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Post by madisonbandman1 on May 18, 2019 22:10:29 GMT -6
Once again, thank you for these amazing season reviews. How long does it take you to write these things? You obviously put a lot of time and effort into making these posts so informational and fun to read.
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Post by boahistorybuff on May 19, 2019 6:54:38 GMT -6
Once again, thank you for these amazing season reviews. How long does it take you to write these things? You obviously put a lot of time and effort into making these posts so informational and fun to read. Much of the information is stuff that I have researched and learned over the course of 30+ years. I try to re watch some old videos to refresh my memory; usually just what is available on line. Unfortunately I do not own all of the finals videos. I watched them years ago so a lot of stuff I have to rely on memory. It takes a couple hours to write all that stuff down. I usually have to go back and correct some typos from time to time too.
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Post by madisonbandman1 on May 19, 2019 11:48:57 GMT -6
Once again, thank you for these amazing season reviews. How long does it take you to write these things? You obviously put a lot of time and effort into making these posts so informational and fun to read. Much of the information is stuff that I have researched and learned over the course of 30+ years. I try to re watch some old videos to refresh my memory; usually just what is available on line. Unfortunately I do not own all of the finals videos. I watched them years ago so a lot of stuff I have to rely on memory. It takes a couple hours to write all that stuff down. I usually have to go back and correct some typos from time to time too. -------------------------------------- Dang. Yeah, I could tell you really take your time writing all of this stuff. I hope you never get tired of it because a lot of us love reading this stuff. Thank you once again. Also, check your pm please. I sent a message last night.
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Post by LeanderMomma on May 19, 2019 12:15:38 GMT -6
I would love to sit with History Buff at a BOA competition. The knowledge!!
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Post by madisonbandman1 on May 19, 2019 12:34:09 GMT -6
I would love to sit with History Buff at a BOA competition. The knowledge!! So would I....so would I.
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Post by SpartanMarcher on May 19, 2019 14:25:46 GMT -6
I would love to sit with History Buff at a BOA competition. The knowledge!! ————————————— I think we would all love that opportunity
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Post by OldSchoolTrumpet on May 22, 2019 6:45:13 GMT -6
I would love to sit with History Buff at a BOA competition. The knowledge!! ————————————— I think we would all love that opportunity------------------------------- Meh. I've heard that he slurps his cola and chews popcorn with his mouth open. Hard pass.
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Post by LeanderMomma on May 22, 2019 6:56:19 GMT -6
————————————— I think we would all love that opportunity ------------------------------- Meh. I've heard that he slurps his cola and chews popcorn with his mouth open. Hard pass. It’s ok. The bands will drown out the slurping.
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Post by boahistorybuff on May 22, 2019 14:15:30 GMT -6
Old School Trumpet is right. I get dirty looks from everyone who sits by me.
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Post by LeanderMomma on May 22, 2019 15:47:14 GMT -6
Old School Trumpet is right. I get dirty looks from everyone who sits by me. Just lay off the chili nachos with jalapeños and we’ll be okay.
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Post by boahistorybuff on May 23, 2019 13:42:55 GMT -6
...1984 SEASON REVIEW...
A big change occurred in 1984. Marching Bands of America (MBA) split from its parent company and formed a non profit organization. It was renamed Bands of America (BOA). Scott L McCormack, the son of founder Larry McCormack, became the CEO. A board of directors was also created, many of whom would consist of current or former marching band directors. When I watched the finals video, I noticed there was a banner in the back of the field that said MBA 84. So not sure when during the year the change occurred; if perhaps they already had the banners printed??
I think (not positive) that the 83 Whitewater Summer Nationals was Marian Catholic's first MBA competition. They were a finalist there. This year, Marian Catholic won the Summer National title. This would be the first of five consecutive wins at this competition. They would also go on to attend their first Grand National championships in the fall; becoming the first Summer National champion to attend the fall Grand Nationals during the year of their win. So in a way, I would say that 1984 was the year that Marian Catholic truly arrived on the BOA scene.
I imagine that the 84 Eastern Regional (in Pennsylvania) was really exciting. Norwin (PA) won the regional by beating Rocky Mount (NC) by a mere tenth of a point (or so I have read; still have not seen the recap sheets). Norwin then went on to win a second regional this year in Ohio. Rocky Mount also won a regional this year, held at ETSU in Tennessee. At the Illinois regional, Chesterton (IN) won. This was their 4th and last regional title and first title since 1981. The fifth regional this season (still only 5 regionals held this year) was the Texas regional. It was won by Westfield (TX); only the second Texas band to win a regional at the time. It would turn out that Westfield was still very much on the rise this season and on their way to becoming the most successful Texas band of the decade.
Not only did MBA change to BOA in 1984, but there was also a location change for Grand Nationals. They were held for the very first time in Indianapolis in 1984 at the brand new (at the time) Hoosier Dome. The Hoosier Dome was renamed the RCA Dome (I believe in 1994). This venue would host a total of 22 Grand Nationals until it was torn down; so far more than any other venue. Despite the change in location, there were still a large number of returning finalists from the previous GN. In fact, the top 4 bands at the 83 Grand Nationals all placed in the top 4 again in 84; the only year this has happened. There was a fairly large number of strong Midwest contenders at nationals this year, making it a really competitive and enjoyable nationals. Going into Nationals, the bands that were going head to head for the title would be Norwin and Rocky Mount (a rematch of the Eastern Regional). The other was Ben Davis. While they did not participate in regionals, they had just won the Indiana Class A State Title and were runners up to the GN Title in 83. Also throw in the fact that the top 4 bands in Indiana Class A were attending as was the newly crowned Summer National Champion Marian Catholic and you had a competition on your hands this year. One thing to note while looking at finals scores back in the mid to late 80s (and to some extent throughout GN history); finals judges would place a bigger scoring gap in the finalist group than what they had in the prelims. So the top bands would often see their scores go up a bit in finals and the lower placed bands often saw their scores go way down; didn't mean they had a bad show, just how the judging was.
After I watched all of the finalist bands I imagine that most in the audience knew who the winner was going to be. I think for many it was probably quite obvious. Rocky Mount (NC) debuted brand new uniforms this season and from the video I could tell that they came in confident. The drum majors body language said 'Yeah we got this'. Their music selections included; "Rocky Point Holiday, Journey to Capricorn, and So Very Hard To Go". It was fitting that they played Rocky Point Holiday (a piece that the Garfield Cadets had just blew the DCI world away with in 83), as they were often compared to the Cadets back then; both had similar styles and they both had a meteoric rise to greatness the first few years of the decade. Rocky Mount's drill was mostly asymmetrical. I thought it was a big step up from their visual design in 83; much more intricate. There were also some fairly difficult drill sections for the era. The band was moving quite a bit; all while they were playing some difficult music. Of any of the bands, they most closely matched the trends that were underway in DCI. They had good coverage of the field and the drum line was moved around a lot; something that would be a huge trend with the addition of the pit. They did just a fantastic job with Rocky Point Holiday; and of course the rest of their show. Another solid music performance. They also had several tempo variations and a lot of musical nuances; a crisp clean drum line to boot. While they did not win brass/winds or percussion (I imagine it was close); if you included all the components of what is now awarded as music performance, they would have won that and rightfully so. I also imagine that they were comfortably ahead in the GE captions. They did win the GE award. I actually thought their score could have been a little higher. What I think this show did is that it showcased that a high school band could put forth a show with a fair amount of difficulty, yet still execute it cleanly; a forerunner of future Grand National Champions. Rocky Mount made history this year by becoming the first band to win back to back Grand National titles.
Norwin (PA), who was having an incredible season, would have to settle for second place. They did however win the Open Class title; the third time they won this. Their drill design was a little more rooted in style of the early 80s, but it was still very clean and they marched very well. I think there were a few off moments from a musical standpoint in the opener (perhaps they were a little nervous) which probably cemented their second place finish. They really did well in their second piece 'Korean Folk Song'. The percussion was outstanding and very enjoyable. They also had some great moments from the brass/winds. I think they had the best piccolo line. Back in the early years, when a lot of bands played loud and brassy, piccolos could cut through the band better. A lot of bands used all piccolos and no flutes. As the shows began to feature more symphonic style pieces over the coming years, flutes become more widely used. This year, Norwin just had some fantastic piccolos. During the 80s, especially the first half of the decade, Nowin had some of the best rifles. That was again showcased well this season. They were tossing and twirling those things more than any band dared to attempt back then. It was fitting they won the rifle award. While they had to settle for second, Nowin finally won the award for best percussion this year (I imagine it was close with Rocky Mount). They had won best percussion numerous times at regionals (way more than any other band), so this year they finally got the award at nationals.
After watching third place Chesterton (IN), I was very surprised that had finished third in Class A at the Indiana state competition. It turns out that at the time BOA and Indiana had a very different judging system. The Chesterton band had swelled to around 200 members this year; I believe the largest band Chesterton ever fielded. In my opinion, their show was a masterpiece for the era in visual design. In the opener, the guard and at times some of the band, had these large colored boards that were moved around the field and held up to enhance the design. It was really cool. This was a very early example of moveable props; perhaps the first instance at BOA. In the rest of the show, they used various colorful flags (and fabrics at the end) to complement the drill design. Not to mention they had a solid music performance. The ending of their show "Elsa's Procession Into the Cathedral" was simply brilliant in blending both music and visual effect. This was my favorite Chesterton show and one of my favorite shows of the decade. Sadly, this was Chesterton's last appearance in Grand National finals. Their director, Al Castronovo, left and took a position in Florida after this season. I do not know what the reason was. Tragically, in 1986, he was killed in an auto accident. BOA named the Esprit de Corps award in his honor. Mr Castronovo was a very hands on director and his departure hit the band hard. In 1985, they would fail to make finals, actually finishing 20th in prelims, becoming the first band to finish in the top three one year, then fail to make finals the next. They got a little closer to finals in 86, but still fell short. I am not sure what the reason was, but during the last three years of the decade, Chesterton went into a downward spiral. They got consistently lower placements at competitions each year and their membership plummeted to less than 80 members by 1989. They had a slight comeback in the early 90s. During the 90s and early 2000s, they would make regional finals a few times and come close several other times. However, they would never be the band they were under Mr. Castronovo. Their last BOA competition was in 2004. While they still field a marching band today, they compete in the ISSMA Scholastic circuit.
Although Ben Davis (IN) had another strong show; well played and another awesome visual package, they had to settle for 4th place. They still won the marching award (for the second year in a row) and they nabbed the coordinated auxiliary award. I think they were not happy with the differences in judging between Indiana and BOA at the time (I understand they are more similar today); I guess they were not the only Indiana band not happy. I think after this season, Ben Davis decided to focus solely on the Indiana competitive circuit. This ended up being their last BOA competition until returning in 2000. After this season, Ben Davis went on to win several more Indiana state titles through the rest of the decade and into the early 90s. From some of the shows I have seen, they would have done very well at nationals these years had they attended. It actually turned out that most of the top Indiana bands during the late 80s and early 90s did not participate in Grand Nationals (even though for most of that time they were held in their back yard). Several of the top Indiana bands would however participate in BOA regionals.
Perhaps one of the more surprising moments of the awards ceremony was when Western (IN) under the direction of Larry Neuhauser was awarded 5th place (and the Class A title). Western is from Russiaville IN, and encompasses the western side of Kokomo. Western had placed 23rd at the 83 Grand Nationals. Western also did not participate in BOA regionals until 1989 (which is why they have no regional Class A titles from this decade). So I am sure that many in the audience did not expect the performance that they gave at nationals; probably not the Indiana folks as apparently Western came off with the Indiana Class C State Title. I read several comments years ago that said that their win in Class C in 84 was the best Class C state performance of the decade. Western had a much improved visual design over 83. What really stood out to me was how much more improved their music performance was. They just gave one incredible performance at nationals. While this was their first of what would be 7 consecutive finals appearances, 84 was by far the best I had ever heard Western play. This would be their highest finish ever at nationals. This also marked the last time that the Class A Champion would finish in the top half of finalist bands.
