Took Vista Ridge some time, took Pearland some time, etc etc. Lake Travis and Rouse are doing all the right things.
|
|
|
Post by yayband914 on Nov 3, 2019 0:27:11 GMT -6
That's your GN champion, folks You were saying? 😉 I know two weeks is plenty of time to clean and refine, so anything can happen!
|
|
|
Post by boahistorybuff on Nov 3, 2019 4:31:11 GMT -6
This is regional win number 11 for Ronald Reagan and their first win at San Antonio since 2005. Yes, they now have the highest ever score at a BOA regional. Awesome. Since they first came on the BOA scene as a new school in 2000, they have had a lot of ups and downs, including being runner-up to the GN title twice. I think this was their best performance.
A few points:
This makes it yet another year that the San Antonio champion is not attending GN. The last time this regional champ attended was in 2013 The Woodlands, who won.
It looks like there is a chance that 6 Texas bands will be in GN finals. So far the most bands from a single state to be in GN finals in the same year is 5. (76 and 77 - Illinois; 80 - Florida; 81 and 84 - Indiana; 2013 - Texas)
Vandegrift and Leander look to be in a good spot to challenge Avon and Carmel for the GN title. This is Vandegrift's first trip to GN. Since 1980, no band has won the GN title in their first trip to nationals.
Finally, speaking on behalf of the non Texans, we are blown away by how many awesome bands there are in Texas. It has become insane.
|
|
|
Post by hewhowaits on Nov 3, 2019 6:23:56 GMT -6
To all of the people/moderators criticizing Vista Ridge's ensemble sound and show design, what can you say now? I'm honestly curious to your opinions, not trying to be rude or anything. Vista Ridge's brass tonality was improved in finals but still a little harsh for my tastes. There are some who describe Texas bands with the phrase " so-and-so really brought that Texas concert sound to the field tonight." My understanding of the terminology is that the band has a well-balanced ensemble where every piece works together to produce a coherent sound. Vista Ridge doesn't meet that standard for me. Maybe it's because the woodwinds are so luscious? Perhaps, but that wouldn't explain why a group such as Tarpon Springs impresses the heck out of my ears.
Again, this is more about personal musical taste than about performance quality. The professionals brought in to adjudicate are much more knowledgeable than most of us on the forums.
|
|
|
Post by thewho on Nov 3, 2019 7:33:33 GMT -6
Some thoughts from finals: 1. Ronald Reagan is #1 in the whole country right now. It's not close at all. 2. I could totally see Hebron overtaking everyone by Grand Nats, but Avon and Vandegrift are not that far behind. I don't think Hebron quite has the GE to keep up with Avon and the visual performance to catch Vandegrift completely. It's a total wash between those 3. 3. Vandegrift was making me sweat watching them. Vandegrift were easily the best performers in terms of demand by far. 4. Leander still has to catch up performance-wise but you're kidding me if you're not thinking this could be a dark horse. Bit of a long shot with Avon/Carmel/Hebron/Vandy in front, but Leander can totally skip ahead of someone. 5. Marcus didn't have the GE to catch the top bands but music was god-tier. 6. I feel bad for LD Bell. Somehow got the worst slot possible, they just didn't look that good after Flower Mound and The Woodlands- I think they were better off with going with the bottom 4 instead. Seemed slotted correctly placement-wise, but the opportunity to make that gap bigger was there. 7. Flower Mound was so close to putting everything together this year, but just missing the cohesiveness. In this competition, that'd drop you to 9th. 8. I don't think the criticism of Round Rock was warranted at all. Y'all dragged on them waaaay too hard. They'll be a monster next year if they can find the right show. 9. Vista Ridge was terrific in finals. I think staging was a little too much with the Mandarins stage, but they were hitting their moments when they needed to hit them. 10. James Bowie was by far my favorite out of the bottom 5. Great opening show. 11. The Woodlands adapting a musical in true-to-spirit fashion was just a totally unexpected direction this year. The marching arts and Broadway musicals are just two different beasts that I don't think doing a musical straight is enough to win at all. However.... it seems like this was just for the students to have fun with after years of serious uptight shows, and man, does it show.
|
|
|
Post by propsquaddad on Nov 3, 2019 7:58:06 GMT -6
All I can say is WOW. I knew when I saw Reagan’s show earlier in the season it was something special. I don’t think there is any doubt that Leander ISD is the top school district in the State for marching band. 2nd, 3rd, and 4th spots all from the same school district. Not to mention that both the defending 5A and 6A state champions are from Leander ISD. That’s incredible....
