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Post by boahistorybuff on Jan 27, 2022 3:51:46 GMT -6
I will start with the list of BOA Regional Champions, then tackle GN Finalists. I will also tackle some other factoids that come to mind. So I will build on this thread over time.
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Post by boahistorybuff on Jan 27, 2022 5:04:12 GMT -6
Regional Titles (1978 - 2021). Note: only two regionals were held in 1978 and the fall championship season was canceled in 2020. Also, Super Regional Champions are included in this list.
29 Norwin PA (79,80[2],81,82[2],83,84[2],85,86,89,96,97,98,99[2],00,03,11,12[3],13,14,16,17,18,19)
26 Carmel IN (98,01[2],02,03,05[2],06,07[2],09[2],10[2],13[2],16,17[3],18[2],19,21[2],22)
25 Tarpon Springs FL (98,99,00[2],01[2],02,03,04,05,06[2],08,09,10,11,12,14,15,16,17,18,21[2],22)
22 Kiski Area PA (88,89,90,92,93,95,96,97,01,02,04,06,07,09,10,11,14,15,18,19,21,22)
20 Centerville OH (87,93,94,95,98[2],99,00,02[2],03[2],04[2],05[2],08,11,12,19)
19 Broken Arrow OK (97,98,99,07,08,09,10,11,13[2],14,15,16,17,18,19[2],21,22)
15 LD Bell TX (00[2],01[2],02,04[2],06[2],08[2],09[2],10,11)
13 Avon IN (03,06,09,10,11,12,14,15[2],16,17,19,22)
12 Ayala CA (06,07,08,09,10,12,13,14,15,18[2],19) Ronald Reagan TX (01,03,04,05[2],06,15,16,18,19[2],21)
11 American Fork UT (08,09,12,13,14,15,16,17,19,21,22)
10 Lassiter GA (95,97,98[2],01,02,05,07,09,13) Harrison GA (04,06,08,11,14[2],16,17,18,19)
9 Lawrence Central IN (99,02,04[2],05,07,08[2],09) Westfield TX (84,85,87,88,90,92,95,96,03)
8 Etiwanda CA (94,95,98,99,00,02,03,05) Lake Park IL (88,91,93,95,96[2],97,01) Claudia Taylor Johnson TX (14[2],15,17[3],18[2]) Flower Mound TX (15[2],16[2],18[2],19,21)
7 Center Grove IN (90,95,97[2],99[2],02) Marcus TX (07[2],08,10,11,12[2]) Dobyns-Bennett TN (13,14,15,16,19,22[2])
6 Kennesaw Mountain GA (02,03[2],07,08,15) William Mason OH (10,13,14,15,16,18) Winston Churchill TX (97[2],98,99,04,05) Stephen F. Austin TX (02,03,04,07,09,10) Hebron TX (13,14,17,21,22[2])
5 JM Tate FL (78,80,88,89,92) Marian Catholic IL (85,87,88,89,00) Plymouth-Canton MI (90,92,06,07,12) Rocky Mount NC (83,84,85,86,87) Spring TX (93,94,95,98,99) James Bowie TX (11,13,14,16,19) The Woodlands TX (12,13[2],21,22) Vandegrift TX (16,17,19,21,22)
4 Upland CA (04,05,06,11) Chesterton IN (80,81[2],84) Castle IN (14,16,17,21) King Phillip Regional MA (00,01,04,06) West Salem OR (13,14,17,18)
3 Clovis West CA (88,10,16) George Rogers Clark KY (91[2],92) Lafayette KY (96,97,19) North Hardin KY (00,11,12) Paul Laurence Dunbar KY (04,05,08) Westminster MD (03,09,10) Pearl MS (83,86,87) Union OK (80,86,00) Fort Mill SC (11,15,17) Wando SC (18[2],21) McGavock TN (90,95,96)
2 Seminole FL (93,94) Carleton J Kell GA (10[2]) O'Fallon Township IL (15,18) Homestead IN (17,19) Clovis NM (22[2]) Westerville South OH (91,94) Northmont OH (00,02) Lakota West OH (21,22) Nation Ford SC (16,17) Franklin TN (12,13) Duncanville TX (91,92) Leander TX (96,15) Moe & Gene Johnson TX (21,22) John B. Alexander TX (19,22) Cedar Park TX (21,22) University WA (80,85)
1 Independence CA (80) Fred C Beyer CA (93) Mission Viejo CA (96) Saratoga CA (15) Vista Murrieta CA (16) Rampart CO (07) Trumbull CT (16) Joe E Newsome FL (15) South Cobb GA (79) Sprayberry GA (80) Alan C. Pope GA (92) Walton GA (21) Herscher IL (82) Prospect IL (01) Northrop IN (83) Lafayette Jefferson IN (83) Lawrence North IN (85) Lake Central IN (13) Goshen IN (14) Brownsburg IN (21) Danville KY (82) Louisville Male KY (03) Adair County KY (07) Comeaux LA (81) Flushing MI (79) Reeths-Puffer MI (08) Jenison MI (22) Grenada MS (85) Blue Springs MO (19) Camdenton MO (21) Lincoln SD (22) Sierra Vista NV (07) West Genesee NY (94) West Johnston NC (08) Central Crossing OH (07) Owasso OK (12) Coweta OK (19) Northwestern Lehigh PA (96) North Penn PA (02) James F. Byrnes SC (99) Irmo SC (01) Catawba Ridge SC (22) Father Ryan TN (11) Lake Highlands TX (82) Klein TX (89) Harlingen TX (05) Dripping Springs TX (17) Timber Creek TX (18) Vista Ridge TX (19) Louis D. Brandeis TX (21) Wakeland TX (22) Sky View UT (79) Mountain Crest UT (86) Falls Church VA (78) James Madison VA (19)
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Post by boahistorybuff on Jan 27, 2022 5:59:33 GMT -6
Some Regional Factoids
* The very first BOA Regional was held in Harrisonburg, VA on Oct 28, 1978 (the first of only two regionals held that season). Falls Church HS, VA won that regional, becoming the first band to be crowned regional champion. This was Falls Church's first and only regional title. In fact, it would be 40 years before another Virgina band would win a regional title.
* The first Indiana band to win a regional title was Chesterton HS in 1980.
* The first Texas band to win a regional title was Lake Highlands HS in 1982.
* The first BOA Super Regional was held in 2003 in San Antonio. It was won by Westfield HS, TX.
* Prior to 2017, a tie at the top at a BOA regional was broken by the band with the highest overall GE Score. As far as I know, a tie break determined a regional champion once. In 1999, at the Morgantown WV regional, Norwin PA and Kiski PA tied in overall score. The regional title was awarded to Norwin as they had the highest GE score.
* From 2017 onward, if bands tie for a regional title, the regional titled is shared, thus giving regional co-champions. So far this has happened once, in 2019 at the Mid Atlantic/Washington DC area regional where Norwin PA and James Madison VA tied and became regional co champions.
* The biggest upset for a regional title (in my opinion) came in 1986 at the Conroe TX regional. Westfield HS TX (who had finished 2nd at Grand Nationals the year prior) was likely heavily favored to win. They had the highest score after prelims; over 5 points higher than the second highest score in prelims. In prelims, Pearl HS MS finished 4th overall and scored a little more than eleven points lower then Westfield. In finals, Pearl improved their score by over 13 points from prelims. They ended up finishing a point and a half higher then Westfield to win the regional title.
* At the 2015 Austin Regional, Round Rock HS, TX received a .5 point penalty which cost them the regional title (they ended up finishing 3rd). To this day, Round Rock has yet to win a regional title. To my knowledge, this is the only instance of a band losing the regional title due to a penalty.
* Not only does Norwin hold the record for most BOA regional titles, they have been the record holder since 1980. Their regional titles span 40 years and touch five decades. They have competed (and been finalists in) BOA regionals every single season of BOA's regional championships except 1992 (not sure about 1978). In 1980, they became the first band to win two BOA regionals in the same season and in 2012 they became the first band to win three BOA regionals in the same season.
* Marian Catholic actually has more Grand National titles than Regional titles.
* Kiski Area is the band with the most regional titles that did not win a Grand National title.
* Upland CA, King Phillip Regional MA and West Salem OR have the most regional titles (four) without ever appearing in Grand National Finals.
* New Jersey is the most populous state to never have produced a regional champion and Mississippi is the least populous state to have produced a regional champion.
* The largest gap between regional wins is 22 years and it happened twice; Clovis West CA from 1988 to 2010 and Lafayette KY from 1997 to 2019.
* Since the start of fall Grand Nationals in 1980, every first time Grand National Champion has won at least one BOA regional title prior to their win at Grand Nationals.
* In 1991, Plymouth-Canton EP, MI became the first of the fall Grand National Champion bands not to have won a regional title during the season of their Grand National title.