Although Centerville (OH) was a regional finalist in 1982 (I believe), 1984 was the year that they really burst on the scene. Centerville has had a reputable band program going all the way back to the 1930s. During the 1970s, Wayne Markworth become director of the band. He took this band to a whole new level. In the early 80s, the Centerville Marching Band was renamed the Centerville Jazz Band. All of their music selections were from the jazz genre (or would have a jazz styled arrangement), somewhat like what the Blue Devils were known for in DCI. Centerville was unique in that they had a very laid back attitude toward their shows (I guess a little like the Bridgeman and Velvet Knights in DCI). Their uniforms even had a splash color; not so much a military style look. Right from this their first appearance in Grand National finals, they were as much about entertaining the crowd as they were doing a great show. They successfully did both this season. At the Eastern Regional they were a close third behind Norwin and Rocky Mount and then they finished 6th here in their first BOA GN finals. This ended up being their highest finish at nationals this decade. From the moment anyone saw this band back then, they were hooked. They ended up being one of the most envied bands. Centerville has participated in Grand Nationals every since this their 1984 debut.
From what I have read, back in 1977 Marian Catholic (IL), a small band of around 70-80 members at the time, got a new band director. His name was Greg Bimm. In an interview I read years ago with Mr. Bimm, he said that he originally thought he would use Marian as a stepping stone to a larger program. He soon realized he was apart of a big name program and as of this writing (2019) is still the director of the band. He built Marian Catholic (a school based in the Chicago suburb of Chicago Heights) into a much larger and national class band program by 1984. They started their string of consecutive Illinois state titles in their class in 1980 and heading into this, their first trip to Grand Nationals, they were the overall Illinois state champ from both 83 and 84. Although they did not place in the top 6 in their finals debut (they were 7th), their symphonic style music impressed the music judges and they won the award for best brass/winds. As most of you probably know, 1984 was the first of what would be 34 consecutive appearances in Grand National finals. For me, even though they failed to make it in 2018, there is an association with this band and GN finals that I will probably always have.
In eighth place, and still in the midst of their glory years, was Lafayette Jefferson (IN). They were 4th in the Indiana Class A state championships this season. I thought their show was just about as strong as 83; just did not quite score/place as high. Jefferson won the drum major award this year. They would be the last band to win this award as BOA did not give them out after this season.
In 9th place was Westerville South (OH). This was perhaps their best season prior to Dustin Werner arriving as director later in the decade. They won the Class AA title at the Ohio regional, this being the last year they were a AA band. I thought their show at nationals was much stronger this season in comparison to 83. Obviously the judges did too as they scored and placed them higher. The only performance I saw of 84 Westerville South was high camera. In 83, their guards wore white masks on their faces (which I found odd); I do not know if they did in 84.
Liverpool HS, from Liverpool, NY (on the outskirts of Syracuse) placed 10th in their first Grand National finals appearance. They also became the first band from New York state to be a GN finalist. New York has had a large state competitive marching circuit going all the way back to the 60s I believe. The 70s, 80s, and 90s would be the glory years for many New York band programs. This state had some of the best bands in the country. In the mid and late 80s there were three that stood out above the rest; Liverpool was one of them (West Genesee and Cicero North Syracuse were the other two). Liverpool had been gradually improving during the late 70s and early 80s until they attended GN. A strong show landed them in finals. I believe the next year, in 85, they bested West Genesee for the state title.
New Philadelphia (OH) was coming off a great season when they returned to GN this year. They had won the Class A title at two regionals. They probably felt that they had a strong shot at the GN Class A title this year; but then Western happened. Even though they were 11th place, I thought their show was a little better than 83. Tougher competition I guess.
From what I heard, when Northrop (IN) was announced in 12th place, there were gasps from the audience. Leading up to nationals this year, they were second to the Indiana Class A state title, beating both Chesterton and Laf. Jefferson. The previous year they were the Class A state champs and won a regional title. So this placement and their score was very unexpected. I do not know what they got in prelims and I do not know if there was a penalty involved. I will say this, I don't think their performance was at the level of their performances the previous three seasons. Perhaps they were a little off on finals night. Despite the disappointment, they did return in 85 to get a much higher placement. One thing that Northrop was known for in the 83/84 seasons was being a pioneer in having electronics in the pit. They took the amplifier that was so often carted around on the field and brought it into the pit. This year, they had added several electric keyboards in the pit; one of the first bands to utilize these extensively in a show. This was one area that BOA differed from DCI as electronics were not allowed in DCI.
A couple other notable performances that did not make finals this year included Tuscola (NC) and Sky View (UT); who won best flags. Sky View had been a finalist at the Summer Nationals, this was their first time at the Grand Nationals. I believe they were the first band from Utah to attend GN.
I will include the YouTube links to the top three performances from this year. NOTE: I think Chesterton's is from prelims; their finals show was better. Some other performances that I think are still on line are Centerville, New Philadelphia and Northrop.
Rocky Mount (Part 1) Rocky Mount (Part 2)
Norwin
Chesterton (Part 1) Chesterton (Part 2)
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Post by thewho on May 23, 2019 16:07:23 GMT -6
Thanks for the write-up, Buff!
I actually talked to someone who attended Chesterton in the '80s while volunteering at Indy Super in 2015. He mentioned that the departure of Castronovo basically crippled the program. Chesterton went through a rotation of directors that really never let the program get a solid footing. As for today, Chesterton still competes in the ISSMA Scholastic circuit. They usually compete near the top in the Scholastic Large class (and won a few times), but nowhere really that close being a solid competitor in Open Class like Portage, Whiteland, Pike, Zionsville, etc.
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Post by boahistorybuff on May 24, 2019 4:40:37 GMT -6
Thanks for the write-up, Buff! I actually talked to someone who attended Chesterton in the '80s while volunteering at Indy Super in 2015. He mentioned that the departure of Castronovo basically crippled the program. Chesterton went through a rotation of directors that really never let the program get a solid footing. As for today, Chesterton still competes in the ISSMA Scholastic circuit. They usually compete near the top in the Scholastic Large class (and won a few times), but nowhere really that close being a solid competitor in Open Class like Portage, Whiteland, Pike, Zionsville, etc. Thanks for the clarification.
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Post by LeanderMomma on May 24, 2019 6:51:45 GMT -6
The Chesterton story was a sad one!
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Post by LeanderMomma on May 24, 2019 7:12:11 GMT -6
I really enjoyed Norwin’s show though the video quality is pretty bad on that one. But you weren’t kidding about the amazing rifle work in that show. I did get a bit amused by how far up in the air they had their noses. It reminded me of my colorguard days from 77 - 81 when we did the same thing. It was just how it was done back then. The colorguard had to look as snooty as possible. I also really enjoyed the martial arts inspired dance break from the band in the second movement. Great stuff!
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Post by boahistorybuff on May 24, 2019 9:32:37 GMT -6
I really enjoyed Norwin’s show though the video quality is pretty bad on that one. But you weren’t kidding about the amazing rifle work in that show. I did get a bit amused by how far up in the air they had their noses. It reminded me of my colorguard days from 77 - 81 when we did the same thing. It was just how it was done back then. The colorguard had to look as snooty as possible. I also really enjoyed the martial arts inspired dance break from the band in the second movement. Great stuff! Those martial arts moves were probably somewhat innovative back then.
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Post by LeanderMomma on May 24, 2019 14:27:41 GMT -6
I really enjoyed Norwin’s show though the video quality is pretty bad on that one. But you weren’t kidding about the amazing rifle work in that show. I did get a bit amused by how far up in the air they had their noses. It reminded me of my colorguard days from 77 - 81 when we did the same thing. It was just how it was done back then. The colorguard had to look as snooty as possible. I also really enjoyed the martial arts inspired dance break from the band in the second movement. Great stuff! Those martial arts moves were probably somewhat innovative back then. No doubt!
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Post by boahistorybuff on Jun 3, 2019 16:15:01 GMT -6
…1985 SEASON REVIEW… By 1985, show designs were very much a combination of symmetric and asymmetric drill. Although there were a few guards who were still wearing military style jackets, most of the guards wore more artistically styled outfits. Music selections were still very much similar to the early 80s style. During the standard up tempo concert piece, the bands were moving more than what they had in earlier years. In fact, the drill designs as a whole were featuring more movement than earlier show designs. While shows being built around a theme were gaining popularity in DCI, it would be a few more years before that trend really took off in BOA or high school bands in general. I believe 1985 was the year that the pistol shot signaling when the field judges could be on the field was ended (it was one shot at the start to signal the field judges onto the field and two near the last minute/minute half of the show signaling them to exit the field). BOA expanded the number of regionals to seven this season (although they went back to 5 the next year). One of those regionals, an early season regional, was held in Whitewater, WI at the venue that hosted the Summer Nationals. This was the only year that a regional was held in Whitewater. This regional featured a lot of upper Midwest bands; many of who made their first and only appearance at a BOA regional. After winning their second Summer National title in Whitewater in June, Marian Catholic (IL) attended this first and only Whitewater regional. This was not a very heavy competitive regional and Marian Catholic won it easily, their first BOA regional title. They beat second place Lincoln (SD) by nearly 8 points. As of June 2019, this second place finish by Lincoln has been the closest a South Dakota band has ever come to winning a regional title. 1985 was also the first year since 1980 that a regional was held in the western US; Moscow, ID. This regional was won by University (WA); as of this writing the last time a band from Washington State has won a regional title. Sprague (OR) finished second, their highest finish at a BOA regional. It would be nearly 30 years before an Oregon band would win a BOA regional. Also at the Western Regional, a Canadian band (MaGrath HS, Alberta) was a finalist and Class A Champion. I do not know any other times where a Canadian band participated in BOA. At the Eastern Regional (held for the first time in Morgantown, WV), Rocky Mount (NC) edged out Norwin (PA). Looking at the recap sheets, it was actually one music effect judge that put Rocky Mount on top. Norwin had won that regional (held either in PA or VA) every year since 1979, so I am sure it was a bit of a disappointment. Norwin did however win the Akron, OH regional by a comfortable margin over second place Centerville (OH). The regional held in Arkansas became a battle between Mississippi bands, with the top three all from that state; and all three beating 4th place Union (OK). Grenada (MS) came out top, with Kosciusko (MS) edging out Pearl (MS) for second. This was Grenada’s first and only regional title. They were a strong band program from the mid 80s into the early 90s. This was also the closest that Kosciusko ever came to winning a regional title (they did however win many regional Class A titles). For the first time, the band who won the Texas regional the year prior defended their title. Westfield (TX) won their second regional this season. They won with a comfortable margin over John Marshal (TX). 