For those that don’t know, Vandegrift, Vista Ridge, Leander, Cedar Park, Rouse, and Glenn are all Leander ISD high schools.
|
|
|
Post by LeanderMomma on Nov 3, 2019 11:40:50 GMT -6
Congrats LeanderMomma! A 3A sweep is exactly would should have happened. Can't wait to see that show at GN! Thank you Jake! It’s special for sure. We’re going to blow up LOS! ;-)
|
|
|
Post by thewho on Nov 3, 2019 12:41:22 GMT -6
2 tireless days, 30 degree weather, 6 hours of sleep across 2 nights, likely a marathon's worth of steps.... all worth it.
Thank you to the stadium staff for being welcoming and incredibly helpful and open to parents/staff/students/etc.
Thank you to all the band parents and directors for listening to the BOA staff for the flow- BOA apparently changed a few things up for the flow this year and the staff hasn't heard too many complaints. (Parents, let your directors know so BOA can get the proper feedback on everything flow, warmup, etc., when surveys go out soon!).
Thank you to the CTJ parents + volunteers for your work- every hour put in by you all made San Antonio one of the best contests around.
It was wonderful being able to finally put faces with names from here and txbands- LeanderMomma, principalagent, Sanchez, LKendrick, AvonDad.
Thank you to all the bands attending, and a special one for each of the finalist bands. The night only got better as the hours ticked away in finals.
Lastly, thank you to all the BOA staff for their tireless, hard work. Us Hoosiers in Indianapolis have been blessed with an amazing facility like LOS, where the stadium itself made the jobs of each of the staff/volunteers easier. Working San Antonio made me realize how much goes behind the scenes to create moments that I know our fans, peers, parents, and kids will keep for the rest of their lives.
We are truly blessed to have a community like this.
|
|
|
Post by Samuel Culper on Nov 3, 2019 12:59:10 GMT -6
Speaking of AvonDad... has anybody heard from him? Is he meeting with a real estate agent about looking for a home in San Antonio?
|
|
|
Post by LeanderMomma on Nov 3, 2019 13:12:15 GMT -6
Speaking of AvonDad... has anybody heard from him? Is he meeting with a real estate agent about looking for a home in San Antonio? Haha no, I don’t think they are quite ready to move just yet.
|
|
|
Post by propsquaddad on Nov 3, 2019 14:14:37 GMT -6
2 tireless days, 30 degree weather, 6 hours of sleep across 2 nights, likely a marathon's worth of steps.... all worth it. Thank you to the stadium staff for being welcoming and incredibly helpful and open to parents/staff/students/etc. Thank you to all the band parents and directors for listening to the BOA staff for the flow- BOA apparently changed a few things up for the flow this year and the staff hasn't heard too many complaints. (Parents, let your directors know so BOA can get the proper feedback on everything flow, warmup, etc., when surveys go out soon!). Thank you to the CTJ parents + volunteers for your work- every hour put in by you all made San Antonio one of the best contests around. It was wonderful being able to finally put faces with names from here and txbands- LeanderMomma, principalagent, Sanchez, LKendrick, AvonDad. Thank you to all the bands attending, and a special one for each of the finalist bands. The night only got better as the hours ticked away in finals. Lastly, thank you to all the BOA staff for their tireless, hard work. Us Hoosiers in Indianapolis have been blessed with an amazing facility like LOS, where the stadium itself made the jobs of each of the staff/volunteers easier. Working San Antonio made me realize how much goes behind the scenes to create moments that I know our fans, peers, parents, and kids will keep for the rest of their lives. We are truly blessed to have a community like this. Personally I didn’t really like entering and exiting on the same side of the field. Getting props off while the kids were coming back out the exit for pictures was sort of a cluster. Other than that I thought it was a pretty good flow in and out.