* The only year that every single regional champion attended Grand Nationals was 1991 (granted there were only 5 regionals that season). Ironically, none of the top three bands in finals won the regional that they attended.
* 1998 was the first year that all Grand National Finalist bands won at least one regional title prior to their appearance in Grand National finals.
* In 1993, Carmel missed their performance time at the BOA Indy regional due to a bus accident. They were given deductions for this rather than being disqualified, resulting in them getting a negative score at the regional. In 2015, Leander missed their performance time at the San Antonio Super Regional due to massive flooding in metro Austin. They were allowed to compete in exhibition.
* Broken Arrow holds the record for most consecutive regional titles, 16 and counting. BA has won every regional they have competed in since 2007.
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Post by LeanderMomma on Jan 27, 2022 8:35:10 GMT -6
In 2015, Leander missed their performance time at the San Antonio Super Regional due to massive flooding in metro Austin. They were allowed to compete in exhibition.
I’m still bitter about that. 🤪
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Post by trumpet300 on Jan 27, 2022 9:09:10 GMT -6
I will start with the list of BOA Regional Champions, then tackle GN Finalists. I will also tackle some other factoids that come to mind. So I will build on this thread over time. Something I think is pretty cool is that, when Norwin wins their next regional, they will span 6 decades and reach the 30 regionals mark all in one go! That will be quite the night!
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Post by boahistorybuff on Jan 27, 2022 9:48:25 GMT -6
I will start with the list of BOA Regional Champions, then tackle GN Finalists. I will also tackle some other factoids that come to mind. So I will build on this thread over time. Something I think is pretty cool is that, when Norwin wins their next regional, they will span 6 decades and reach the 30 regionals mark all in one go! That will be quite the night! Yes it will! Given their performance at Grand Nationals this past year, I don't think Norwin is done winning regional titles.
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Post by es203 on Jan 27, 2022 9:50:35 GMT -6
* The biggest upset for a regional title (in my opinion) came in 1986 at the Conroe TX regional. Westfield HS TX (who had finished 2nd at Grand Nationals the year prior) was likely heavily favored to win. They had the highest score after prelims; over 5 points higher than the second highest score in prelims. In prelims, Pearl HS MS finished 4th overall and scored a little more than eleven points lower then Westfield. In finals, Pearl improved their score by over 13 points from prelims. They ended up finishing a point and a half higher then Westfield to win the regional title.
I will never complain about judging again after reading this
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Post by trumpet300 on Jan 27, 2022 12:29:47 GMT -6
Something I think is pretty cool is that, when Norwin wins their next regional, they will span 6 decades and reach the 30 regionals mark all in one go! That will be quite the night! Yes it will! Given their performance at Grand Nationals this past year, I don't think Norwin is done winning regional titles. Me either!! They have always been good but last year changed the game in 2A in my opinion. And don't get me wrong, Kiski was good, but Norwins show was built to peak at Nationals and that's exactly what we saw happen. They may have lost to Kiski at Maryland but they cleaned up so much before Nationals and in my opinion, had kiski gone to Nationals, Norwin still would have taken the title, though, I do believe Kiski would have been second over Marian.
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Post by Subito Fortissimo on Jan 27, 2022 20:53:45 GMT -6
* The biggest upset for a regional title (in my opinion) came in 1986 at the Conroe TX regional. Westfield HS TX (who had finished 2nd at Grand Nationals the year prior) was likely heavily favored to win. They had the highest score after prelims; over 5 points higher than the second highest score in prelims. In prelims, Pearl HS MS finished 4th overall and scored a little more than eleven points lower then Westfield. In finals, Pearl improved their score by over 13 points from prelims. They ended up finishing a point and a half higher then Westfield to win the regional title.
I wish there was someone around here that was at that show. Would love to hear their opinions on those results.
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Post by boahistorybuff on Jan 28, 2022 5:06:51 GMT -6
Grand National Finalists (1976 - 2021); excluding the 2020 season of course. This will exclude the summer nationals of the 1980s. From 1976 to 1979, bands were split in two class and finals consisted of the top 6 from each class. From 1980 to 1990, finalists consisted of the top 12 from prelims and the top two from each class if they were not already part of the top 12. From 1991 onward, finalist bands were chosen based on the top group from prelims (then later semi finals) regardless of class.
34 Marian Catholic IL (84-17)
26 Carmel IN (96-19,21,22)
21 Plymouth-Canton MI (88-02,04-08,12)
20 Avon IN (01,03-19,21,22)
19 Centerville OH (84,86-89,92-00,03-05,08,09)
18 Lake Park IL (85-02)
17 Lawrence Central IN (96,97,99-13) Broken Arrow OK (98-01, 06-12,14,15,17,18,21,22)
15 Center Grove IN (93,95-03,05,07,09,10,12)
14 Tarpon Springs FL (97,98,00,01,03,05,06,08,10,12,14,16,18,22)
11 Union OK (86,89,90,95,98,00,10,11,14,17,19) The Woodlands TX (02,04,06,07,09,11,13,15,17,19,21)
10 Westerville South OH (83,84,88,90-96) William Mason OH (11-16,18,19,21,22)
9 Norwin PA (81-85,87,89,90,95) LD Bell TX (01,03,05-10,13)
8 Kennesaw Mountain GA (02-04,06,08,10,12,14) Kiski Area PA (88,89,91,94,96,98,01,03)
7 Western IN (84-90)
6 Ben Davis IN (81-84,04,08) Homestead IN (94,14-16,18,19) George Rogers Clark KY (78,88-92) Flushing MI (79-82,87,91) West Genesee NY (85-87,90,91,95) New Philadelphia OH (83-85,87-89) Ronald Reagan TX (02,03,05,12,16,21)
5 JM Tate FL (79-82,89) Prospect IL (86,87,90,94,95) Chesterton IN (79,81-84) Northrop IN (81,84,85,92,93) Lafayette Jefferson IN (82-86) Rocky Mount NC (81-84,86) Wando SC (09,11,14,16,18) McGavock TN (86-88,90,97) Dobyns-Bennett TN (16-18,21,22)
4 Lassiter GA (90,94,98,02) Crystal Lake IL (76-79) Lawrence North IN (85,86,89,92) Blue Springs MO (15,17,18,21) Liverpool NY (84,87-89) Westfield TX (85,90,95,03) Winston Churchill TX (98,99,02,06) Stephen F Austin TX (02,04,07,10) Marcus TX (09,13,17,21) Claudia Taylor Johnson TX (11,16,19,21) Round Rock TX (13,15,17,19)
3 Live Oak CA (76-78) Etiwanda CA (92,95,99) Ayala CA (04,13,19) Seminole FL (80,93,94) Harrison GA (07,13,15) Conant IL (76-78) Monticello IL (77-79) Castle IN (16,17,22) Oskaloosa IA (76-78) Lafayette KY (83,95,04) Bridgeport MI (76-78) Kosciusko MS (76,77,79) Central Cabarrus NC (87,88,91) Hanover PA (79-81) Irmo SC (91,92,01) Leander TX (99,16,19) James Bowie TX (06,09,12) Flower Mound TX (14,17,21)
2 Dundee IL (76,77) Herscher IL (76,78) Warren Central IN (81,82) Webster City IA (77,78) Danville KY (81,82) North Hardin KY (85,89) Comeaux LA (80,82) Lafayette LA (08,11) Jenison MI (92,94) Pearl MS (83,86) Cicero North Syracuse NY (87,88) Webster NY (93,97) Tuscola NC (82,83) Carroll OH (82,83) Marietta OH (87,92) Owasso OK (05,11) Duncanville TX (91,93) Spring TX (91,93) Richland TX (05,07) Cedar Park TX (10,16) Prosper TX (18,22) Hebron TX (15,19) Oregon WI (78,79)
1 Independence CA (79) Pomona CO (96) Pinellas Park FL (80) Gainesville FL (80) Miami Southridge FL (80) Sprayberry GA (80) South Cobb GA (80) Rock Falls IL (76) Bishop McNamara IL (77) O'Fallon Township IL (18) Haworth IN (78) Tell City IN (80) Maconaquah IN (81) Paoli IN (83) Lawrence Township IN (14) Brownsburg IN (22) Fishers IN (22) Murray KY (77) Adair County KY (90) Southern Garrett MD (80) Sturgis MI (76) Chesaning Union MI (76) Reeths-Puffer MI (99) Jackson Academy MS (93) Madison-Mayodan NC (76) Sylva-Webster NC (79) Hilliard OH (79) Marlington OH (86) Northmont OH (00) Bellbrook OH (00) Jenks OK (18) McDowell PA (77) McGuffey PA (78) Klein TX (94) Cedar Ridge TX (13) Keller TX (15) Vandegrift TX (19) Vista Ridge TX (21) Southlake Carrol TX (22) Robert E Hendrickson TX (22) American Fork UT (95) Falls Church VA (79) John S Battle VA (81) Lake Braddock VA (85)
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Post by boahistorybuff on Jan 28, 2022 6:20:22 GMT -6
Some Grand National Factoids
* From 1976 to 1979, Grand Nationals was held in June in Whitewater, WI. In 1980, Grand Nationals was moved to the late fall (November). The June Whitewater competition did continue through 1989 as the Summer Nationals.