2nd place would be the highest finish at a regional for John Marshal. In a solid third was Grenada (MS); obviously a strong season for them. I imagine the 85 Indy regional had a surprise outcome. Looking at the recaps, Northrop (IN) won prelims comfortably but fell to third in finals. It was actually Lawrence North (IN) who won, not only beating Northrop but also just edging out Marian Catholic. Not too far behind Northrop was Centerville (OH) and Lafayette Jefferson (IN). This was actually Lawrence North’s first and only regional title. This would be the second year that Grand Nationals were held at the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis. There were 49 bands who participated. I believe starting in 84, they expanded the number of participating band slots from 40 to 50. Finals would actually feature 6 first time finalists. In fact, 4 of the top 5 placing bands made their finals debut. Rocky Mount (NC), after winning the previous two years, did not attend nationals in 1985. While looking back at the results, I am sure that many would have thought that Marian Catholic winning would not have been a surprise. I actually think that coming into nationals this season, Marian may not have been in the conversation as a potential GN champ, seeing as they were 2nd at the Indy regional and had placed 7th at the 84 GN. I am sure there were some high expectations for Norwin, given their reputation. I am sure there was also consideration for Westfield and West Genesee, bands who already had a big reputation despite not having attended a BOA Grand National in the past. Well I assume that Marian Catholic must have done what they would become so famous for through the course of their history, and that is have a ton of improvement in the two weeks between the Indy regional and Grand Nationals. I have to believe that after finals, it was a no brainer that Marian would walk away with the Grand National title; their first of 7 and first time winning the Class AA title. Their music included Petrushka (a piece they have played a few times during their history), A Little Minor Booze and Nutville, Pie Jesu. Their symphonic band sound during the opener Petrushka was excellent. A Little Minor Booze was their concert ‘Jazz’ piece. They had an awesome brass ensemble featured in this song (Marian did jazz quite well). At the time, I doubt very many band directors would have attempted a piece so slow and soft as Pie Jesu to do on the marching field. Marian proved that a marching band could indeed pull off such a slow and soft piece of music and convey it to the audience. I am sure it boosted their music effect scores. They then concluded their show with the uptempo and jazzy Nutville. It was a solid music performance. I read an article where Mr Bimm talked about the prep for the 1985 season. He stated that in 84, they were not at the level of the top bands at GN from a visual standpoint. So they worked on that a lot heading into 85. They had a much better drill and it was very well executed, not to mention a very clean marching style. Can’t forget their colorguard; had best flags been awarded based on finals performance, I think Marian would have won it. Their entire visual package, from drill execution to marching to guard was just head and shoulders cleaner that the other finalist bands. So in addition to winning brass/winds, they won marching and general effect. In the video, at the end of their finals show, a couple of guard members were in tears. I have to believe that at that moment in time, Marian Catholic had put forth their best show to date. They actually won over Westfield by the third highest point separation between 1st and 2nd place in BOA history. Making their debut at GN this year was Westfield (TX). Their address is Houston (even though they are a long way from central Houston). They are in the Spring ISD. This was their first of what would only be 4 GN appearances over an 18 year period. Westfield opened in the mid 70s as Spring South, a feeder school to Spring with just 9th and 10th grade students. The school expanded to a 4 year high school in 1981 and was renamed Westfield. Philip Geiger was hired as director of the band program. The Westfield marching band had a meteoric rise in the early 80s. By 1983 they were a finalist at the Texas regional and then won in 84 then again this season; 85. Westfield became the first Texas band to be a Grand National finalist this season. This was actually the only year of the decade they attended nationals. In fact, I do not think any other Texas bands attended GN this entire decade. After placing 4th in prelims, Westfield had a strong show in finals and came in 2nd, winning the Open Class title. I am not sure when during this decade that the legendary Steve Brubaker began designing their shows; perhaps it was as early as 85. Anyway, they had a very good visual package; perhaps one of the best of any Texas bands at the time. It really was their music that I think powered them into second place. It was certainly a sign of what was to come from Texas bands; just incredible music. Westfield also went home with the percussion award this year. In third place was West Genesee HS from Camillus, NY (outside of Syracuse). Not only was this their first time at Grand Nationals, this was their first ever BOA competition. The West Genesee ‘Wildcats’ were already a highly successful band program by 1985; in fact their days as a successful competitive marching band went all the way back into the 60s. By 85, they had already won several New York State titles; they actually had more New York state titles under their belt than any other band. They were definitely the complete package, great music ability and interesting and well performed visual design. Having seen some video footage of this band from earlier in the decade, they certainly would have done very well at MBA competitions had they attended. Despite losing the state title to Liverpool this season, West Genesee had a solid show at nationals and wound up third. With their strong color guard, they won the coordinated auxiliary award. I am sure most of you know before that before the merger, the Marching Pride of Lawrence Township consisted of Lawrence Central and Lawrence North High Schools, from the Lawrence Twp district of Indianapolis, IN. During the 1980s, it was actually Lawrence North that had the stronger marching band. A bit smaller school back then, they were Class AA in BOA and Class B in Indiana. They still fielded a fairly large band. This was perhaps their most successful season. They won the Indiana Class B state title, for the third time, then won the Indy regional and placed 4th in their very first BOA Grand Nationals. Prior to this season they had been a finalist at regionals. This would be the first of 4 GN finals appearances and would be their highest finish. A pretty demanding guard routine earned them the award for best flags; I am sure Marian and West Genesee were close competitors. A band that is very familiar to everyone in the BOA world today made their first trip to GN this year. This was actually their first ever BOA competition. North Hardin, from Radcliff, KY had some of their biggest success in the state of Kentucky during the 1980s. They won several state titles. They also won a couple titles at the coveted Middle Tennessee State University Contest of Champions this decade. Looking at the recap sheets, this their first trip to nationals was almost a disaster. They just made finals by finishing 12th in prelims, largely because they received a huge 1.6 point penalty. I am not sure what the penalty was for; given the size I image it was a timing penalty. Obviously a better show in finals and no penalty landed them in fifth place. I imagine that their high quality marching technique got them some high marks in the visual captions. The top Kentucky bands back then all seemed to have an excellent marching style. They were also a Class AA band this season, meaning for the first time, three of the top five bands in finals were Class AA. After this competition, North Hardin did not participate in another BOA competition until 1989. After the disappointment of finishing 12th at the 84 Grand Nationals, Northrop (IN) came back strong this season. They had more success in BOA than Indiana state competitions, making me wonder if they made their show to be more BOA friendly this year. They had a solid performance in finals to place 6th. While they would remain frequent regional finalists, after this season, Northrop did not attend GN again until 1992. During the late 1970s, Lake Park HS from Roselle, IL (suburb of Chicago), was a participant at the June Whitewater nationals, but failed to make finals. They did earn a state title in 1979. In 1981, Kenneth Snoeck became director of the band. He had been director of the national finalist Bridgeport (MI) during the 70s. He spend the early 1980s building up the band program. In 1984, they attended their first BOA regional and were a finalist (probably the IL regional). This year marked their first trip to the fall BOA Grand Nationals. They did quite well and finished 7th place. This would be the first of 18 consecutive GN finals appearances. Lake Park has also participated in GN every year since 1985. While they did not place as high at the Indy regional in comparison to their regional placements the prior few years, Lafayette Jefferson (IN) still gave a great show at nationals. This was their 4th consecutive appearance in finals and the second year in a row that they placed 8th. In what was surely a big surprise and a huge disappoint, Norwin (PA) finished 9th in finals. They were 6th in prelims with a pretty solid score. Norwin made a huge update to their show design in comparison to 84, added a bit more difficulty. I suspect that they may have had an off night as they had some music and visual flaws somewhat uncharacteristic of Norwin during that time period. They did however win the best rifles award for the third time. In a way, this marked what would be a 10 year period with a lot of ups and downs for Norwin. I am sure that Western (IN) had a tough time living up to the 84 season this year. It still proved to be a highly successful year. They again won the Indiana Class C state title and finished 10th at nationals, winning the Class A title for the second consecutive year. Despite being a Class A band, they were relatively large at the time; looked like somewhere between 140 and 160 members maybe. During the mid 80s, the Western guard wore skirts that had the inside designed a bit like a flag. They tossed their skirts around and in the air. In combination with the designs on the inside of the skirts this added a lot of visual interest to the show (kind of like what the Broken Arrow band did with those skirts in 2018). Like 1981, there was a tie for 11th place in 1985. Not sure what the tie break rules were. The first band in the tie was Lake Braddock Secondary from Burke, VA (outside Washington DC). Not only has Lake Braddock had a successful marching band for a long time, they also have a very reputable concert band program. The marching band had a lot of success in Virginia and the eastern US during the 1980s. Prior to 85, they had been a finalist at the 79 and 80 MBA Virginia regional. This was their first and last appearance at Grand Nationals. Perhaps they did not find the experience worth the expense. Not totally sure, but they never attended another BOA event after this season. Since the Bridgeman Drum Corps were folding around this time, I think Lake Braddock bought their old uniforms; the long yellow jackets; and had them altered to say LB. Anyway, even if they weren’t the old Bridgeman uniforms they looked just like them. A unique look, it was like watching the Bridgeman with woodwinds and without the antics. So far, this has been the last time that a Virginia band has been in Grand National finals. In looking at the 85 regional recaps it would have seemed that this would be the year only one Class A band made the top 12 in prelims, meaning a band would advance on class. This ended up not being the case as New Philadelphia (OH) had a really strong prelims show to place them in the top 12. They actually finished above Western in prelims. They would however have to settle for being runner up to the Class A title for the third year in a row. The unlucky number 13th spot this year went to Centerville (OH). I am sure that Centerville not making finals was a shock considering how well they did at regionals and that they had placed 6th the previous year. I think they just had an off moment in prelims. Westerville South (OH), who had been in finals the previous two years also failed to make finals; they were 14th. They placed very well at the early season regionals but placed near the bottom at the Indy regional finals before failing to make GN finals this season. Also of note in 15th place in prelims was Northside (IN), I believe their highest finish ever at nationals. I do not believe the 85 Marian Catholic finals show is on YouTube. I have the GN Champions (79 to 02) on DVD. Perhaps down the road I will put them on YouTube. As far as I know, the only performances on YouTube are North Hardin, Norwin, Lake Braddock and New Philadelphia. The Indiana state performances of Lawrence North and Western are also on line.
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Post by LeanderMomma on Jun 3, 2019 17:01:01 GMT -6
I wish they would bring back percussion awards and auxiliary awards for colorguard.
Great write up as always. So interesting about the beginnings of greatness for Texas bands and Marian Catholic.
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Post by boahistorybuff on Jun 13, 2019 8:33:49 GMT -6
…1986 SEASON REVIEW…
This was the season that BOA did away with the Open Class and replaced it with Class AAA; the large school class. The small school (Class A) and mid-sized schools (Class AA) remained the same. The exception was at the Summer Nationals, where for some reason they kept an Open Class. Speaking of Summer Nationals, the 86 Summer Nationals featured Marian Catholic winning their third consecutive Summer National title.
After having seven regionals in 85, BOA scaled back to five regionals in 86. I am not sure why there was no regional in Indiana or Illinois this season. Perhaps it was canceled? At the Morgantown, WV regional, Rocky Mount (NC) easily won the regional, finishing several points ahead of Norwin (PA). Norwin, in turn, was solidly in second place. Third and fourth at this regional, and battling it out for the class A title was Marlington (OH) who was third and New Philadelphia (OH) fourth. While Norwin was runner up at Morgantown, they edged out Centerville (OH) for the regional title at Akron, OH. This was Norwin’s 11th regional title. So by 1986 they already had more than double the number of regional wins under their belt than any other band. They chose not to attend Grand Nationals this year. In third at Akron was R Nelson Snider (IN), I believe their highest finish at a regional championship. At the Jonesboro, AR regional, Union (OK) edged out McGavock (TN) by nearly a point to win their 2nd regional title. Just a couple points behind McGavock was was Brentwood (TN) in third and Grenada (MS) fourth. The Western Regional was held in Corvallis, OR this year. Live Oak (CA), the most successful band at MBA during the 70s, had a bit of a comeback in the mid 1980s. I am sure they were looking for a win at this regional. However, they were upset by Mountain Crest (UT). Mountain Crest actually sustained a 1.2 point penalty in finals yet still finished a little over a half point ahead of Live Oak. This would be Mountain Crest’s first and last regional title. In fact, it would be 22 years before another Utah band would come away with another regional title. This second place finish was the closest Live Oak would ever get to a regional title. Not too far behind Live Oak was two up and coming California bands; Clovis West in third and Fred C Beyer in 4th. University (WA), the 85 western regional champ, would have to settle for fifth. The 86 Texas regional, held in Conroe, had perhaps the biggest upset ever at a BOA regional. After prelims, Westfield (TX) was comfortably in first. 1986 Westfield was very good and I imagine everyone thought they were a lock for the regional title. Based on the recap sheets, I suspect Pearl (MS) performed in an early morning time slot. After prelims Pearl was in 4th and had a score that was a little more than 11 points lower than Westfield. They must have woken up in finals because Pearl had a score that was more than 13 points higher than their prelims score and actually put them 1.5 points ahead of Westfield, giving Pearl the regional title. Westfield would have to settle for second. I have to imagine that this was the biggest point increase from prelims to finals to win a regional title. Also of note at this regional was Conroe (TX) in a distant third (by 10 points), closely followed by Crockett (TX). I do not think Austin Crockett attended MBA/BOA regionals earlier in the decade when they were quite the Texas powerhouse. A final note about this regional was that there were more Texas bands participating than in years past. Thanks I am sure to UIL, competitive marching bands were gaining steam in Texas.
For the third year in a row, Grand Nationals was held at the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis. I have to believe that there was a lot of anticipation with the return of Rocky Mount to nationals after they took 1985 off. Given what Marian Catholic had done in 85, I also imagine there was a lot of excitement to see how these two bands would stack up to each other. A total of 44 bands participated in Grand Nationals this year. For the first time, more than 12 bands were in finals. Only one Class A band placed in the top 12 in prelims. This meant that the next highest scoring Class A band was advanced to finals as they required at least two bands from each class in finals as class championships were still determined based on finals. So finals consisted of 13 bands this year.