|
|
|
Post by WoodlandsMom4ever on Nov 3, 2019 14:21:51 GMT -6
2 tireless days, 30 degree weather, 6 hours of sleep across 2 nights, likely a marathon's worth of steps.... all worth it. Thank you to the stadium staff for being welcoming and incredibly helpful and open to parents/staff/students/etc. Thank you to all the band parents and directors for listening to the BOA staff for the flow- BOA apparently changed a few things up for the flow this year and the staff hasn't heard too many complaints. (Parents, let your directors know so BOA can get the proper feedback on everything flow, warmup, etc., when surveys go out soon!). Thank you to the CTJ parents + volunteers for your work- every hour put in by you all made San Antonio one of the best contests around. It was wonderful being able to finally put faces with names from here and txbands- LeanderMomma, principalagent, Sanchez, LKendrick, AvonDad. Thank you to all the bands attending, and a special one for each of the finalist bands. The night only got better as the hours ticked away in finals. Lastly, thank you to all the BOA staff for their tireless, hard work. Us Hoosiers in Indianapolis have been blessed with an amazing facility like LOS, where the stadium itself made the jobs of each of the staff/volunteers easier. Working San Antonio made me realize how much goes behind the scenes to create moments that I know our fans, peers, parents, and kids will keep for the rest of their lives. We are truly blessed to have a community like this. Personally I didn’t really like entering and exiting on the same side of the field. Getting props off while the kids were coming back out the exit for pictures was sort of a cluster. Other than that I thought it was a pretty good flow in and out. Using the lefts side of the field to load AND unload the field just always seems like such a traffic jam of a logistical problem. I’m sure there’s a good reason they don’t load on the left and unload to the right- like they do in Indy, but I really wonder why they can’t make that possible...
|
|
|
Post by thewho on Nov 4, 2019 10:21:52 GMT -6
2 tireless days, 30 degree weather, 6 hours of sleep across 2 nights, likely a marathon's worth of steps.... all worth it. Thank you to the stadium staff for being welcoming and incredibly helpful and open to parents/staff/students/etc. Thank you to all the band parents and directors for listening to the BOA staff for the flow- BOA apparently changed a few things up for the flow this year and the staff hasn't heard too many complaints. (Parents, let your directors know so BOA can get the proper feedback on everything flow, warmup, etc., when surveys go out soon!). Thank you to the CTJ parents + volunteers for your work- every hour put in by you all made San Antonio one of the best contests around. It was wonderful being able to finally put faces with names from here and txbands- LeanderMomma, principalagent, Sanchez, LKendrick, AvonDad. Thank you to all the bands attending, and a special one for each of the finalist bands. The night only got better as the hours ticked away in finals. Lastly, thank you to all the BOA staff for their tireless, hard work. Us Hoosiers in Indianapolis have been blessed with an amazing facility like LOS, where the stadium itself made the jobs of each of the staff/volunteers easier. Working San Antonio made me realize how much goes behind the scenes to create moments that I know our fans, peers, parents, and kids will keep for the rest of their lives. We are truly blessed to have a community like this. Personally I didn’t really like entering and exiting on the same side of the field. Getting props off while the kids were coming back out the exit for pictures was sort of a cluster. Other than that I thought it was a pretty good flow in and out. Personally I didn’t really like entering and exiting on the same side of the field. Getting props off while the kids were coming back out the exit for pictures was sort of a cluster. Other than that I thought it was a pretty good flow in and out. Using the lefts side of the field to load AND unload the field just always seems like such a traffic jam of a logistical problem. I’m sure there’s a good reason they don’t load on the left and unload to the right- like they do in Indy, but I really wonder why they can’t make that possible... Logistically, it's just better from the left side instead because the truck parking lot is literally right beyond the fenced area so parents can load their trucks up with minimal hassle. BOA tried a new flow this year where the props could be dropped off into the