* Host Cities for Grand Nationals: 1976-1979 - Whitewater, WI; 1980 - Jacksonville, FL; 1981-1983 - Johnson City, TN; 1987 and 1988 - Pontiac, MI; 1984-1986 and 1989-present - Indianapolis, IN
* Marian Catholic IL holds the record for most Grand National titles; 7.
* The first Indiana band to make Grand National Finals was Haworth in 1978
* The first Texas band to make Grand National Finals was Westfield in 1985
* A three-peat Grand National Champion happed three times; Marian Catholic IL from 1987 to 1989, Avon IN from 2008 to 2010 and Carmel IN from 2016 to 2018
* In 1978, Live Oak CA became the first band to win two Grand National Titles.
* In 1984, Rocky Mount NC became the first band to win back to back Grand National Titles.
* Aside from the June Grand Nationals of the 1970s, the only Grand National Championships held outdoors was at Jacksonville, FL in 1980. 1980 was also the latest in the season that Grand Nationals was held (late November). A cold snap hit north Florida that weekend, making finals night very cold. Thiis likely prompted the need to secure an indoor venue for future fall Grand Nationals.
* The participating bands at the 1980 Grand Nationals also took part in a parade through the streets of Jacksonville.
* Two bands lost the Grand National Title due to a penalty; Live Oak CA in 1977 and Flushing MI in 1980.
* In 2016, Carmel IN and Avon IN tied for highest score in Grand National Finals. The rules for a tie was that the band with the highest overall general effect was awarded the title, which went to Carmel. Following this event, a rule change was implemented where a tie at the top for a regional or grand national title would be shared (co-champions).
* In 2021, Broken Arrow OK scored 98.25 points in Grand National Finals, becoming the first band to break 98 points and setting the current BOA score record.
* In 1988, Marian Catholic IL placed first in Grand National Finals, finishing 5.1 points ahead of second place Lake Park IL. This is the largest point spread between 1st and 2nd in Grand National Finals.
* In 1977, 35.1 points separated the first and last place bands in finals, the largest point spread among Grand National finalists.
* In 2003, 6.7 points separated the first and last place bands in finals, the smallest point spread among Grand Nationals finalists.
* Flushing MI is the only band to have been a Grand National finalist at least once in each of the cities that have hosted Grand Nationals.
* 1980 had the most bands (seven) who made their first and only appearance in Grand National finals.
* There have only been four years when all Grand National finalist bands had been prior finalists at least once; 1989, 2003, 2012 and 2017.
* The most Grand National finalist bands from the same state for a given year is six and it happened twice; 2019 and 2021 each had six bands from Texas in finals.
* The most states represented in GN finals in a given year is 11 and it happened three times; 1979, 1990 and 1995.
* The least states represented in GN finals in a given year is 5 which occurred in 2019.
* The most populous state to have not produced a GN finalist is New Jersey and least populous to have produced a GN finalist is Mississippi.
* The largest band to have been in GN finals (per my estimation) is Duncanville TX in 1991 and 1993 (not sure which is larger); they likely had well over 400. It is possible that if you exclude the guard, Vandegrift TX may be the largest (I have not seen the numbers so hard to say).
* The smallest band to have been in GN finals is Jackson Academy MS with just under 40 members total.
* In 1976, Sturgis MI performed a show that was very much traditional style (college half time style) show as opposed to a corps style. They also did not have a guard. They may be the only GN finalist band that did not have a color guard.
*Most GN finals has consisted of 12 bands. In 1986 and 1988 13 bands were selected as one Class A band was advanced into finals. In 1987, 1989 and 1990, 14 bands were selected as the top two class A bands were advanced to finals. In 1995, the year prior to the Semi Finals format, a top 14 was selected for finals. The first two years of the semi finals format (1996 and 1997) only a top 10 was selected for finals. In 2016, two bands tied for 12th in semi finals. Per the rules, both bands advanced to finals, making 13 finalists that year.
* In 2003, BOA opted not to anounce scores and placements during the finals award ceremony. They only announced highest achievement awards and the GN Champion. While the idea was to award for the achievement for just making finals, it did not go over well. They went back to announcing placements (not scores) in 2004 and then just went back reading scores and placements in 2005.
* Union OK has had the most appearances in Grand National finals (11) without ever being crowned Grand National Champion.
* Western IN is the band with the most finals appearances (7) that never won a BOA regional title; a bit of a gray area here as they were advanced to finals four times based on class.
* Two Class A bands have won the Grand National title; Murray KY in 1977 and Sylva-Webster NC in 1979
* The largest gap between GN finals appearances is 20 years; Ben Davis IN from 1984 to 2004 and Homestead IN from 1994 to 2014
* Marian Catholic has the most finals appearances; 34. All of those appearances have been with the same director; Greg Bimm
* Ken Snoeck became the first director to lead two different bands to Grand National finals; Bridgeport MI in the 1970s and then Lake Park IL starting in 1985.
* Avon IN has the most connsecutive top three finishes in GN finals; 14 and counting.
* I believe that Centerville OH has just missed finals (finishing in the unlucky number 13 spot) more times than any other band, 4 (1985,2002,2006,2007)
* The biggest placement jump for a band into finals from one year to the next is Central Cabarrus NC who placed 27th in 1986 and then finished 7th in GN finals in 1987
* There have only been six occasions when the Grand National Champion band did not win the overall General Effect award; 1976,1977,1987,2001,2004 and 2012.
* During the early to mid 1980s, there was opening commentary prior to the bands performance; I believe for broadcast on PBS.
* The Covid pandemic led to cancellation of the entire 2020 season. In 2021, one of the Covid safety restrictions put in place was no bands on the field for the retreat during the awards ceremony.
* In 2022, one week prior to Grand Nationals, Robert E Henrickson HS placed 25th in prelims at the BOA San Antonio Regional. In Grand National Prelims, they finished 16th. Then in Semi Finals, they slid into 12th place to land into finals. Then in Finals, they jumped up to 9th place.
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Post by boahistorybuff on Jan 28, 2022 10:35:28 GMT -6
* The biggest upset for a regional title (in my opinion) came in 1986 at the Conroe TX regional. Westfield HS TX (who had finished 2nd at Grand Nationals the year prior) was likely heavily favored to win. They had the highest score after prelims; over 5 points higher than the second highest score in prelims. In prelims, Pearl HS MS finished 4th overall and scored a little more than eleven points lower then Westfield. In finals, Pearl improved their score by over 13 points from prelims. They ended up finishing a point and a half higher then Westfield to win the regional title.
I wish there was someone around here that was at that show. Would love to hear their opinions on those results. I of course was not there or in the activity that year (I was in 7th grade). I can only offer my theory. I don't believe they had chief judges to oversee the scores back then for one thing. Now even though it has been decades since I last saw the VHS recording of Pearl at Grand Nationals in 1986, I do remember that they were very good (I mean they took 5th place and won marching in Grand National finals that year). 1986 was probably the best show Pearl put on the field. Looking at the BOA recap sheets, Pearl was the second band to perform in prelims, so an early morning time slot. They may not have been at their best, maybe a bit of a rough show. They performed right after a band that got 50 points. The judges scored Pearl quite a bit higher, but maybe not enough. Pearl then performed later in finals. Perhaps they really delivered a strong show in finals and got more reasonable scores by the judges. So that is my theory, but yeah I would love to hear from someone that was at that competition, someone from Pearl would be best.
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Post by 78haworth on Jan 28, 2022 12:50:12 GMT -6
I know for the 1978 finals in Whitewater bands were not on the field for awards. We were sitting in the stands on the "visitor" side.
Interesting fact about Falls Church - They competed and won the field competition at the St Petersburg, FL Festival of State held in April 1978. This is the year of the 78 Blizzard. My band, Haworth, could not prepare the field portion of the competition on our normal parking lot because the piles of snow from plowing the parking lot had not melted by April. We traveled to Grissom Air Force Base to put the show together in 2 separate hangers! The 2 sides of the show were never put together until the 1st practice after we arrived in St. Pete.