Rocky Mount (NC) was at the top of their game at Nationals and they comfortably placed 1st. They were a Class AAA band this year (they were Class AA at their prior trips to GN), becoming the first band to win the Class AAA title at nationals. Their music selections included: Merry Wives of Windsor, Harry James Medley and Intrusions. Their opener was very clean and controlled. During the Harry James Medley, they really let loose. Rocky Mount always did a jazz selection in the middle of their show and they were awesome at it. Watching the video you can tell the audience really enjoyed it; big applause at the end of it. What really stood out to me in their show was the closer “Intrusions”. It was on another level (for 1986) in terms of difficulty, both musically and visually. It had an underlying tension that slowly built to a grand finish. A lot of tempo changes and some difficult drill moves were featured. While some of the drill transitions were not perfect, they was still well done. It was also a challenging piece not just for the brass/winds but also for the drum line; which they did well all while doing some complex moves. No surprise that Rocky Mount won brass/winds and general effect. When I saw the recap sheets for the first time I was shocked to see one music effect judge had them second; unbelievable. Of all of their championship performances, I thought this was the best show for their guard (minus a couple individual blunders in the opener); they did quite the dance routine during the jazz piece. Rocky Mount made history by becoming the first band to win three Grand National titles. So at the conclusion of finals, at that moment in time, Rocky Mount was the band with the most GN titles under their belt. Sadly, this was Rocky Mount’s last performance ever at Grand Nationals. For those that witnessed this band back in the early/mid 80s, they would be missed for several years. I will detail Rocky Mount’s last couple BOA seasons and post BOA story in the 1987 review section.
In a solid 2nd place was West Genesee (NY) in their 2nd finals appearance. They won the New York state title earlier this season. If Rocky Mount and Marian were getting a lot of buzz, West Genesee (or West Jenny as we called them) put forth a show that I am sure raised some eyebrows. Very strong finals performance. They had a well written and executed drill; probably the only band that could come close to Rocky Mount in terms of visual effect this year. Their guard certainly helped in the visual effect category (they won best flags). West Genesee’s director, Nick Baratta, was a percussionist. So it was no surprise that they had an interesting, well arranged and very well performed percussion section. Compared to most of the other bands, their drum line was on the small side. They were still really good and ended up winning the best percussion award. Their closer was “A Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra”, a piece a lot of bands played back in the 70s and 80s. Their performance was certainly one of if not the best. I could understand how it garnered them high music effect points. This second place finish would be the highest ever at GN for West Genesee. Considering their performances this decade, I certainly rate them one of the best bands not to have won a GN title.
Of all of the finalist bands, Marian Catholic (IL) was closest to Rocky Mount in terms of music performance. They were just not as clean visually as they were in 85 and they would have to settle for third place. I think they took on a little more challenging visual package. While it has been a long time since I have seen 86 Marian, they seemed a little larger than 85, so perhaps there was a big influx of new members. They did however manage to win the Class AA title again, which was not too easy given they had some stiff competition from Pearl.
While Union, from Tulsa, OK was a finalist at the 1981 Summer Nationals, this was their first appearance in Grand National finals and the first for an Oklahoma band. After losing the state title to Broken Arrow in 81 through 84, they edged them out for the title in 85. 1986 turned out to be an outstanding year for Union. Not only did they easily win the Oklahoma state title and win a BOA regional, they placed 4th in GN finals. As of 2018, Union has been a GN finalist 10 times over a 32 year period. This 4th place finish was their highest ever at GN. Yes they had a great show this year. I loved their percussion; I am sure they were right up there with West Genesee and Rocky Mount. Their percussion feature “Root Beer Rag” was outstanding. As good as the band was, while watching this performance it was the guard that I had a hard time taking my eyes off of. Union had one of the best winter guard in the county during the 80s. That spilled over to the marching band. In the opening of the show, the entire guard did the splits. Throughout the show their guard blended dance moves with flag and rifle work like no other band had done. They just seemed years ahead of their time. All of the dance moves and leaps and jumps added a ton of visual interest to the overall show design. No surprise they won the coordinated auxiliary award. I actually thought they should have won all guard awards; I mean their flags were great and so were their rifles. The rifles were spinning two at a time at one point. I thought it was one of the best guard performance at nationals of the decade. The person responsible for this guard was a man by the name of Wes Cartwright; perhaps some of you have heard of him.
Pearl (MS) showed that their surprise regional win in Texas was no fluke. This was their second appearance in finals and they finished 5th, which would be their highest of the two (they were actually third in prelims and ahead of Marian). A truly great show; certainly their best ever. They also came away with the award for best marching. This would be their last appearance at nationals. They did win another regional in 87, but then slowly started placing lower at BOA regionals during the rest of the decade and into the early 90s. Pearl, like most Mississippi bands, began to decline a bit during the 1990s in terms of their placements in the BOA circuit. Pearl has however managed to remain very competitive in the Mississippi marching band circuit. I believe even after their 1980s glory years, they have garnered several Mississippi state titles in their class. Over the last couple decades, Pearl has been an occasional participant at the BOA St Louis regional.
Back for their second GN finals appearance and in sixth this year was Lawrence North (IN). While they were still a Class AA band in BOA this year, in Indiana state competition they moved up to Class A. They were 7th at the Indiana state championships. Their strong performance at Nationals really showcased the depth of Indiana bands. In fact, I forgot to mention in the 85 review that they had become the 10th Indiana band to make GN finals this decade.
Lake Park (IL) finished 7th for the second year in a row. Earlier in the season they did however win the overall Illinois state title over Marian. They picked up the award for rifles/twirling equipment this year. It has been a long time since I have seen 86 Lake Park. I actually do not remember if they used rifles or some other twirling equipment like sabres or batons. Back then they were known to use a range of guard equipment; flags, scarfs, hoops, etc.
After finishing in the unlucky 13th spot in 85, Centerville (OH) just snuck into finals in the 12th spot this year. They definitely proved themselves worthy in finals and jumped to an 8th place finish. This year they had a wonderful flute soloist do some jazz. She played into a microphone in the pit. While this was nothing new, having woodwind soloists use microphones would gain in popularity in coming years.
The state of Tennessee has had active competitive marching competitions going well back into the 60s. The popularity of the ETSU Contest of Champions resulted in a lot of great competitive bands from Tennessee over the years. Some of the strong Tennessee programs that extended the 70s into the 80s included; Columbia Central, John Overton, Brentwood, and Franklin. Given that GN had been held in Tennessee for three years, I am actually somewhat surprised that it took until 1986 for a Tennesse band to make GN finals (a few had made the summer nationals). McGavock HS from Nashville, TN became the first Tennessee band to make finals this year. McGavock was one of, if not the most successful band from TN during the 70s, 80s and 90s, which included winning multiple ETSU Contest of Champion titles. This year may just have been their first year competing in BOA; they competed in both a regional and nationals. In their first appearance in finals, they finished 9th. They had claimed to be the first band to have their entire show done in all asymmetrical drill this season. I am not sure if this is actually accurate, but that is what they claimed.
Finishing 10th this year was another band in their Grand National finals debut (may have been their first BOA competition ever); Prospect HS from Mount Prospect, IL (a suburb of Chicago). Prospect has been one of the most successful Illinois bands going all the way back into the early 80s. By 1986, if they were at an Illinois competition where Marian and Lake Park were not competing in, they were likely heavily favored to win. This was their first of what would eventually be 5 GN finals appearances.
One of the best small school band programs in Ohio during the 1980s and 1990s was Marlington HS (The Marching Dukes) from Alliance, OH; notable for hints of Scotch in their attire. They were at their peak from the mid 80s into the mid 90s. During this time they won several regional Class A titles and typically placed among the top group of Class A bands at nationals. 1986 was their most successful year. While New Philadephia not attending nationals this year would increase their chances of making finals, I don’t think it would have mattered if New Phily had attended or not as Marlington beat them at two regionals this season, winning the Class A title at both regionals. They then made finals by placing in the top 12 in prelims. They ended up finishing 11th in finals and won the GN Class A title. This would be their only appearance in finals and only GN Class title. They were however runner up to the Class A title in 1994.
Western (IN), who had won the GN Class A title the previous two years finished 19th in prelims this year. They were however the second highest scoring Class A band in prelims, so they were advanced to finals to meet the requirement to have at least two from each class in finals, becoming the first band to be advanced into finals on class. While this resulted in 13 bands making finals, Western actually finished 12th in finals and were only a few tenth behind Marlington.
The 13th place band in finals was Lafayette Jefferson (IN). This was their fifth appearance in finals. This was around the time that Jefferson started having some changes in directors and from what I understand a lot of staffing changes. They either failed to make finals at the Indiana state championships this year or did not attend. They were in finals at the Akron, OH regional this year, finishing 6th. I do not, however, think them making finals was a given this year. They pulled it off in prelims and actually finished 9th before dropping to 13th in finals. This would end up being their last finals appearance. Steve Hoernerman, the former director of the 1980 summer national champion Conant HS, IL, became their director in 1987. They attended nationals in 87 but failed to make finals. Ever since, they have maintained a good competitive marching band. They would attend BOA regionals from time to time, even making a couple regional finals in the past 20 years. Lafayette Jefferson however would not have the level of success as they did in the early/mid 80s.
After having a very successful 1985 season, Grenada HS, MS tried their hand at BOA Grand Nationals this year. However, they wound up in the unlucky number 13th spot in prelims. Not too far behind in 14th was an up and coming band from Michigan by the name of Plymouth Canton Educational Park (or Plymouth Centennial Educational Park as they were known back then). Of final note, a band by the name of Coronado HS may just have been the first and only Arizona band to have attended Grand Nationals thus far. They were 17th.
I will include the link to the 86 finals performance of Rocky Mount (in two parts). The only other bands from finals that I know of that are still on YouTube include West Genesee and McGavock. I will also include the performance by Athens (OH), winner of the Esprit de Corps Award. After their performance on this video, the complete 1986 awards ceremony is included; cuts out right after Rocky Mount is named winner. Aside from the uniforms and hairstyles, not too much has changed with the look and feel of the finals awards ceremony since then.
86 Rocky Mount Part 1 Rocky Mount Part 2
Athens (OH) and 1986 Finals Awards Ceremony
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Post by boahistorybuff on Jun 19, 2019 13:44:06 GMT -6
...1987 SEASON REVIEW...
Notable this season was that there were several bands that began to build their shows around a central theme. These themed shows were certainly not the majority yet; that would change over the next couple seasons. Some of these early show themes tended to be selections from a musical, opera, movie soundtrack, or from the same composer or similar musical genre. Also notable around this time on the guard front was the large number of guards that either stopped using rifles or limited their use during the show. Perhaps the toning down of the militaristic style and look of the guard had something to do with this. This trend also occurred in DCI. It was nice to see rifles make a comeback later in the 90s.
The season opened with Marian Catholic winning their 4th consecutive Summer National title. The last three years of this decade ended up being dominated by Marian Catholic. There were 5 regionals held this season. At the Hattiesburg, MS regional, all of the top Mississippi bands of the day were in attendance. In fact, 7 Mississippi bands were in finals at this regional. Still very much in their glory years, Pearl (MS) comfortably won this their third and final regional title. This also marks the last time a Mississippi band has won a regional title. Runner up at this regional was not a Mississippi band but a Florida band; Choctawhatchee. This would be their highest finish at a regional. No too far behind in third was Grenada (MS). The Houston (TX) regional was fairly competitive. After finishing 2nd in prelims, Westfield (TX) easily won the regional title. Westfield was a band that was still getting better from season to season. Union (OK) would have to settle for second with Pearl (MS) not too far behind in third. Conroe (TX) and Klein (TX) were not too far behind in 4th and 5th. Spring (TX) was a finalist at this regional. I think this was their first appearance at a BOA competition. The Toledo, OH regional had an upset. Centerville (OH), won comfortably over Norwin (PA). This was not only Centerville's first regional title, it was also the first for an Ohio band. 87 became the first year since 1978 that Norwin did not pick up a regional title. The other finalists at the Toledo regional (two Michigan bands and the rest Ohio) were relatively close together in score. Flushing (MI), in their first BOA competition since 1983, topped the group with a third place finish (after a rough early morning prelims show). The Toledo regional was only two weeks prior to Grand Nationals. The 3rd through 9th place bands at this regional would all be attending nationals and I am sure all had the potential to be vying for just a couple finalist slots. The Terre Haute, IN regional (a rain soaked regional) was highly competitive. Marian Catholic (IL) comfortably won this regional, by just over 4 points. Lake Park (IL) was second with Northrop (IN) a close third. George Rogers Clark (KY) in 4th, Lawrence North (IN) in 5th and McGavock (TN) in 6th were all clustered close together. Finally, the Morgantown, WV regional was dominated by Rocky Mount (NC). They scored just over 90 points in this early season regional. They may have been the first band to break 90 points at a regional. Their was a lot of buzz about this performance, even the next year at the 88 GN. I have never actually seen this show. The cover of the 1988 Grand Nationals program book actually featured a picture of a Rocky Mount color guard member during this performance. In a distant 2nd by nearly 8 points was a band rapidly on the rise; Kiski Area (PA) in their first regional championships. Not too far behind in third was Arlington (NY). 87 was a great year for New York bands. While not as strong as the three NY bands that attended nationals this year, Arlington was still a strong band program. Closely behind in 4th was Norwin (PA).
