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Post by MarchingBand4Life on Nov 22, 2021 8:31:48 GMT -6
Back in my day (late 80s), it seems TX bands had little/no presence on the GN stage.
Now that I have a kiddo marching in BOA competitions, I see TX everywhere, with a substantial presence at GN.
For the historians in our midst, when did TX really start making a bigger presence at GN? Was there a particular catalyst for this?
Interested to hear about this in a succinct thread as I've seen this topic brought up in other threads, but not discussed deeply.
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Post by jmike16 on Nov 22, 2021 16:34:40 GMT -6
I would say when Spring won Grand Nationals in 1993, would be when Texas bands started making more of a presence at Nats. Also Correct me if I'm wrong but since 1993, has there been a year where there were no Texas bands in finals?
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Post by abtwitch on Nov 22, 2021 16:36:18 GMT -6
I would say when Spring won Grand Nationals in 1993, would be when Texas bands started making more of a presence at Nats. Also Correct me if I'm wrong but since 1993, has there been a year where there were no Texas bands in finals? 2000 is the last year where there were no TX bands in finals |
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Post by jmike16 on Nov 22, 2021 21:13:32 GMT -6
I would say when Spring won Grand Nationals in 1993, would be when Texas bands started making more of a presence at Nats. Also Correct me if I'm wrong but since 1993, has there been a year where there were no Texas bands in finals? 2000 is the last year where there were no TX bands in finals Ahhh ok. Thats still pretty impressive. |
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Post by marchingmaniac on Nov 22, 2021 21:35:09 GMT -6
Spring and Westfield were probably the two bands that really brought attention to Texas on the national scene. Then in the early 2000s you had LD Bell, Ronald Reagan, and the Woodlands that started making noise at Grand Nationals. After that Marcus and LD Bell seemed to run marching band in Texas for the rest of the decade and in the early 2010s before the scene really exploded.
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Post by boahistorybuff on Nov 23, 2021 9:55:05 GMT -6
The first BOA regional held in Texas was in 1980, it was won by Union HS OK. At least one regional per year has been held in Texas ever since. The first Texas band to win a BOA regional was Lake Highlands in 1982. In 1985 Westfield became the first Texas band to make Grand National finals, they placed 2nd and won the Open Class Title. That was the only Texas band to even attend Grand Nationals in the 1980s. Westfield's second trip to Grand Nationals was in 1990. They again finished 2nd but this time by only 0.05 points. By 1990 Westfield had already amassed several BOA regional titles.
I would say that in the 1980s most Texas bands had a more traditional style show. While many were marching corps style, the visuals were just not on par with what top level BOA programs were doing. Then came Westfield with their director Philip Geiger and the drill designs of Steve Brubaker, who was also the drill designer for the Cavaliers. They put forth a more difficult music program and combined it with some intricate drill designs. It was a game changer in Texas. I should also mention Duncanville, who although had a little more traditional visual routine, played with an amazing ensemble sound. After winning UIL in 1986 and 1990, Duncanville first participated in BOA in 1991, winning a BOA regional title and finishing 6th at Grand Nationals.
In the early 1990s Spring came along, also with the visual designer Steve Brubaker. They kind of took the music and visual difficulty of Westfield and put forth an even stronger ensemble sound that was noted in Duncanville and won the Grand National title in 1993, the first Texas band to do so.
These events seemed to inspire more and more Texas bands to expand their competitive programs and participate in BOA. The fact that Texas has had a rapidly growing suburban population over the last several decades with an increasing number of financially stable school districts that provide decent funding to their music programs has resulted in an explosion of high quality marching bands in the state. The expansion of BOA regionals in Texas over the last couple of decades and the increasing competitiveness of UIL has also certainly contributed.
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