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Post by boahistorybuff on Jan 28, 2022 13:26:11 GMT -6
I know for the 1978 finals in Whitewater bands were not on the field for awards. We were sitting in the stands on the "visitor" side. Interesting fact about Falls Church - They competed and won the field competition at the St Petersburg, FL Festival of State held in April 1978. This is the year of the 78 Blizzard. My band, Haworth, could not prepare the field portion of the competition on our normal parking lot because the piles of snow from plowing the parking lot had not melted by April. We traveled to Grissom Air Force Base to put the show together in 2 separate hangers! The 2 sides of the show were never put together until the 1st practice after we arrived in St. Pete. Interesting info, surprised to here about no retreat in 1978 and how that blizzard which occurred in late January affected spring rehearsals.
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Post by srv1084 on Jan 28, 2022 17:32:42 GMT -6
* In 2003, BOA opted not to anounce scores and placements during the finals award ceremony. They only announced highest achievement awards and the GN Champion. While the idea was to award for the achievement for just making finals, it did not go over well. They went back to announcing placements (not scores) in 2004 and then just went back reading scores and placements in 2005.
2004 was especially awkward when Chuck accidentally said Ayala's score in 12th, but then proceeded to withhold scores for the rest of the finalists.
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Post by supersound on Jan 28, 2022 17:37:31 GMT -6
In 2015, Leander missed their performance time at the San Antonio Super Regional due to massive flooding in metro Austin. They were allowed to compete in exhibition.
I’m still bitter about that. 🤪 This entire situation was a mess. I think it’s what might’ve soured Dripping Springs from attending SA in the future. Terrible flooding and a terrible situation for the bands involved.
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Post by LeanderMomma on Jan 28, 2022 21:23:24 GMT -6
I’m still bitter about that. 🤪 This entire situation was a mess. I think it’s what might’ve soured Dripping Springs from attending SA in the future. Terrible flooding and a terrible situation for the bands involved. it was an awful mess!
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Post by principalagent on Jan 29, 2022 10:51:33 GMT -6
Leander would have contended for a medal, Hendrickson would have easily made finals, and Dripping Springs would have been firmly on the bubble. But that did help Keller make finals, which probably gave them a push to make their first Grand National Finals. All is well that ends well.
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Post by boahistorybuff on Jan 30, 2022 9:43:57 GMT -6
Grand National Champions and Class Champions
Grand National Champion Titles (1976 - 2022)
7 Marian Catholic IL (85,87,88,89,94,97,00)
6 Carmel IN (05,12,16,17,18,22)
4 Broken Arrow OK (06,11,15,21)
3 Rocky Mount NC (83,84,86) Plymouth-Canton MI (90,91,99) Avon IN (08,09,10)
2 Live Oak CA (76,78) Lassiter GA (98,02) Lawrence Central IN (01,04)
1 Murray KY (77) Sylva-Webster NC (79) JM Tate FL (80) Chesterton IN (81) Norwin PA (82) Centerville OH (92) Spring TX (93) Center Grove IN (95) Lake Park IL (96) Westfield TX (03) LD Bell TX (07) The Woodlands TX (13) Tarpon Springs FL (14) Vandegrift TX (19)
Grand National Class Champion Titles Open Class (1976-1985) for large school bands and in the 80s open to smaller school bands if they opted Class A (1976-2022) for small school bands Class AA (1980-2022) for mid sized school bands Class AAA (1986-2022) for large school bands Class AAAA (2009-2022) for very large school bands
21 Marian Catholic IL (AAA - 00, AA - 85,86,87,88,89,92,93,95,96,97,98,07,08,09,10,11,13,15,17,19)
11 Tarpon Springs FL (AAA - 10; AA - 00,01,03,05,06,12,14,16,18,22)
8 Bellbrook OH (AA - 04; A - 94,95,98,99,00,01,13)
6 Adair County KY (A - 05,07,14,15,16,17)
5 Western IN (A - 84,85,88,90,12) Avon IN (AAAA - 09,10,16; AAA - 08; AA - 02) Carmel IN (AAAA - 12,17,18,22; AAA - 01) Bourbon County KY (A - 08,09,10,18,19)
4 Plymouth-Canton MI (AAA - 90,91,92,99) Norwin PA (Open - 81,82,84; AA - 21)
3 Live Oak CA (Open - 76,77,78) Kennesaw Mountain GA (AAA - 04,12,14) Center Grove IN (AAA - 96,97,09) Rocky Mount NC (AAA - 86; AA - 83,84) Broken Arrow OK (AAAA - 11,14,21) Dobyns-Bennett TN (AAA - 18,21,22) Westfield TX (Open - 85; AAA - 95,03)
2 Lassiter GA (AAA - 98,02) Harrison GA (AAA - 13,15) Lake Park IL (AAA - 88,89) Chesterton IN (AA - 81,82) Norwell IN (A - 02,03) Murray KY (A - 77,21) Danville KY (A - 81,82) Beechwood KY (A - 06,11) Jackson Academy MS (A - 93,04) New Philadelphia OH (A - 87,89) Kiski Area PA (AA - 91,94) The Woodlands TX (AAAA - 13; AAA - 06) Leander TX (AAA - 16,19)
1 JM Tate FL (Open - 80) South Cobb GA (AA - 80) Monticello IL (A - 78) Ben Davis IN (Open - 83) Owen Valley IN (A - 92) Castle IN (AAA - 17) Elizabethtown KY (A - 97) Lafayette LA (AAA - 11) Flushing MI (Open - 79) Reeths-Puffer MI (AA - 99) Kosciusko MS (A - 76) Cicero North Syracuse NY (AAA - 87) West Genesee NY (AA - 90) Sylva-Webster NC (A - 79) Carroll OH (A - 83) Marlington OH (A - 86) Westerville South OH (AAA - 94) Archbishop Alter OH (A - 22) Hanover PA (A - 80) Academy PA (A - 91) Northwestern Lehigh PA (A - 96) Spring TX (AAA - 93) Ronald Reagan TX (AAA - 05) LD Bell TX (AAA - 07) Hebron TX (AAAA - 15) Vandegrift TX (AAAA - 19)
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Post by boahistorybuff on Jan 30, 2022 10:04:10 GMT -6
Grand National Champion and Class Champion Factoids
* From 1976 to 1990, the class champion was determined based on finals, so the GN Champion always won their class. Starting in 1991, class champions were determined based on prelims (then on semi finals when that format was added in 1996). This made it possible for the Grand National champion band to have not won their class; which to this day I still find odd.
* Marian Catholic IL has both the largest number of Grand National Titles and the largest number of GN Class Titles. They have more than double the number of class titles than any other band. Marian is also the first band to three peat for the Grand National title. They also have the longest streak of consecutive GN Class Titles; 5. They actually got five in a row two times in history' 85-89 and 07-11.
* Avon IN is the only band to win class titles in three different classes.
* Since 1991, there have been 10 times when the Grand National Champion band did not win their Class; 92,94,95,96,01,04,05,06,15,16.
* Centervill OH and Lawrence Central IN are the only two bands that have won the Grand National title but have never won a class title.
* Avon IN has been runner-up to the GN Title more than any other band; six times.
* Ronald Reagan TX and Flushing MI are the two bands that have been runner-up to the Grand National title the most times without ever having won the GN Title; twice.
* The longest GAP between Grand National Champion Titles is 7 years and it happened twice; Plymouth-Canton MI - 92 to 99 and Carmel IN - 05 to 12.
* The longest GAP between GN Class Titles is 44 years; Murray KY in Class A - 1977 to 2021.
* Indiana is the only state to have produced bands that have won Class Titles in every single class.
* The state of Indiana also has more Grand National Titles under their belt than any other state; 12.
* The state of Kentucky has more Class A Champion Titles under their belt than any other state; 18.
* Indiana and Texas have produced the most bands to have won at least one GN Title; 5.
* While Kiski Area PA has only won two GN Class AA Titles, they have been runner-up to the Class AA Title 8 times.
* In 1980, the Class A Champion Hanover PA placed higher (4th) than the Class AA Champion South Cobb GA (9th). This is the only time in Grand Nationals history that the Class A Champion placed higher than the Class AA Champion (keep in mind the Class AA did not exist in the 1970s).
* The three class champions in 1981 all defended their title in 1982. In 2008, all three class champions won a class title in 2009 (Avon jumped up to the new 4A and a new 3A champ was declared).
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Post by boahistorybuff on Feb 1, 2022 12:39:28 GMT -6
Grand National Highest Placements
This list will give what each GN Finalist bands top placements in GN finals were. Because of the way they did the finals in the 1970s (with 6 highest open class and 6 highest class A), I am going to exclude GN Finals from 1976 to 1979 in this list. So these are the highest placements for the fall Grand Nationals from 1980 to 2021 and the year(s) that they had their highest finish.