Going back to Rocky Mount, this ended up being their last regional title. According to several stories I have heard, during the early and mid 1980s, Rocky Mount had a sizable corporate sponsorship(s). This allowed them to hire highly qualified staff, who also worked in DCI. It also allowed them to be well traveled. From what I understand, Rocky Mount's corporate sponsorship ended after the 1987 season. The parents and the school were not in a position to supplement the loss in extra financial support. Rocky Mount did attend the 88 Morgantown regional; while they were 2nd in prelims they finished 6th in finals. That was the last BOA competition for Rocky Mount. It was almost like they dropped off the face of the earth. They were just unable to sustain the level of staffing and travel expense that they had had during their glory years. To make matters worse, over the next couple decades, the Rocky Mount economy took a bit of a nose dive, which I am sure also impacted the band. From what I understand, their director John Sykes maintained a quality concert program until his retirement. In the last 20 years, additional course requirements have prevented a lot of students form participating in the marching band. This and the economic conditions in the community caused the band to dwindle to a small fraction of what it was during the 80s. In fact, for a few years, Rocky Mount actually went back to a high stepping half time style marching band. Somewhat sad to say, but I don't think we will ever see Rocky Mount return to BOA competition.
For the 1987 Grand Nationals, Bands of America decided to hold them at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, MI; the first of two years they would be held here. At the time, the Silverdome housed the Detroit Lions. So it was a large stadium. While all of us Michigan bands loved having nationals in our back yard (saved a lot on travel), looking back I am somewhat perplexed as to why they would have them here. Yes at the time the stadium was fairly new and quite large. However, there was no convention center, east of the stadium was all corporate office parks and suburbs and to the west was the city of Pontiac, an impoverished rust belt city. Anyway, 50 bands attended Grand Nationals this year, many from Michigan. 14 bands made finals this year because no Class A band placed in the top 12 in prelims. The top 2 Class A bands from prelims did however finish 13th and 14th respectfully, so the top 14 was actually the true top 14 from prelims. Leading into Nationals, I am sure that it was assumed that Marian Catholic would be battling it out with three New York bands for the GN title. These were the top three New York bands of the 80s (all from the Syracuse area) and marked the only year that these three bands attended the same year. As it turned out, there were two bands that delivered Grand National Champion worthy performances; Marian Catholic and Cicero North Syracuse, both of which had very different styles (Marian having a more symphonic band quality and CNS being a little more of a traditional marching band sound).
Walking away with the Grand National title and the Class AA title would be Marian Catholic (IL) with their second GN win. Their music selections included Gloria and Selections from the Tenderlands. They opened the show in tight block right up front. They then quickly expanded the block to cover most of the field. While this was going on they were building suspense, leading into the opening of Gloria. It came off very well. Throughout this whole show, Marian went back and forth between soft, subtle and sophisticated to louder, up temp and dramatic; so much like the orchestral version. The Marian percussion were also very good at delivering the more subtle moments in this show. Compared to their previous GN win, they had a much more demanding visual package. They probably took more steps through this show than any other band. The Marian guard were also outstanding and won both coordinated auxiliary and best flags. To finish off their show, they reprised Gloria in a very dramatic ending.
Hard to believe but not only was this Cicero North Syracuse's (from Cicero, NY) very first BOA Grand Nationals, this was their first ever BOA competition. They walked away in 2nd place and won the Class AAA title. The CNS Northstars actually began as two separate high school band programs. During the 1970s, there was Cicero HS and North Syracuse HS. Both of these bands were among the top marching bands in the state. Cicero HS actually won a few New York State titles in the 70s. Around 1981, these two schools merged to form Cicero North Syracuse HS (in this case not one band from two school but a completely new high school and band). CNS quickly became a state power house. 1987 was the most successful year for this band. They comfortably won the coveted New York State title (actually the only year they won it as Cicero North Syracuse). Their director was Ray Elwood. Their music selections included: Bye, Bye Blues; Egyptian Danza; Anitra's Dance; and Auld Lang Syne. Much of this show was up tempo, a little jazzy, a little bluesy and just really good. You could tell the band was really giving it their all in finals. Solid and clean music and awesome drum line in Egyptian Danza. It was fitting they closed the show with the standard New Years Eve song as the whole show kind of felt like party music. To top it all off, they had a nice clean drill execution, including a solid color guard. My only complaint was the rather unflattering color guard outfits.
So during the awards ceremony; Cicero North Syracuse won best brass/winds, best percussion and best general effect. Marian won marching and two of the color guard awards. So I imagine CNS was thinking they had won, especially after winning the general effect award. So how did they finish slightly more than a point lower than Marian? First off, brass/winds and percussion were only two components of the overall music performance. Marian actually edged out CNS in music performance and the bands flat out tied in music effect. CNS had a higher visual effect score which gave them the GE caption. CNS actually had a higher visual individual score than Marian. What affected the outcome was the visual ensemble judge who had CNS a whopping 3.2 points lower than Marian. Marian's visual ensemble score not only gave them the marching award but it won them the GN title. Interesting point to note; had CNS scored the same visual ensemble score as they had done in prelims, they would have won. Now that said, I actually thought that Marian's music effect scores could have been a bit higher. I guess the way I see it, in terms of music, I think they were both pretty even, with CNS being just a little cleaner. In terms of marching, Marian had a far more difficult visual package than CNS. I mean Marian was all over the field and they did a good job with the difficulty. So taking that into consideration I think the outcome was fair. I just think CNS should have been much closer in score to Marian. One final point, with Marian scoring a 93.35 and CNS scoring a 92.30, this was the highest averaged score for 1st and 2nd at GN at that time in history.
After finishing third at the New York State championships, West Genesee (NY) wound up third at nationals this year. I actually loved their show, including the music selections. They played Overture to a New Era, Firewatchers and The Pines of Rome. It was well played and the drill was extremely well executed. They actually won the visual effect caption. There were so many perfectly strait lines. Our instructors actually showed our band the hi camera version of this show as an example of having perfect lines and clean transitions into the drill sets. I kind of thought this show was a little better than their 2nd place 86 show.
In fourth place was Lake Park (IL). They really upped their game this year. So much more difficulty in their show. During the late 80s, many would also describe Lake Park as having a symphonic band music style; not just Marian. Like Marian, Lake Park had so much musical nuances in their show and it had so much musical depth. Not only did they put forth a difficult musical performance, they also increased their visual difficulty. They did a wonderfully arranged and unique rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in this show (a Ken Snoeck original). This was their third appearance in finals and first year they would crack the top 5. They would remain in the top five every year for the next 10 years.
The other New York powerhouse band to attend this year was Liverpool (NY). This was their second appearance in national finals and first since 1984. They actually edged out West Genesee for 2nd place at the New York State Championships. They of course had a strong show. The visual ensemble judge was not kind to them either and probably cost them a placement or two. Not only would this year be the only year we had three New York bands in finals, these three bands all finished in the top 5. Very rare to have three bands from the same state represented in the top 5. Actually Indiana and Texas are the only other states to have achieved this.
Back for their second finals appearance was McGavock (TN) in sixth place. After the very wet and perhaps somewhat disappointing 6th place finish at the Terre Haute regional, 87 was actually a great season for McGavock. Prior to nationals they won the ETSU Contest of Champions. They then finished 6th at nationals, their highest finish ever at GN. They now actually tie Dobyns-Bennett for the highest finish at nationals by a Tennessee band. They had a great show and presented a theme based show. They did all Disney music and it turned out to be a crowd favorite.
Since they had not attended a BOA regional this season and they had placed 27th at nationals in 1986, Central Cabarrus's (from Concord, NC) 7th place finish in finals was probably a surprise. What an improvement this must have been from 86. A strong overall show; what really boosted their placement was their visual scores. They were just 0.05 of a point behind Marian in the overall marching caption. Yes, their marching was extremely clean. They also had a pretty good color guard. This was their first of what would be three finals appearances and was their highest finish ever.
In eighth place was Centerville (OH). This was an outstanding year for Centerville. They may have not been as clean in finals as they were actually 5th in prelims. In many ways I thought this show was stronger than their 6th place finish in 84. As usual an entertaining show with not just jazz, but some blues thrown in there too.
After taking a year away from nationals in 86, Norwin (PA) returned this year and placed 9th in finals. They had a brand new look with stylish new uniforms (I actually think they got them in 86). While they finished 9th just like they had in 85, I thought this was a much stronger show; much better from a music standpoint. This was Norwin's 6th appearance in finals. So at this point in history, Norwin was the band with the most Grand National finals appearances.
In 10th place for the second year in a row was Prospect (IL). Prospect's drill was designed by the legendary Steve Brubaker and it really showed. They had one of the best designed shows this year. It was so great in the way it used the color guard to enhance the visual design and it matched the music very well.
After finishing 22nd at Grand Nationals in 86 and then finishing 9th at the Toledo Regional just two weeks prior, Marietta (from Marietta, OH) was surprised to make finals. They slipped into finals by finishing 12th in prelims and then increased their placement to 11th in finals. They just put forth two strong shows back to back and it paid off. Winning the Esprit de Corps award this year was probably the cherry on top. This was the first of what would be two finals appearances for the Marietta 'Wall of Sound'. One of Marietta's music selection was a piece that had been gaining popularity among marching bands (and has become the most played piece in BOA history); Appalachian Spring. I don't know off hand if Marietta was the first finalist band to perform this.
New Philadelphia (OH) returned to nationals after taking 86 off. After loosing the Class A title to the reigning GN Class A champ Marlington (OH) just two weeks prior at the Toledo regional and considering Western (IN) was attending, New Philadelphia would need a good prelims show if they had a chance of making finals. They delivered. They were 13th in prelims but were the top scoring Class A band. In finals they increased their placement to 12th and won the Class A title; their first of two. So after being runner up to the Class A title in 83,84 and 85, they finally won it this year.
After nearly loosing their marching band program to funding cuts earlier in the decade, Flushing (MI) returned to BOA competition this year after a 4 year absence. A voter approved tax increase in 1985 restored some funding to the band program and in 84 Wallace Ayotte became director of the marching band. Flushing was now in a period of attempting to rebuild the program. This season started out with a tragedy as one of Flushing's snare drummers was killed in auto accident. The band vowed to do the best they could this season to honor him. This turned into a huge Cinderella season for them. They moved from Flight 2 up to Flight 1 in Michigan competition despite their small band size (they were just under 90 members). On a mud soaked field at the state championships, Flushing beat out the top two Michigan bands of the day; Plymouth Canton and Durand; to win the Flight 1 state title. The next week they went to the BOA Toledo regional and placed third and won the Class AA title. They were nicknamed the little band that could this season. At nationals, they finished 11th in prelims to earn a spot in finals and finished 13th in finals. In their closer, One Voice, soloists played while the band members walked around in bewilderment trying to figure out where the 'voice' was coming from. Then, section by section, the band joined in with the soloist to finish off the show. This was misinterpreted by many in the 1987 audience (and by other band members as well) as Flushing not knowing what they were doing. To clarify, they knew what they were doing, it was part of the show. I believe 87 Flushing was the smallest non-class A band in finals until 10 years later when Tarpon Springs first made finals.
Rounding out the finalists in 14th place was the 2nd highest scoring Class A band from prelims; Western (IN). Western was actually the only Indiana band in finals this year. The first time finals had only one Indiana band since 1980. By getting second in Class A in prelims, Western would upset Marlington for a finals slot and the chance to defend their Class A title.
Since the top 14 bands from prelims were in finals, there was actually no unlucky 13th spot this year. So going out to 15th place was Carroll (OH). They were the 83 Class A champ. This year they were class AA and had a really good show, perhaps their best since their 83 finals appearance. In 16th was Plymouth Canton attempting to make finals, but just falling a bit short. This was a great year for Ohio at Nationals as Marlington was 17th and Westerville South was 18th. So including the three Ohio bands that made finals, there were 6 Ohio bands who placed in the top 20 this year.