docking area to the immediate left of the band exit so the kids could take their pictures. The parents can either just keep going back to buses with their props or take those in the docking area up one-by-one. This ended up working really well because the props were still getting out, but without having a long line where an entering band would have to wait as: 1. the props could get through quickly enough before a band was supposed to enter; 2. the props could wait patiently otherwise without anyone behind them pressuring to go; and 3. the docking area was still getting cleared at a quick, efficient rate before a band would need it while exiting. Furthermore, the entrances to the west end (the right side) are not tall enough for the BOA specifications (which I believe was 12 feet), so props would not be able to exit. I am not too knowledgeable about the Alamodome layout, but from where I worked, there's no way at all for pit to get from the west (right watching from stands) to the east (left) side of the stadium. There are walkways but that would be a ridiculously long walk around the stadium, including cutting through the color guard warm-up. The tunnel underneath the stands, next to the band exit, was not approved by the stadium staff to be opened for this event. It may be in the future (maybe?), but don't count on it. Lastly, the flow works and it has been for several years now in terms of getting bands onto the field. Pit and props have report times early enough for them to get situated in the only large area in the entire stadium. BOA had to make a few exceptions for bands like Vista Ridge (stage had to be dismantled at band entrance) and Rouse (I love band, but sometimes it's a little too much... see Rouse props.), but otherwise most were fine with the flow. The only times it didn't work was when the pit and props didn't show up on time- we had one band show up with their props 3 minutes before their performance time- there were supposed to be there 25-ish minutes before. However, while the 2 gates are an issue, I have heard many praises from the staff that had worked at San Antonio before about new flow. It used to be apparently a hot mess with outdoor warmups. It's still moderately difficult to a degree with the indoor warmups and narrow tunnels, but many were extremely happy about taking the weather hazards completely out of the equation, and the flow otherwise in those tunnels went as smoothly as possible according to the BOA staff. If you want some reassurance, I can tell you that the BOA staff is very committed to making San Antonio flow better each year. The stadium is an absolutely terrific place, but it comes with quite a few issues (more so than most stadiums I've been too, I'll tell you). Again, let your director know so that the proper feedback can reach the staff, specifically the pictures- I think that would be an area of improvement potentially.
|
|
|
Post by N.E. Brigand on Nov 4, 2019 15:09:04 GMT -6
Finally, speaking on behalf of the non Texans, we are blown away by how many awesome bands there are in Texas. It has become insane. Time for Texas to split into five states (as permitted by the resolution that admitted Texas into the U.S. in 1845), to make it fair for everyone else.
|
|
|
Post by AvonDad on Nov 4, 2019 20:14:53 GMT -6
Speaking of AvonDad... has anybody heard from him? Is he meeting with a real estate agent about looking for a home in San Antonio? No, not yet. We are taking the "scenic" route back home so the wife could visit the Pioneer woman lodge in OK. Still formulating my thoughts on the weekend as we were blown away with the Friday afternoon block. We got there in time for JBA and needed that 4.30 break to catch our breath and thoughts. Cant say I've ever felt that at a GN. Hendrickson actual brought chills with Bacchanal and I Will Survive intermixed duet. My wife is a vocal coach and loved their singer. Home tomorrow night and already thinking about 2021 back to SA. Watching online can not do that competition justice. It needs to be experienced live to feel the energy coming off that field. We've now got to experience 2 record breakers at that contest and I'm starting to mess up big time from this phone, so I'll call it for now.
|
|
|
Post by bigblue2019 on Nov 5, 2019 0:45:03 GMT -6
WOW. I still can't believe that Ronald Reagan won with NO PROPS!! Ronald Reagan is really something. If Broken Arrow did come down to San Antonio, They would have a good shot.But WOW. Props isn't a requirement to win. Being able to perform the bejesus out of your show musically and visually.....wins.!
|
|