1st JM Tate FL (80) Chesterton IN (81) Norwin PA (82) Rocky Mount NC (83,84,86) Marian Catholic IL (85,87,88,89,94,97,00) Plymouth-Canton MI (90,91,99) Centerville OH (92) Spring TX (93) Center Grove IN (95) Lake Park IL (96) Lassiter GA (98,02) Lawrence Central IN (01,04) Westfield TX (03) Carmel IN (05,12,16,17,18) Broken Arrow OK (06,11,15,21) LD Bell TX (07) Avon IN (08,09,10) The Woodlands TX (13) Tarpon Springs FL (14) Vandegrift TX (19)
2nd Flushing MI (80) Ben Davis IN (83) West Genesee NY (86) Cicero North Syracuse NY (87) Kiski Area PA (94) Ronald Reagan TX (03,05) Kennesaw Mountain GA (04)
3rd Sprayberry GA (80) Hebron TX (15,19) William Mason OH (16) Blue Springs MO (18)
4th Hanover PA (80) Northrop IN (81) Lawrence North IN (85) Union OK (86) Liverpool NY (88) North Hardin KY (89) Westerville South OH (92,93,94) Stephen F Austin TX (04) Marcus TX (09,17) Round Rock TX (13)
5th Tell City IN (80) Danville KY (82) Lafayette Jefferson IN (83) Western IN (84) Pearl MS (86) George Rogers Clark KY (91) Pomona CO (96) Cedar Park TX (16) Flower Mound TX (17,21) Leander TX (19)
6th Comeaux LA (80) Lafayette KY (83) McGavock TN (87) Duncanville TX (91) James Bowie TX (12) Dobyns-Bennett TN (17) Wando SC (18) Claudia Taylor Johnson TX (19)
7th Pinellas Park FL (80) Warren Central IN (81) Central Cabarrus NC (87) Seminole FL (93) Klein TX (94) Richland TX (05) Owasso OK (11) Harrison GA (13) Southlake Carroll TX (22)
8th Maconaquah IN (81) Carroll OH (82,83) Jackson Academy MS (93) Etiwanda CA (99) Northmont OH (00) Homestead IN (14,18) Castle IN (17) Brownsburg IN (22)
9th South Cobb GA (80) Tuscola NC (83) Irmo SC (91) Marietta OH (92) Prospect IL (94) Winston Churchill TX (98,99) Jenks OK (18) Robert E Hendrickson TX (22)
10th Gainesville FL (80) New Philadelphia OH (83) Webster NY (97) Fishers IN (22)
11th Southern Garrett MD (80) John S Battle VA (81) Lake Braddock VA (85) Marlington OH (86) Bellbrook OH (00) Lafayette LA (11) Cedar Ridge TX (13) Keller TX (15) Prosper TX (18)
12th Miami Southridge FL (80) Paoli IN (83) Jenison MI (92,94) Reeths-Puffer MI (99) Ayala CA (04,13,19) Lawrence Township IN (14) O'Fallon Township IL (18) Vista Ridge TX (21)
14th Adair County KY (90) American Fork UT (95)
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Post by boahistorybuff on Feb 21, 2022 6:23:33 GMT -6
Top 12 Most Suspenceful or Shocking Grand National Champion Announcements
These are my picks for the times that either had people on the edge of their seats during the lead up to the announcement of the Grand National Champion or the times when the Grand National Champion announcement came as a huge shock. Many of these events I was a witness to, while others I have to surmise based on the scores and reading some historical comments in my years of researching BOA. Since in marching band and DCI we like top 12s rather than top 10, here is my top 12 pick. I am going in chronological order.
1977 - The second Grand National Championships came with a rather big judging controversy. Live Oak (CA) was the defending Grand National Champion and favored to win their second GN Title at this event. While Live Oak did win the Open Class Title (only two classes back then), they ended up finishing 2nd overall with the Class A Champion band; Murray (KY) taking the title. I am sure this came as big surprise. First off, the caption awards where pretty evenly distributed amonst several top level finalist bands, but Murray did take best marching. Probably the big shocker was that Live Oak sustained a penalty which dropped their overal score 0.05 points behind Murray, making this the first of two instances where a penalty cost a band from winning the Grand National title. The big controversy however was not so much the penalty but a very low scores assigned to Live Oak by one of the marching judges (no chief judge back then). The story goes that during a section of Live Oak's show where they were playing Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, different sections of the band were marching in different time steps. The story goes that the marching judge misinterpreted this as the band being out of step with one another and docked them points.
1979 - The last season that the Grand National Championships was held in the summer in Whitewater, WI actually had a very surprising outcome. While Live Oak (CA), the band that had won two of the previous three GN Titles at the time, did not attend, there was a large contingent of strong Open Class bands at this competition, all of whom were extremely successful programs back then. The Open Class was won by Flushing (MI) followed very closely by Independence (CA). The big shocker was that the band that had the highest overall score and was awarded the Grand National Title was the Class A Champion band Sylva-Webster (NC). This was the first and only appearance that Sylva-Webster made at Grand Nationals. The story goes that this small school band was attending Grand Nationals with the hopes of making finals. They not only made finals and won their class, they took the whole thing and won awards for brass/winds and general effect. Sylva-Webster was also the first band to perform in finals, making them I believe the only band to have won the Grand National title that was first to perform in finals. Even though Sylva-Webster won by a comfortable margin, this win was actually controversial as many thought they were over scored. Many blamed that on them having a very well known director (Bob Buckner). Now I have seen all of the 79 bands but the video/audio quality on the videos is not the best, so it is really hard for me to form an opinion. I will say that Sylva-Webster did have a very strong show from a music standpoint in comparison to the other bands. So in all likelihood, they probably won the title fair and square.
1980 - This was the first year that Grand Nationals was moved to the late fall. In my opion, this is the most controversial Grand Nationals ever with respect to the outcome for Grand National Champion. Flushing (MI) entered finals being nearly 5 points ahead of all of the other bands. JM Tate (FL) actually finished 4th in Prelims. In Finals, Flushing delivered a strong show. After the performance Flushing had the drums play the band off the field (a no no in BOA). They received a 1.6 point timing penalty because of this which dropped them from first to second behind JM Tate and propelled Tate to the Grand National Title. The huge penalty was one aspect that made this controversial. The other was the judging. Every single judge had Flushing in first except one of the music effect judges who scored Flushing around two whole points lower than Tate. It was that score that gave Tate the general effect caption (Flushing took Brass/Winds, Percussion and Marching) and helped give them the title following FLushing's penalty.
1987 - This probably falls more under the category of having fans on the edge of their seats as the scores were being announced. Marian Catholic (IL) was favored to win the Grand National Title. Their biggest competition was a contingent of strong New York bands led by Cicero North Syracuse (NY). This was the very first BOA Competition ever for Cicero North Syracuse. Now first off, back then BOA did not give out a music performance award. Instead they gave out awards for brass/winds and percussion, two components of music performance but not all of the components of music performance. If the awards had been as they are today, Marian Catholic would have won music performance and the awards may not have been as suspenseful. As it turns out, during the course of the awards ceremony, Cicero North Syracuse picked up brass/winds, percussion and general effect. Marian took some guard awards and marching. When CNS picked up general effect, that really had people on the edge of their seats. Was a first time BOA competitor going to actually beat Marian for the Grand National Title? The suspense built right up until the announcement of the second place band. Then Cicero North Syracuse was announced second place and winner of the Class AAA title and Marian Catholic walked away with the title. Cicero North Syracuse sustained a low score from the visual ensemble judge (like nearly two points lower than Marian). This score allowed Marian to win by a comfortable margin.
1992 - Coming into Grand National Finals, Centerville (OH) had missed Grand National Finals the previous two seasons. Their highest finish in finals before that was 6th way back in 1984. Upon conclusion of the Prelims/Class Championships, Centerville was second to Plymouth-Canton (MI) in Class AAA. Most of us expected that Plymouth-Canton was going to pick up their third connsecutive GN Title. During the awards ceremony, things got really interesting when Centerville was awarded best General Effect and when Plymouth-Canton was announced in third. It now came down to Centerville and Marian Catholic (IL). Even thought they did not pick up a caption award, Marian was very good in finals and many suspected they would win the title. It was a schock when Marian was announced in second. Centerville, who failed to make finals the previous two seasons, had just won the GN title by beating the two bands that had collectively won the title the previous five years.
1994 - Upon conclusion of the class championships/Prelims, Kiski Area (PA) had won Class AA and Westerville South (OH) had won Class AAA. Many though it would be a battle between those two bands for the GN Title. During the awards ceremony, many were shocked when Westerville South was announced in 4th. I then thought that Kiski was going to win the title. Then things got interesting when Marian Catholic (IL) was awarded best general effect. It got really suspenceful when it came down to Kiski and Marian. Then Kiski was announced 2nd place and Marian Catholic took the title, barely edging out Kiski.