Some of the 87 GN performances that I believe are still on line include Lake Park, Central Cabarrus, Prospect, Marietta, New Philadelphia and Flushing. There is some commentary at the end of the Lake Park video. They talk about the reduction in field judges to two. I think this actually happened earlier than 1987. I will include a link to the 1987 awards ceremony which is on line. If watching these videos, one thing to note is that BOA hired a new announcer this season; a very young Chuck Henson. He perfected that deep announcer voice over the next couple years. He would also earn the distinction of being nicknamed 'The Voice of Bands of America'. To date; Chuck has been the announcer for way more BOA competitions than anybody else and has been the announcer at GN (or co-announcer since a huge number of bands now attend nationals) every year since 1987.
1987 Grand National Awards Ceremony
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Post by madisonbandman1 on Jul 1, 2019 14:57:17 GMT -6
I'm still living these reviews and can't wait for you to post the next one! I know you are currently preoccupied with the new thread that has popped up and I'm sure a lot more to go with it. It's just nice to know someone with such an extensive memory of an activity important to oh so many of us and is willing to share it all with everyone. I also love that you have written it all down in a place that will serve as another great place to store all of the information other than some wayback machine that leads to a dated database that is impossible to sift through. Once again, thank you for all of your hard work.
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Post by LeanderMomma on Jul 1, 2019 18:18:46 GMT -6
Ditto.
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Post by boahistorybuff on Jul 2, 2019 13:30:57 GMT -6
Glad you all enjoy them. 1988 will be coming soon. Buff has been on vacation.
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Post by madisonbandman1 on Jul 2, 2019 14:57:44 GMT -6
Glad you all enjoy them. 1988 will be coming soon. Buff has been on vacation. --------------------------- Vacation sounds fun right now. I'm taking summer school currently to get my health credit out of the way so I can take more AP classes next year, and the rest of the day I spend applying for scholarships. Definitely a fun summer for my. Really, though, I'm having fun with the summer classes and I love looking at college stuff so I think this will go down as my most productive summer yet. I hope you have a great rest of your vacation, you definitely deserve it.
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Post by boahistorybuff on Jul 4, 2019 10:06:26 GMT -6
...1988 SEASON REVIEW...
Opening the 88 season was the June Whitewater nationals where Marian Catholic yet again dominated. This was their 5th consecutive Summer National title. This also marked the last year that Marian attended the Summer Nationals; I believe the last year they participated in summer competitions. During the later half of the decade, a lot of bands who were active in both the fall and summer competitive circuits stopped competing in the summer. They chose to use the late spring/early summer months to focus on basics and working on getting the freshman class up to speed.
One of the big trends that was notable in 1988 was the increase in number of bands who chose to have their show tied to a central theme rather than just doing a collection of unrelated songs. I would say that almost half of the bands had their show tied to a theme. Again at this point in time, a themed show usually consisted of selections from a musical, opera or movie; or was of one specific genre of music.
While the BOA website only lists five regionals this season, there were actually six. There was a regional held in Stockton, CA this year; perhaps BOA has lost the recap sheets. This regional was won by Clovis West (CA). Earlier in the decade, neighboring school Clovis HS rose to prominence in California, and was even a runner up at the 1983 Summer Nationals. By the end of the decade, it was Clovis West that emerged as a California power. This was their first regional title. It would be 22 years before they would win a second; the longest gap between regional titles. Had there been a western regional held every year during the late 80s and early 90s, Clovis West may have been able to pick up a few more. The first regional of season was actually Akron, OH. This was very memorable for me as it was my first BOA competition. I remember watching Centerville (OH) perform in prelims and just loving their show. I also remember the finals awards ceremony and hearing one band pick up a good number of highest achievement awards before finally being named regional champion. That band was Lake Park (IL) and this was their first regional win. Despite being second in prelims, they ended up winning by just over three points with Centerville (OH) coming in second. Norwin (PA), usually strong at early season competitions, was solidly in third. No regional was held in Indiana this season (actually no BOA competition was held in the state this year). Instead the Midwest regional was held in Normal, IL. It was not a highly competitive regional with one band being totally dominate. That band was Marian Catholic (IL) winning their third regional title by almost 8 points. Solidly in second was Lincoln-Way (IL), their highest finish at a regional. Concord (IN) was third with Maconaquah (IN) fourth. I believe this was the highest finish at a regional for both of these bands as well. Perhaps the most competitive regional this season was Morgantown, WV . Kiski Area (PA) came out on top at this regional, their first regional win. George Rogers Clark (KY) was comfortably in second. Not too far behind in third and the AAA champ was Northmont (OH), which was probably a surprise for this band. They were just occasional BOA participants prior to 88. They became regulars from this season onward. Norwin (PA), Westerville South (OH) and Rocky Mount (NC) were clustered together in 4th, 5th and 6th place respectfully. JM Tate (FL) had not attended a BOA competition since 1982 when they attended the Hattiesburg, MS regional. They edged out Lassiter (GA) for the regional title. This was actually Lassiter's first BOA competition. Lassiter dominated the music captions but JM Tate scored much higher in the visual captions to edge them out for the win. Very close behind Lassiter was Grenada (MS), in what I would probably say was their best season despite not coming off with a regional title. Not too far behind in 4th and 5th was Clinton (MS) and Choctawhatchee (FL).
The Houston, TX regional was won by Westfield (TX). They beat 2nd place Klein (TX) by just over 7 points. There were 5 Texas bands packed close together behind Klein, with Austin Crockett being the forerunner in third. Going back to Westfield, 1988 may have been their strongest season of the decade. Their show was "The Planets" by Gustav Holst; a show made popular on the DCI circuit by the Cavaliers in 1986 and 1995. Several articles that I have read about Westfield back during this era eluded to them being the most influential band in Texas. During this era, there were many Texas bands that played really well. A lot of Texas schools had strong music departments and the popularity of football in Texas gave incentive for the marching bands to play well during the half time shows. I think most Texas bands back in this era would have struggled to compete on the national stage in BOA as most of them did not have the show design or effectiveness of the music to compete with the top BOA bands of the day. The exception was Westfield. Westfield was said to be on a completely different level from most other Texas bands. Their drill designer was Steve Brubaker, so their drill was far more complex and difficult than most other Texas bands. I even read that back in the 80s there were still bands in UIL who did not march backwards or did so sparingly. In addition to their visual package, their music performance was much more emotional/impactful than most other Texas bands of the day. Another interesting point about this show was that they had a large and artistically dressed cymbal line who added just as much to the visual aspect of the show as to the percussion aspect. These large cymbal lines have since remained very common among Texas bands. I have read that the Westfield shows of the mid 80s to early 90s (and especially the 88 show) inspired many future Texas band directors. The result was that over the coming decades the number of top quality (BOA competitive) Texas bands grew exponentially. By the way, the assistant director at Westfield during the mid 80s was Bill Watson who went on to lead Spring through their meteoric rise during the early 90s. Taking all this into consideration, I would say that Westfield may have had the biggest impact on Texas bands, which certainly makes them one of the more impactful bands in BOA history.
Grand Nationals returned to the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, MI for the second and last year. The Silverdome would play host to several BOA regionals between 2003 and 2012; this was after the Detroit Lions moved to their new home at Ford Field in Detroit. I am sure after that happened the cost of using the facility was much cheaper. The owners of the facility ended up essentially abandoning it and it fell into disrepair until being demolished just a couple years ago. 54 bands participated in the 88 Grand Nationals. All of the 1987 finalist bands, with the exception of West Genesee (NY) attended; 4 of which failed to make finals, despite in my opinion having as good if not even a better show than in 87. This was my first time participating in Grand Nationals. I learned a bit about disappointment as my band made finals in 87 but failed to make them my first year in the band. I also learned that bands that don't make finals get the cheap seats in GN finals. Actually, making finals this season ended up being highly competitive with several bands finishing just fractions of a point away from finals. There were 13 bands in finals this year because only one Class A band finished in the top 12 in prelims; this was actually a bit controversial which I will get to later on. Heading into nationals this year, there was a lot of talk that Marian Catholic was having a good year. They had won a regional and were the overall Illinois State Champions, not to mention the defending GN Champions. I actually remember hearing before finals even started people saying Marian was going to win.
Marian Catholic (IL) did not disappoint. They indeed won the GN title and the Class AA title. Their music selections included Petroushka, Make Our Garden Grow (from Candide) and Overture From Candide. Compared to 87, Marian increased the difficulty while at the same time had a more solid music and visual performance. Even the color guard was stronger. While they also opened with Petroushka in 85, this season their opener was stronger and the arrangement was a little more difficult. They absolutely nailed it. Complimenting the opener was quality visual designs and a stellar guard who did a ton of leaps and dance moves. They slowed things down in the middle of their show with a soft and emotional rendition of Make Our Garden Grow. Then they sped things back up for the closure with the Overture From Candide. This was a song very popular during the late 80s and early 90s. Of all the high school marching bands that played Candide during this era, no band came close to Marian's performance. Notable was the fierce woodwinds and subtle yet solid percussion. They closed their show in a dramatic fashion which included some demanding drill moves. They were clearly head and shoulders above all of the other bands in finals. Outside of some slight visual imperfections and a couple stick outs here an there, this was a clean and solid performance. They won all of the main captions except visual individual and took home the highest achievement awards for brass/winds, flags, coordinated auxiliary and general effect. Their score of 95.80 also made the history books. They became the first band ever to break a 95 at a BOA competition. They had the highest score of the decade and they scored 5.6 points higher than 2nd place Lake Park. This is the highest point separation between 1st and 2nd ever in Grand National finals.
Although I think their prelims performance was a touch stronger, Lake Park (IL) managed to edge out the New York bands for not only second place but also the Class AAA title. Their highly nuanced music and the way in which they delivered it boosted their music effect score, garnering them second place. They did a collection of Slavonic music. This would be the first in a string of seasons where Lake Park did a theme tied to a specific national and/or ethnic musical genre. This would become very much a part of Lake Park's identity for several seasons. Not only did the color guard where costumes to fit the theme, the drum majors and pit did as well. The drum majors would also shout out commands in whatever language fit the theme of their show. This became the first time in BOA that one state had two bands go 1st and 2nd at nationals. Another interesting point about Lake Park back during this era is that despite their large school size, their band was relatively small. From the late 80s and early 90s they marched fewer than 130 members. In fact, in 1988 I think they only had somewhere between 110 and 120 members in the entire band. I am not sure if this was by design or if many students just did not want the rigorous practice schedule or perhaps there was a hefty financial cost to be in the program. Whatever the reason, 1988 Lake Park will go down in history as the smallest band to win the Class AAA title.
In third place was Cicero North Syracuse (NY). They opened with Strike Up the Band. The remainder of their music selections were exactly the same as in 1987. CNS just did not have quite as successful a season as the year prior. They did give a strong performance in finals. I suspect by the emotional reaction of drum major at the end of the show it was probably their best of the season. This was CNS's 2nd and last appearance in Grand National finals. They certainly made a statement in just two seasons. From what I understand, in the early 90s, they had some staffing changes and had a slight drop in membership. This affected the quality of their performances. They still remained a strong competitor in the New York marching band circuit. They did not participate in BOA during the entire 1990s. Since the early/mid 2000s, CNS has occasionally participated in and been a finalist in BOA regionals in the northeast. They attended the 2004 Grand Nationals but fell just short of making Semi Finals.
Perhaps their best competitive season ever was Liverpool (NY) who finished 4th (they may have been higher had they not been the first band to perform in finals). They won the New York State Championships this season, which in the late 80s was no easy task. Their show was very clean. They closed with Variations on a Korean Folk Song. This was their closer in 1987 also, but this year it was much stronger and I felt a highlight of their show. Bursts of color at the back of the field filled the final sections of the show. This 4th place finish would be their highest of their 4 GN finals appearances.
During the early 1970s, the Plymouth Canton school district purchased some farmland in Canton Township, MI (west of Detroit) and built two new high schools; Canton HS and Salem HS (in 2002 a third high school was added; Plymouth HS). It formed a kind of high school campus, which was called Plymouth Centennial Educational Park (in 1992 or 1993 the name was changed to Plymouth-Canton Educational Park) These schools were built to serve what would be rapid suburban development over the coming decades. The schools served Canton Twp, Plymouth Twp, the city of Plymouth and Salem Twp. Each high school had their own sports teams but they combined the performing arts department, which I am sure was a cost saving move. Not too long after the schools were built, the Plymouth Centennial Educational Park marching band was formed (I will refer to them as Plymouth Canton or PCEP for consistency even though they were Plymouth Centennial through the early 90s). The band had a rather slow but steady climb through the course of the 70s and early 80s under the direction of James Griffith. They won their first Michigan state title in 1984. They then defended that title in 85 and 86. At the 1986 Grand Nationals they came close to finals (14th). Given their steady improvement, they were certainly an upcoming band on the BOA circuit. Then the 1987 season hit. It was full of disappointment for this band. They just missed making finals at the Terre Haute regional and they finished third at the Michigan State Championships (they kind of fell apart on the muddy field). Then at the 87 Grand Nationals, they again fell short of making finals. In 1988, they turned that season of disappointment around and had their most successful season to date. Although they did not attend a BOA regional this year, they were undefeated in Michigan Competition and reclaimed the state title. This year, not only did they make finals for the first time ever, they finished 5th. Their show was selections from the Music Man. This would be the first of several seasons where they centered their shows around a Broadway musical. This was the last year of James Griffith directing the band before he retired from the Marching Band. Glen Adsit would take over the following year and would continue PCEP's rise.
While Westerville South (OH) had placed in the top half of finalist bands at two BOA regionals this season, they were not even close to getting the regional titles at either one of them. This and the fact that they had failed to make finals the previous three seasons (after making them in 83 and 84) meant that they were not seen as a sure bet finalist band. They finished 10th in prelims to earn a spot in finals and then finished 6th in finals. They simply had a strong show; easily their best of the decade. They actually beat several bands who finished way ahead of them at the BOA regionals earlier in the season. A really cool portion of their show occurred in the drum feature where they had some interesting use of electric keyboards. The band members also pulled masks over their eyes during this segment (I never got the symbolism). While not his first season with the band, director Dustin Werner was still relatively new to the program. This show gave a taste of what was to come from this band in the early/mid 90s.
After their appearance in finals at the 1978 Grand Nationals, George Rogers Clark (KY) had failed to make GN finals after several attempts in the early/mid 1980s. Jeff Hood became director of the band in the mid 1980s. In 1986 they defeated North Hardin for the Kentucky state title. At the 1986 Grand Nationals however, they again fell short of making finals. While they failed to beat North Hardin for the KY state title the last three years of the decade, GRC became a much better band. It was also a rare instance where despite the improvement in the band, the size of the band actually dropped (I think they were around 100 to 110 members during the late 80s/early 90s). 1988 turned out to be a great season for GRC. Not only were they runner-up at the Morgantown regional, they comfortably made finals and finished 7th. Their show was Broadway. They opened with Candide, while the rest of their show was Phantom of the Opera. If you ask me, they should have done Phantom for the whole show. It was a crowd favorite. The 1988 and 1989 Santa Clara Vanguard made Phantom of the Opera a popular show to do on the football field; a lot of high school bands did this. GRC had a few props for their show and at the end they even had the drum major vanish into a chair in the podium with a smoke screen effect. Not only was this a well played and well designed show (GRC was one of my favorite bands during my high school years), the band had a near perfect roll step. I had a hard time keeping my eyes off their feet they marched so well. This earned them the Best Marching award. One final shout out to their drum major Silas Willoughby. Had an award for best drum major been given out, he surely would have won it.
Hard to believe but Centerville (OH) just barely made finals, finishing 12th in prelims by 0.05 of a point ahead of the 13th place band. That would have been a huge shock had they not made it as they had a great show and were a crowd favorite. They ended up 8th in finals, the third consecutive year they finished 8th. From the opening of the show, where the drum major humorously mocked a lengthy drum major salute, we knew we were in for a laid back and fun show. Centerville did not disappoint. They had some great saxophone features in this show and they about had the audience on their feet during their rendition of the 1940s era classic "In The Mood".
Under the direction of Scott Koter, Kiski Area HS from Vandergrift, PA (on the outskirts of the Pittsburgh suburbs) had a meteoric rise during the late 1980s. Mr. Koter can be credited for not only building the Kiski band program but for also helping to sustain the program for several decades (after his years as director he was an administer for the school). Scott Koter also made his mark in the DCI world, particularly from 1999 into I believe 2015 with his work with the Cavaliers. He was even inducted into the DCI hall of fame. Kiski's first BOA competition was the 1986 Grand Nationals where they finished 33rd. Then at the 1987 Morgantown Regional they finished 2nd before winning it in 1988. This was their first appearance in Grand National Finals. They wound up 9th in finals (after placing 5th in prelims). They made a big statement this season by saying that Norwin was no longer the only Pennsylvania power house. Their show featured hits from Broadway. Up tempo and often jazzy Broadway tunes would feature heavily in many Kiski shows over the coming years.
In 10th and in their third consecutive finals appearance was McGavock (TN). In the early years of the themed shows, Broadway musicals were pretty common. McGavock took on the Sound of Music this season. As you can probably imagine, that was a very common show back in these days. McGavock's performance certainly did the show justice.
Proving that 1987 was no fluke, Central Cabarrus (NC) made finals for the second year in a row. Another strong performance from a visual aspect; they scored third for overall marching/visual performance. Central Cabarrus also had a solid percussion performance, notable for some really good keyboards. They came off with the Frank Arsenault Best Percussion Award. I have to believe that they were pretty close from a percussion standpoint to Marian Catholic and Cicero North Syracuse; both of which also had stellar percussion performances.
Western (IN) was the only Class A band to place in the top 12 in prelims (they finished 11th). 1988 was indeed a strong season for Western, arguably their best since 1984. Western would have made finals anyway given they were the top scoring Class A band from prelims. There was a bit of a controversy as to them actually finishing as high as 11th in prelims in light of how competitive it was to get into finals this year. Now granted they had a solid visual performance, there was however speculation that in prelims two of the visual judges scored them a bit too high. In finals, they got much lower visual scores compared to prelims and had a finals score a little over 7 points lower than in prelims. Nonetheless, it was still a great show and they wound up 12th in finals and won the Class A title for the third time.
New Philadelphia (OH) was 13th in finals. They were advanced into finals on class (they were the second highest scoring Class A band in prelims) as they actually finished 20th overall in prelims. Their finals performance was pretty good and they finished just 0.15 points behind Western.
Finishing in the unlucky 13th spot in prelims was Grenada (MS). This was the second time they finished 13th in the prelims (the previous being 1986). They were just 0.05 points behind 12th place Centerville, the slimmest margin by which a band has fallen short of making finals. A low score by the marching individual judge is what put them out of finals. This plus the suspected high marks for Western made their not making finals rather controversial. I felt that Grenada should have been in finals this year. Grenada did attend nationals again in 1991 where they placed 14th in prelims. So Grenada never got the chance to be in Grand National Finals. To show how close making finals was this year, Prospect (IL) was 14th but just 0.3 points out of finals and Norwin (PA) in 15th was just .35 points away from finals. Norwin not making finals this year was a very big shock. Marietta (OH) was not too far behind in 16th. North Side (TN) was 17th in their highest finish at nationals. Flushing (MI) was 18th with our show based on Andrew Lloyd Webber's Requiem. We were told this was a highly innovative show and aside from a few visual glitches (namely the lop sided cross at the end), I felt this was our best post 1982 performance; even better than the 87 and 91 finals years. It was a difficult show and we struggled through the season but pulled off a good show at nationals; it felt good. In 19th was Durand (MI). Despite their small school size, during the 1980s, Durand competed with the larger bands in Flight 1 (in Michigan flights were actually based on band size back then and not school size; which changed in the early 90s). Durand marched a band up near 140 members despite their small school and they were one of the best bands in the state during the 80s. They were Flight 1 state champs and runner up to the overall state title in 1980 - 82; Flight 1 and overall state grand champion in 1983; and then runner up in Flight 1 from 1984 - 1989. In BOA competition, Durand competed in Class A all the years they participated expect for 1987 and 1988 when they were in Class AA; maybe their school size was just over the limit. Interesting to note that had Durand been in Class A this season, they would have been in finals over New Philadelphia.
Some of the finals performances from this season that I believe are still on YouTube include; Lake Park, Westerville South, George Rogers Clark, Kiski Area (they have a website with all of their performances), McGavock and New Philadelphia. There are earlier season performances of Liverpool and Western. And yes a very young BOA history buff is in the 88 Flushing Video on YouTube.
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Post by boahistorybuff on Jul 11, 2019 17:07:11 GMT -6
...1989 SEASON REVIEW...
The summer of 1989 marked the last year that the June Summer Nationals were held in Whitewater, WI. While no Marian Catholic this year, the event was won by another Illinois band. The Christian Brothers (Golden Crusaders) won the Summer National title. Christian Brothers was composed of two catholic high schools; Brother Rice in Chicago and St Laurence in nearby Burbank, IL. Starting the next year in 1990, BOA held the summer symposium in liew of the Summer Nationals. This followed a trend in declining participation among high school marching bands doing a summer competitive season. I wondered back then if the extremely hot Midwest summer of 1988 helped play a role in the decline in the bands participating in Summer Nationals by 1989.
While the trend in doing more theme based shows remained on par, there were several bands that went back to the musical formats earlier in the decade. I think many of these bands decided that this being the last year of the decade, they would go back to playing some songs from their past. 1989 actually marked some significant changes to the format in BOA. First off, there was a consolidation of the highest achievement awards. Brass/winds and percussion awards were all tied into a music performance caption. The marching/maneuvering award was renamed visual performance (still basically combining individual marching and ensemble). The general effect award remained as is (combining both music and visual effect) and all of the color guard awards were wrapped up into the coordinated auxiliary award. The second format changed occurred at the regionals. There was an award ceremony following regional prelims that named class champions, highest in class, class highest achievement awards, and the top ten bands (regardless of class) that would advance to finals. So the regional class champions were now based on prelims performance instead of finals and the winner of the finals would be crowned overall regional champion. This format has essentially remained unchanged today. It would be another two years before class champions at Grand Nationals would be based on prelims.
There were 5 regionals held this season. The season opened with the highly competitive Morgantown, WV regional. Kiski Area (PA) (in most instances a strong early season competitor back then) dominated this highly competitive regional and actually broke 90 points (to be fair, I think the judges were a bit generous with the scores at this regional). Nearly 3.5 points behind was Centerville (OH) and not too far behind in 3rd and 4th respectfully was Norwin (PA) and George Rogers Clark (KY). All of these bands would go on to be GN finalists later in the season. The Terre Haute, IN regional was won by Marian Catholic (IL) who was a little over three points higher than 2nd place North Hardin (KY). I believe this was North Hardin's first BOA regional. Although they were 2nd in prelims and won the AAA title, Lawrence North (IN) finished 3rd in finals. They did not attend a BOA regional in 88, nor did Northrop (IN) who was a few points lower in 4th. A couple other interesting points about this regional was that Castle (IN) was a finalist. I am not positive, but I think this was their first time in regional finals. The other point was that the Class A champ and a finalist was Danville (KY), a brief high point in their post early 1980s glory years. The Houston, TX regional had a big upset (perhaps not as big as the 86 upset). In prelims, Westfield (TX) was comfortably in first by around 2 points over Klein (TX). In finals, Klein turned around and beat Westfield by just under a point. Westfield had a good show this year. So perhaps an off performance by Westfield and a really good one by Klein delivered them the victory. This was Klein's first and only regional title. Not too far behind in 3rd and 4th was Klein Forest (TX) and Union (OK). During the late 80s and early 90s, the Spring and Klein ISDs were producing some of the best marching bands in Texas. I will also point out that Union (OK) was the only non Texas band at this regional. At the Hattiesburg, MS regional, JM Tate again pulled off the victory, with Grenada (MS) almost three points behind in 2nd. Not too far behind in 3rd was Clinton (MS) with Pearl (MS) in a distant 4th. Foley (AL) won the Class A title at this regional and came in 5th, their highest placement at a BOA regional. Finally, the most competitive regional of the season turned out to be the last one held just two weeks before nationals, the Cincinnati, OH regional. Norwin (PA) was not pleased with their placement earlier in the season at Morgantown. I doubt they were complaining about Cincinnati as the won the regional, their first regional win since 1986. They beat their in state rival Kiski Area (PA) by a mere 0.05 points. Probably more surprising was that Lake Park (IL) was third. However, they were only 0.5 points behind Norwin. All three of these bands actually broke 90 points. Lake Park being third was however highly controversial. Lake Park won Music and Visual performance. One of the music effect judges gave them a score that was probably much too low; almost two points lower than Norwin. While I did not see this competition, given what Lake Park did at nationals, I suspect they got robbed a regional title this season. Not too far behind in 4th and 5th was Centerville (OH) and Plymouth-Canton (MI). All of the top 5 bands at this regional would also be GN finalists this season.