1995 - Westfield (TX) attended Grand Nationals for only the third time in 10 years; year after year often considered one of the best bands not in attendence at Grand Nationals. Many said (and I agree) that they had the best show they had ever brought to the field that season. Westfield came into nationals having won big in Texas. Center Grove (IN), who had failed to make finals the previous year, was also strong this season and had just won the BOA Indy regional. Upon conclusion of Prelims/Class Championships, Westfield was declared Class AAA Champion. During finals, many of us thought we were watching the Grand National Champion during Westfield's performance. Center Grove was also quite good I may add. During the awards, even when Center Grove had won visual and general effect (with Westfield taking music) many thought that Westfield's music scores would be high enough to garner them the title. So it was a bit surprising when Westfield was announced in 2nd place and Center Grove took the title. This also sent off a firestorm of Texas vs Indiana comments that continues to this day LOL.
2001 - Coming into Grand National Finals, this seemed like it was going to be Carmel's year. Carmel (IN) had won two BOA regional titles this season and they won the Class AAA title upon the conclusion of Semi Finals. During the Finals award ceremony, when it came down to the final two, Lawrence Central (IN) had not won any of the caption awards and had not even finished in the top three in Class AAA after semi finals. Carmel had picked up the general effect award in finals. Most of us thought Carmel was going to win. When Carmel was announced in second place, you could hear the shock amonst the audience. Many of us were totally taken by surprise by Lawrence Central's win.
2004 - This was one of those years where it was just really hard to predict who was going to win. Kennesaw Mountain (GA) had entered finals having won the Class AAA title. During the finals awards, the highest achievement awards were evenly split, Stephen F Austin (TX) took music, Lawrence Central (IN) took visual and Carmel (IN) and Kennesaw Mountain (GA) tied in general effect. When we got down to the final two, many expected it would be Kennesaw Mountain. There was some surprise when they were announced 2nd and Lawrence Central (IN) came away with the win.
2006 - This was a year that the Class placements gave no indication about how the outcome of Finals would be. The Woodlands (TX) won Class AAA but would up 4th in Finals, Avon (IN) was second in AAA but wound up 7th in finals. As we got toward the end of the awards ceremony, you could feel the drama unfold. It came down to LD Bell (TX) (who had picked up music performance and was third in Class AAA from semi finals) and Broken Arrow (OK) who had failed to even make Grand National finals the year before. When Broken Arrow was announced as having won the general effect award, a huge sense of suspence gripped the audience. Keep in mind, at the time Broken Arrow had not only missed finals the year before, they last appeared in finals in 2001 and it was a 12th place finish. When it came down to LD Bell and Broken Arrow, Chuck held out on the announcement for a very long time (quite possibly the longest minute in BOA history). The shock when LD Bell was announced second and Broken Arrow had clinched the title was huge.
2012 - In Finals, two bands simply gave strong performances both of which were worthy of the Grand National Title. Broken Arrow (OK) was the defending Grand National Champion while Carmel (IN) had won the Class AAAA Title in Semi Finals. During the course of the awards, Broken Arrow picked up both visual and general effect while Carmel took music. Many thought that once Broken Arrow nabbed the General Effect award, that was it, BA would win. But that was not what happened as Broken Arrow took second and Carmel took the title off the strength of their music performance.
2016 - At the time the rule was that if two bands tied in placement, the band with the highest overall general effect score would take the higher placement. This year marked the first and only time that rule was used to determine the Grand National Champion. Avon (IN) came into finals heavily favored to win the Grand National title. They had won the BOA Indy Super Regional and in Semi Finals they won the Class AAAA title. In Finals, Avon picked up music performance and visual performance but Carmel (IN) took general effect, largely due to a higher visual effect score. When it came down to the top two I still kind of thought Avon was going to win. Then Avon was announced second (surprise), but then Chuck started reading the rules for a tie break and you could hear the surprise in the audience. Yes, Carmel and Avon tied. Carmel had the higher general effect score and was thus crowned Grand National Champion. It was following this event that BOA changed the rules. Now if there is a tie at the top for a regional or Grand National Champion, the titles are shared.
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Post by boahistorybuff on Mar 26, 2022 5:09:52 GMT -6
The 12 Most Surprising Grand National Finalist Bands.
For this list I am going to discard the Grand Nationals of the 1970s as I just do not know as much about many of those band's history. I am also going discard the first fall Grand Nationals of 1980 as the level of competitiveness was not like subsequent Grand Nationals. So essentially, I will start with 1981. Now I originally came up with around 30 selections for this group. I whittled them down to a top 12. So there may be bands that some of you may have felt should be in this list that are not, which is OK. It was difficult to narrow such a large list down. You will also note that I don't have any pics from more recent years. The reason is simply that with so many more regional competitions now being held, easy access to online videos or live streams and the fact that in my option, the top level bands perform with a lot more consistency late in the season compared to years past, there just are not as many big surprises as in decades past. So here are my pics, in chronological order.
1981 - Maconaquah HS from Bunker Hill, IN - I believe that this was the first season that this band competed in BOA (or MBA as it was known back then). They had been an Indiana Class B State Finalist twice in the past, but were not in state finals this season. At the 1981 MBA Toledo Regional, they finished in 7th place in finals. So a good outcome but not one that says GN finalist contender. The 1981 Grand Nationals was also much more competitive than in 1980 as the move to Johnson City TN drew more big name northern bands into the mix, many of which were the top level Indiana powers of the day. So I imagine it was a surprise when Maconaquah made GN Finals. Once in finals, they had a very strong show and ended up finishing in 8th place and were runners-up to the Class A title. What may have been even more impressive was that they narrowly edged out Indiana power Ben Davis in score and placement. This ended up being a big Cinderella moment for this band as it was their only appearance in GN Finals.
1983 - Paoli HS from Paoli, IN - While I don't know to what level of success this band may have had at MBA regionals of the early 1980s or if they even attended (I know they did not nab a Class A title prior to their GN appearance in 1983). Looking at the ISSMA State Finals results it is clear that this band was an up an coming small school power in the early 1980s. They landed in 4th in Indiana Class D State Finals in 1982, then won the Class D State Finals title in 1983. It would be their first of many state titles. Nonetheless, this was still Class D for very small schools. Given the level of competition at the 1983 Grand Nationals, I am sure it was a surprise when this band was announced as a finalist. They were still very good. I don't know what they placed in Prelims but in Finals they finished in 12th place and were the third highest scoring Class A band. This was the first and only appearance in Grand National Finals for this band from a very small school. They did however finish in the top 20 at the 1984 Grand Nationals. They would finish much lower at subsequent Grand Nationals.
1987 - Central Cabarrus HS from Concord, NC - This is a band that had they attended a BOA regional earlier in the season (remember far fewer regionals in those days) they may not have made this list. I put them on this list for 1987 because at the 1986 Grand Nationals they finished in 27th place. What a difference a year makes. They came in 10th overall in Prelims to land a spot in Grand National Finals. They gave a very strong show in Finals and jumped into 7th place, their highest finish ever at GN. They also came within 0.05 points of tying Marian for the marching caption and were second overall in Class AA. This would be the first of three GN Finals appearances for this band.
1987 - Marietta HS from Marrietta, OH - In 1986, this band finished 22nd overall at Grand Nationals. Two weeks prior to the 87 Grand Nationals, they finished in 9th place at the BOA Toledo Regional. So they were really not even considered a contender for a spot in GN Finals this year. They ended up finishing in 12th place in Prelims to land a spot in finals which surprised a lot of people. In Finals, they ended up finishing in 11th place. They obviously had some beneficial practice sessions between Toledo and Grand Nationals. This was the first of two appearances in GN Finals. They would have to wait until 1992 for their next appearance.
1991 - Flushing HS from Flushing, MI - Prior to this season, we had been Grand National Finalist five times, the last was a 13th place finish in 1987. This was a few years past our glory days of the 1970s and early 1980s. In both 1990 and 1991 we were third overall at the Michigan State Finals. We had been Class AA champ at the 1990 and 1991 BOA Toledo Regional but finished in the middle of the finalist bands. A somewhat off performance at Grand Nationals in 1990 landed us 19th place. While we had our sites set on making GN Finals this season, it seemed like a tall order. We simply gave a really strong performance in Prelims and ended up finishing 10th overall to land in Finals. We were shocked that we made Finals and so were many in the audience. We ended up placing 11th in Finals, our sixth and last appearance in GN Finals.
1993 - Jackson Academy HS from Jackson, MS - I have a detailed write on this band in the vintage videos thread. Jackson Academy was new on the scene in the early 1990s. This band only had a total of just under 40 members. Prior to this, I never thought that such a small band could ever make GN Finals, especially in 1993 which was a relatively competitive GN. Jackson Academy had won a regional Class A title in both 1992 and in 1993. At the 1993 BOA Atlanta regional they finished 6th in finals; not exactly suggesting a sure bet finalist band. 1993 was also two years after the rule change in which bands were no longer advanced to GN Finals on class. Even thought they did win the GN Class A Title, everyone was shocked to see this tiny band make GN Finals. Hey they were good. They ended up finishing 8th place in GN Finals (the highest finish at GN for a Class A band since 1984) and placed higher than a band who marched over 400 members.
1999 - Reeths-Puffer HS from Muskegon, MI - This was a season that was pretty competitive at the top, actually most people predicted the top 11 bands who ended up landing in finals. The last band in finals this season was a toss-up, but not many expected it to be Reeths-Puffer. Even though they had appeared in a few Grand Nationals prior to 1999 and had a couple top 20 finishes, this was a big surprise for many. Just a couple weeks earlier they finished 2nd at the Michigan Flight II State Championships, I believe a couple points behind Mona Shores. In Semi Finals Reeths-Puffer gave a very strong performance and ended up winning the GN Class AA Title (Marian had jumped to Class AAA this season and Kiski and Tarpon did not attend). That surprised us and then we were all really surprised when they were announced as making Finals (they were very surprised too). They had the 12th highest score in Semis and then finished 12th in Finals. This was a big Cinderella moment for this band, their only appearance in GN Finals. Although they would go on to be frequent BOA regional Class AA champions and make several appearances in GN Semi Finals.
2000 - Bellbrook HS from Bellbrook, OH - So while some may not have been too surprised with this pick. I actually was a bit surprised. Now prior to 2000 Belbrook had won four the previous six GN Class A Titles. They also had numerous BOA regional Class Titles under their belt and were a consistent regional finalist. In 1999, they finished 16th in Semi Finals. For me, there are two reasons I was a bit surprised. First, the only Class A band that had made GN Finals up to that point following the 1991 rule change was Jackson Academy. Second and more importantly, the week prior to GN at the 2000 BOA Indy regional, they finished in 7th place. So it just did not seem to me they would be able to pull it off. But they gave a fantastic show at GN. They finished 11th overall in Semi Finals to land themselves in Finals and then again finished 11th in Finals. While this would mark their first and only appearance in GN Finals, Belbrook remained a strong competitor in BOA for many years after this; winning additional GN Class Titles and being a frequent GN Semi Finalist.
2001 - Avon HS from Avon, IN - Now this band being on this list may surprise many of you, but in 2001 many of us were surprised to see Avon make GN Finals; believe it or not. Prior to 2001, Avon had been a consistent GN Semi Finalist since 1997 but had not landed in the top 20. In 2000, they actually finished 26th in GN Semi Finals. They were also Class B State Finalists for the previous few years but usually fell far short of winning the Indiana Class B state title. In 2001, Avon was a different band. They won the Indiana Class B State title and they made the BOA Indy Regional Finals for the first time and won the regional Class AA title (yes they were a smaller school and band back then). While they did finish 6th at the BOA Indy regional and finished ahead of the three Ohio bands that had been GN Finalist in 2000, many of us did not have them making GN Finals. Well they finished 10th in Semi Finals to land a spot in Finals and then they wound up in 9th in Finals. Turns out that this was just the start for this band; the rest is history.
2004 - Ayala HS from Chino Hills, CA - This was the GN debut for this band and most of us outside of California were really not familiar with Ayala at the time. They had participated in just one BOA event prior to this. In 2003, they finished 16th at BOA San Antonio (keep in mind that that regional was not at the level of competitiveness as it is today). Ayala had also not participated in the 2004 BOA Western Regional. So when they were announced as making GN Finals, many of us were surprised. Especially seeing how they beat out bands like Center Grove and Lake Park to land themselves in finals. They edged into Finals by finishing 12th in Semis and then again finished 12th in Finals. This band would of course become very familiar to the BOA world in subsequent seasons; winning a ton of BOA southern CA regionals and making GN Finals two more times.
2008 - Ben Davis HS from Indianapolis, IN - This is another band that may surprise many of you for being on the list. After their 4 GN Finals appearance in the early 1980s, Ben Davis stopped competing in BOA until 2000 (despite being among the best Indiana bands for many years). In the 2000s, they were frequent BOA regional finalists and GN Semi Finalists and had one appearance in GN Finals; 2004 where they finished 9th. The reason I have them on this list is because 2008 seemed like it was going to be an off year for this band. They finished in 10th place at the Indiana Class A State Finals. Then just one week prior to Grand Nationals, they finished 7th at the BOA Indy regional. So many of us discounted them as a potential GN Finalist. Well this show peaked right at GN. They landed in Finals by finishing 11th in Semi Finals and then finished 10th in Finals. This marked their 6th and last appearance in GN Finals.
2014 - Lawrence Township from Indianapolis, IN - This marked the first season of the big merger between Lawrence Central and Lawrence North to form the Marching Pride of Lawrence Township. Despite the success of Lawrence Central and what seemed to be a bit of a resurgence in Lawrence North, I was really intrigued as to how they would pull off merging two marching bands into one. I knew with the staff that they had retained that they would be good, but still could they pull of making GN Finals under the circumstances. At the Indiana Class A State Finals, they did finish 6th; respectable but not really screaming sure bet GN Finalist. Now although it was a held a few weeks prior to GN, at the BOA Indy Super Regional, Lawrence Township finished 9th. Having watched their show I thought, hmmm I don't think they are going to be able to clean enough over the next few weeks to get into GN Finals. I was wrong (and pleasantly surprised). They finished 11th overall in Semi Finals to land themselves in Finals and then finished 12th in Finals. This was the first and only appearance in GN Finals for the Marching Pride of Lawrence Township.
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Post by hewhowaits on Mar 26, 2022 6:08:16 GMT -6
The 12 Most Surprising Grand National Finalist Bands. 1987 - Central Cabarrus HS from Concord, IN North Carolina
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Post by boahistorybuff on Mar 26, 2022 7:36:01 GMT -6
The 12 Most Surprising Grand National Finalist Bands. 1987 - Central Cabarrus HS from Concord, IN North Carolina Thanks. Typo, fixed it.
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Post by thewho on Mar 26, 2022 8:25:02 GMT -6
I can't really emphasize how much of a surprise Ben Davis 2008 was. The show was on par with some of the top groups in terms of difficulty and should've not gone to a group like that that struggled so much with the content. All season long, it was a massive mess (allegedly), hell there was a legitimate shot of Ben Davis missing state finals completely. There was a step sequence in the opener they ended up ditching come Indy regional weekend (when it was a week before GN).
It's short of a miracle that they managed to clean up the drill to put a clean performance on GN weekend. I don't know if other bands would've struggled with the book as much as they did, but that was an incredibly exposed visual book.
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Post by srv1084 on Mar 26, 2022 9:41:33 GMT -6
I can't really emphasize how much of a surprise Ben Davis 2008 was. The show was on par with some of the top groups in terms of difficulty and should've not gone to a group like that that struggled so much with the content. All season long, it was a massive mess (allegedly), hell there was a legitimate shot of Ben Davis missing state finals completely. There was a step sequence in the opener they ended up ditching come Indy regional weekend (when it was a week before GN). It's short of a miracle that they managed to clean up the drill to put a clean performance on GN weekend. I don't know if other bands would've struggled with the book as much as they did, but that was an incredibly exposed visual book. Even at GN finals they were still very dirty. They definitely had some struggles to perform that show throughout the season, but damn was it a terrific show. The intro with band spread from end zone to end zone was incredibly effective in setting the stage, but that must have given them a lot of trouble to lock in. The listening environment in several points of that show must have been a challenge. The musical selections alone were so fresh at the time and unlike anything we were seeing from other finalists. The Shankar/Glass collaboration was such a great choice for that show. They did a fantastic job weaving both the musical and visual themes throughout the show, and I'm so glad they got it to a point where they were able to perform in finals. Still one of my favorite finalist shows to date.
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Post by boahistorybuff on Apr 10, 2022 5:29:32 GMT -6
The 12 Most Surprising Bands That Did Not Make Grand National Finals
This is another category that I had selected a top 12 from at least three dozen potential bands, so pretty subjective. There have been many instances where a band does very well during the course of the season, but just does not deliver at Grand Nationals, so we get surprised that they are not in finals. There are other instances where a band just performs extremely well (better than expected) at Grand Nationals but for whatever reason fail to make Finals. Then there are times when a perennial finalist fails to make Finals and surprises many of us. This list kind of has a mix of all of those. Before I begin, there are four bands that I have not included in this list. All four of these are bands that were really strong in the seasons prior but had extenuating circumstances that really affected them. Those that were in the know about what was going on in these programs were not at all surprised that they missed Finals while those that were not in the know were very surprised. Those four bands are; 1983 Flushing MI who sustained massive funding cuts, 1983 Danville KY who lost a very hands on director, 1985 Chesterton IN who also lost a very hands on director, and 2017 William Mason OH who lost a director, some staff and essentially just had a whole lot of staffing drama. Unlike the first three, William Mason at least bounced back the following season from their struggles. Anyway, here are my top 12 picks in chronological order.
1985 Centerville HS from Centerville, OH - In 1984 the Centerville Jazz band made their debut at Grand Nationals. A strong and entertaining show landed them in 6th place. In 1985, Centerville did quite well at the two BOA regionals they attended, including being runner-up at the BOA Akron regional. I am sure it was a surprise to many when they failed to make Finals. They ended up in the dreaded 13th place in Prelims. I think they just did not deliver the performance they were capable of in Prelims. After this disappointment, they made GN Finals for the next four consecutive years.
1988 Norwin HS from North Huntingdon, PA - Norwin was a complete powerhouse in the 1980s. They racked up a ton of BOA Regional Titles. They were the 1982 Grand National Champions and leading into 1988 the only years of the decade they were not in GN Finals were the two years they did not attend; 1980 and 1986. While Norwin was not as strong in 1988 as they were earlier in the decade and they did not win a BOA regional title this season, they still did relatively well at the BOA regionals they attended. Everyone was shocked at Grand Nationals in 1988 when Norwin failed to make Finals. Turns out they finished in 15th place but less than a half point away from making Finals. This disappointment may have lit a fire under them as in 1989 they debuted a far more progressive show and ended up finishing 3rd in GN Finals.
1991 Centerville HS from Centerville, OH - The previous year (1990) was also a bit surprising to see Centerville not make Finals. In 1991, Centerville did relatively well at the two BOA Regionals they attended, even beating Marian at an early season regional. At the 1991 Grand Nationals, BOA had separate judging panels for each of the three classes. One judge on the Class AA panel was a bit generous while two judges on the Class AAA panel were more stringent. This had the biggest effect on Centerville; I think they should have been in Finals but the judging had them 15th place overall. We were all surprised and disappointed that they failed to make Finals for the second year in a row. This may have lit a fire under this band as the next season they were much much better and had a better show design, allowing them to win the GN Title.
1994 Union HS from Tulsa, OK - There was a lot of buzz about Union this season with their very innovative Batman show. It was not just the unique show that had everyone talking, they were quite good. They were dominate in Oklahoma competition and at BOA San Antonio, they finished in 3rd place behind Spring and Westfield. At Grand Nationals, they had a couple timing issues toward the end of their show. The music ensemble judge gave them a low score as a result, which caused them to place in the unlucky 13th spot. Had they not had that issue in their performance, I think this show would have done very well in Finals. Ironically, in 1995 they again Finished 13th in Prelims, but BOA selected a top 14 for Finals (they ended up 12th in Finals).
1996 Norwin HS from North Huntingdon, PA - During the course of the early 1990s, Norwin began slipping in placement at BOA competitions. In 1994, they actually failed to even place in the top 20 at Grand Nationals. Then they came roaring back in 1995 with a strong show. Not only did they make GN Finals, they ended up finishing 7th. Everyone was saying, Norwin is Back!!" In 1996, Norwin was continuing the performance level they had achieved in 1995. They won the 1996 BOA Toledo Regional beating out some strong bands in the process. We knew that getting into Finals in 1996 was going to be challenging as this was the first year of the Semi Finals format and BOA was only selecting a top 10 for Finals. But many of us still expected Norwin to be safely in. We were shocked when they missed Finals. They ended up finishing 13th in Semi Finals, so even if a top 12 was selected they would have just missed.
1997 Pomona HS from Avada, CO - In 1996, Pomona surprised us all at Grand Nationals with an amazing performance that actually landed them in 5th place in Finals. Given their long distance to a BOA regional, they did not partake in any BOA regionals in 1997. This year, BOA again only selected a top 10 for Finals. Pomona gave a strong show in Semi Finals. While not as strong as what they did in 1996, most of us expected them to make Finals. We were shocked when they missed. Turns out they finished 11th place in Semi Finals. Had BOA selected a top 12, Pomona would have been in. Perhaps the disappointment over this led to BOA going back to a top 12 for GN Finals in 1998.
2005 Broken Arrow HS from Broken Arrow, OK - After making GN Finals for the fourth consecutive year in 2001, BA did not attend GN in 2002. They returned in 2003. While they had a unique and entertaining show, they were not quite Finals caliber. In 2004, while they did not attend GN, they were much improved over the previous year. They were 3rd at BOA St Louis and runner-up at BOA Atlanta, finishing ahead of Kennesaw Mountain who would go on and place 2nd at GN. In 2005 they were again quite strong. At BOA St Louis they were third behind Lawrence Central and Carmel. Their performance was still very good and they were expected to a sure bet GN Finalist. At GN they did well in Prelims, but just did not have the performance they needed in Semi Finals and ended up in 14th place. Perhaps this disappointment sparked their drive in 2006 which won them their first GN Title.
2007 Ronald Reagan HS from San Antonio, TX - Reagan emerged as a BOA power in the early 2000s, winning multiple BOA regional titles and being runner-up to the Grand National title twice (2003 and 2005). Now they had recently lost their director (and I think had some key staffing changes) which would put them into a bit of a slump for a few years. However, at the 2007 BOA San Antonio regional, they still finished 5th (ahead of Richland who would go on and make GN Finals) with a score just over 90 points. Given this and seeing how they nearly won the GN Title just two years earlier, they were expected to be in GN Finals. However, it seemed like their show may have peaked at San Antonio. Not only did they fail to make GN Finals, they finished 16th in Semi Finals. It was very surprising.
2009 Plymouth Canton EP from Canton, MI - Between 1988 and 2008 Plymouth-Canton EP (PCEP) was a GN Finalist every single year except 2003. In 2008, they struggled throughout the season but somehow managed to pull it together by Grand Nationals and just made Finals. In 2009, PCEP was having a much stronger season. They were even a relatively close 2nd to Lawrence Central at the BOA Ypsilanti Regional. PCEP also had a very innovative show this year, very talked about amongst everyone who saw it. Given how much improved they were over the 2008 season, we expected they would be in GN Finals. We were shocked that they just missed GN Finals. They ended up 13th in Semi Finals with their music scores keeping them out of the top 12.
2013 Blue Springs HS from Blue Springs, MO - During the late 2000s and early 2010s, Blue Springs was very much a band on the rise. Many of us had our eyes on this band as a future GN Finalist. After steady improvement year after year, 2013 seemed like the year they would make their debut in GN Finals. They had a very strong show (one of my favorite Blue Springs show by the way). They did very well at BOA St Louis, finished 2nd behind BA. They then attended the BOA San Antonio Regional where they shocked us all. They finished 6th in Finals and ahead of bands like Marcus and LD Bell (two bands that would make GN Finals in 2013). So many expected that this would be the year for Blue Springs. We were all surprised that they missed GN Finals. They ended up in 16th place in Semi Finals. The music effect judges just did not think they were ready for Finals. We would have to wait until 2015 for this band to finally make their GN Finals debut.
2018 Marian Catholic HS from Chicago Heights, IL - All good things must come to an end. That is how I look at this. After being a GN Finalist for 34 consecutive years and claiming 7 BOA Grand National Titles and many Class Titles, this was the year that Marian Catholic failed to make Finals. They ended up in 15th place in Semi Finals. In some way this was not surprising as they had just slid into GN Finals the previous two seasons. Unlike years past, they were now competing against schools significantly larger with much bigger budgets and larger support staff. This all of course still did not take the shock away when this band missed finals for the first time.
2021 Wando HS from Mount Pleasant, SC - They very much gave a GN Finals worthy performance in Semi Finals, but so did twelve other bands. Wando ended up placing 13th in Semi Finals with a score of 90.55, the highest score at Grand Nationals that did not land a band in Finals. In Wando's 6 GN appearances going back to 2009, this was the first time they missed GN Finals. After their regional win at BOA Jacksonville AL and after watching their Prelims performance (they were 11th overall in Prelims) I was certain they would be in Finals. So it was a surprise that they just missed.
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Post by statechamp1239 on Apr 11, 2022 14:24:29 GMT -6
Is there an list of all of the bands that attend Semifinals and how many times they attended?
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Post by boahistorybuff on Apr 11, 2022 18:55:26 GMT -6
Is there an list of all of the bands that attend Semifinals and how many times they attended? I do not have a list compiled of all the semi finalist bands. It would not be too difficult to do. Semi Finals began in 1996 and the Hornrank results page has them all listed (just a couple errors in the early years on a couple bands as to which state they are from). It wont be difficult to do, just time consuming, unless someone already has a nice list they can post. I can tell you off the top of my head that Carmel and Marian Catholic are the only two bands to be in semi finals every single year. Avon and Centervillle have been in every year except one.
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