The 1989 Grand Nationals moved back to the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis, IN. Indy has been the home of Grand Nationals ever since. The fact that Indy had a convention center and it was held right downtown enhanced the experience compared to Pontiac. 54 bands participated in this Grand Nationals. There were 14 bands selected for finals as the top two Class A bands from prelims did not make the top 12. This year marked the first time that all finalist bands had been a Grand National Finalist at least once prior. A separate indoor percussion competition was held in the convention center. Maybe they did this because no award for best percussion was going to be given out. The competition was open to any percussion ensemble wishing to participate and it was won by Union (OK). Given what had just happened two weeks earlier at Cincinnati, Norwin, Kiski and Lake Park were all considered potential bands that could deny Marian Catholic a three-peat. Lake Park had actually beaten Marian at the Illinois State Championships earlier in the season. Also being held in Indy drew more bands from the south to the event, ensuring this would be a relatively competitive year.
Despite being the second band to perform in finals, Marian Catholic (IL) absolutely nailed it. I was totally in awe of this show. They opened with Overture From A School For Scandal. They did not just march fast in this opener, they were flying forwards and backwards; all over the field. They still managed to execute the drill cleanly and give one heck of a music performance. They then slowed things down for the middle of their show where they did Pie Jesu. It was slow, soft and extremely emotional. At that point in time, I don't think another high school band could come close to delivering such a powerful ballad on the field. The guard had large white flags during this section and they were in near perfect unison. They then closed the show with what I consider a Marian classic, Gloria. Back up tempo, the band was really moving and the flags had some fierce guard work. They had some fairly fast and difficult drill passes in this section. The drum line was hauling too. What impressed everyone was how well they played this show while doing such demanding drill maneuvers. It certainly made a statement. On many levels, I actually think this show was better than their 88 performance; just a few minor rough patches musically in Gloria and occasionally some members out of step. So while they won by just three tenths of a point, I am sure the judges were saving room with the scores in case other bands delivered a stronger performance as I think their scores could have been higher across the board. In my opinion, it was the best performance of the decade of any band at nationals. They did win best general effect with this show. I was actually surprised they did not at least pick up coordinated auxiliary. Their guard was pretty clean all while doing some difficult routines. They ended up winning the Class AA title for the 5th consecutive year and they became the first band to win three Grand National titles in a row. This also being their 4th total GN title put them over Rocky Mount as the band with the most Grand National wins.
Lake Park (IL) took on Hungarian music in their show. After their disappointing third place finish at the BOA regional two weeks prior, they gave one solid performance in finals. Since 1985, Lake Park managed to slowly improve season by season leading into 1989. Not only did they win the Class AAA title for the second year in a row, they also were runner up for the second year in a row, this year just .3 points behind 1st place Marian. Their sound quality was so rich and smooth. They did a good job with rather complex music, which was brilliantly arranged. The marching style and drill execution were also very clean. They had a rather complex and interesting drill segment to close their show, which the multi camera version of the video of this performance failed to capture. They ended up winning both Music Performance and Visual Performance. During the awards ceremony, I was starting to think that Lake Park may pull a big upset over Marian, but they fell just a little short.
I have tremendous respect for the 1989 Norwin (PA) band. After the huge shock of failing to make finals in 1988, Norwin was determined to make this season a success, and boy did they ever. Not only did they upset Kiski and Lake Park for a regional title just two weeks prior, they ended up finishing third in finals; again this was right after they had failed to make it in 1988. Norwin actually reinvented themselves this season. They did a Disney Panorama; several popular Disney tunes. They had a ton of props in this show (back then not many bands were using props). Norwin had the castle from the Magic Kingdom and the dome from Epcot Center (although it had a colossal fail in finals). Several of the guard members also came out dressed in Disney characters from time to time. As you can imagine, this was all very innovative for 1989 and it was a huge crowd favorite. In fact, for 4 of the next 5 seasons, Nowin did a Disney themed show. It was rumored that they received a sponsorship from Disney. Aside from all of the frills, this was actually a really good show. Solid and clean from both a music and visual standpoint. They actually received a higher score than what they had scored for both their 1982 Grand National Championship performance and 1981 and 1984 2nd place performances. I think their score of 91.45 was their highest ever in BOA and I believe that this show was stronger than their 82 GN winning show. This was their 7th GN finals appearance, so at this point in time, they still were the band with the most finals appearances.
After their 1985 finals appearance, this year marked the return to BOA competition for North Hardin (KY). I believe they had won the Kentucky state title for the third consecutive time this season. The crowd loved their show. They did the music of John Williams, some popular soundtracks from 1970s and 80s era movies. It was wonderfully arranged. For me some of the highlights included when they did the music of ET and the Raiders of the Lost Arc Theme. They were a Class AAA band this year (they wavered from 2A to 3A). The size of their band back in the 1980s was actually much larger than what it has been in recent years. North Hardin actually received a .3 point penalty which tied them with Kiski. I am not sure what the penalty was for. During the awards, Chuck inadvertently read their pre penalty score. Since they had the higher raw score, they still managed 4th place over Kiski. In the 1990 GN program book, North Hardin is listed as 4th place with the correct score. So the 1989 recap sheet on the BOA website incorrectly lists them as 5th place. This 2nd finals appearance by North Hardin would unfortunately be their last. They were originally scheduled to attend the 1990 Grand Nationals but dropped out. From what I understand, they lost their director and had some staffing changes after this season. They did not return to BOA competition until the mid 90s. Ever since, they have remained a consistent regional finalist and occasional regional class champion and an occasional GN Semi Finalist.
Kiski Area (PA) ended up in 5th place given the tie break rules. They had a little more traditional show with respect to doing a collection of unrelated songs. They opened with In the Hall of the Mountain King and it was quite good. The whole show was strong and I actually felt they could have scored a little higher. They were however the unlucky band to have to go first in finals. This year actually marked the only time Kiski attended back to back Grand Nationals. This year also marked the only time the Kiski and Norwin (two long time rivals) both appeared in Grand National finals together.
After not attending the GN the previous two years, Lawrence North returned to GN finals and finished 6th. They did a show based on the works of George Gershwin, which included An American in Paris and Rhapsody in Blue. A solid performance (I think a touch better than their 4th place finish in 85). Like most great Indiana bands, LN could march very well. They were actually 2nd to Lake Park in visual performance. I was hoping to see this band at nationals in 1990, but we would have to wait until 1992 for them to attend GN again.
Plymouth-Canton was a little nervous that they may not make finals going into prelims since they had finished 5th at a BOA regional two weeks prior. So they put their best effort into their prelims performance. I was stunned watching their prelims show. At that point in time, you can easily say that they had performed their best show ever. Their music in particular was just incredible. Well they ended up making finals. In fact, they actually won prelims. Although not quite as strong in finals, they still finished 7th. Their show was Sweet Charity. They had a clean guard who did quite a bit of dance moves which won them the coordinated auxiliary award. As it turned out, their prelims performance ended up being a taste of what was to come form this band during the next few seasons.
In eight place was George Rogers Clark (KY); marking the first time two Kentucky bands were in finals together. Their whole show was Gloria. Luckily they did not follow Marian. First off no one ever wanted to follow Marian, especially when playing some of the same music. In what would be standard for GRC, another great visual performance and well written and executed drill. Musically they did the show justice too.
Making their first appearance at Grand Nationals since 1982 was the 1980 champion JM Tate (FL). They finished 9th. They were a large band at the time and had a huge and strong color guard. Their winter guard was actually reigning WGI champions. They had both a large rifle and sabre line and man were they good. Had an award for rifles/twirling equipment been given out this year, there was no doubt that Tate would have won it. This ended up being their 5th and final GN finals appearance. Their participation in BOA during the 1990s was relatively infrequent. They did however pick up another regional title in 1992. They did make one final appearance at Grand Nationals in 1999 where they were a semi finalist. They did have a few appearances at the BOA Florida regional finals in the late 90s and 2000s. Over the last couple decades, their band has had a notable drop in membership. I am sure staffing changes over the years and perhaps limited financial resources has prevented them from maintaining a top level BOA competitive program.
This was a pretty solid year for 10th place Centerville (OH) or as they were called 'The Centerville Jazz Band'. This was their 5th finals appearance and they now had a well developed reputation as a must see band. Dr Tim described them as the desert in the finals show. Much like 1987, I thought their prelims performance was a little better (they were actually 6th in prelims). Nonetheless, another great show and they did a great jazz rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow to close their show.
I don't know who was more nervous about making finals, the Union band or the parents (I sat by some Union parents that were practically shaking). Of course Union (OK) made finals, placing 11th; their second appearance and first time attending nationals since 1986. Their drum line proved why they won the percussion competition. As usual, great color guard. I loved their routine. I just don't think they were quite as clean as PCEP or Marian.
In 12th place was Liverpool (NY). I was a bit surprised when I saw them perform. Turns out they had lost their director and had some staffing changes. The band (which was around 200 in 1988) also looked quite a bit smaller. Their performance was just not to the level of what they did in 87 and 88 and they actually slide into finals by finishing 12th in prelims. This was the fourth and last appearance by Liverpool in finals. They did not attend Grand Nationals again. The changes certainly affected their program a bit as they would never return to the level of their 1980s glory years. Over the last 30 years they have maintained a good marching band program and have remained competitive in New York State. Over the last 20+ years they have also been occasional finalists at various BOA regionals across the northeast.
Although they were advanced to finals on class (they were 16th in prelims), I thought this was one of the strongest seasons for New Philadelphia (the competition was just getting stronger). They won the Class A title at two regionals this season, giving them the most Class A titles of any band during the 1980s. Their finals show was strong, and it was a difficult show. They finished 13th and won the Class A title, their second GN Class A title. This was their 6th and last appearance in GN finals. In 1990, after winning a Class A title at the Eastern Regional they were moved up to Class AA mid season. Interesting point, had they been in Class A at the 1990 nationals, they still would not have made finals. Anyway, the marching band declined a bit during the course of the 1990s. I am sure the eventual retirement of their long time director Cheryl Graham also had a negative impact on the band. Of course during the 1990s and onward, many small town band programs were finding it ever more difficult to compete at a top level in BOA. New Philly has however remained a frequent participant at BOA events.
In 14th and the second Class A band advanced into finals was Western (IN). Just two weeks earlier, Western attended the Cincinnati regional (I believe their first regional). They not only failed to make finals, they finished 5th in Class A. I am speculating that their early morning performance time may have been the culprit as at Grand Nationals they finished 20th in prelims and were the 2nd highest scoring Class A band. I believe this was the first instance of a band making GN finals who had failed to make finals at a regional earlier in the season. Granted since they were advanced to finals on class, this is a bit of a gray area.
Although they finished in the unlucky number 13th spot in prelims, Westerville South (OH) had a rocky season. I was a bit surprised by the 13th place finish. Nonetheless, I am sure it was still disappointing for them after having finished 6th the year prior. After a disappointing performance and finish in 1988, Northmont (OH) had a solid show and came close to finals, finishing 14th. I really enjoyed Central Cabarrus (NC) this season. Unfortunately, after being a finalist in 87 and 88, they finished 15th this season. Interesting point about Central Cabarrus during this time period was that their assistant director was Van Mathews, I believe the same guy who would some day be director of LD Bell HS.
Some of the 89 performances that are on YouTube include; Lake Park, North Hardin, Kiski (on the Kiski video website), George Rogers Clark, Union and New Philadelphia.
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Post by LeanderMomma on Jul 12, 2019 13:43:04 GMT -6
I still don’t understand why BOA took away the award for colorguard/auxiliary. I’m not giving up hope they’ll add it back in some day soon.
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Post by boahistorybuff on Jul 12, 2019 15:46:12 GMT -6
I still don’t understand why BOA took away the award for colorguard/auxiliary. I’m not giving up hope they’ll add it back in some day soon. I am not sure why they took it away. 1994 was the last year they gave out coordinated auxiliary awards. There has certainly been a lot of color guards who should have been awarded that. Just over this past decade it would have been interesting to see how Carmel, Avon, Tarpon Springs and Broken Arrow would have done on the auxiliary front.
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Post by madisonbandman1 on Jul 12, 2019 19:27:25 GMT -6
I am not sure why they took it away. 1994 was the last year they gave out coordinated auxiliary awards. There has certainly been a lot of color guards who should have been awarded that. Just over this past decade it would have been interesting to see how Carmel, Avon, Tarpon Springs and Broken Arrow would have done on the auxiliary front. ---------------------------------------------------- I think whatever you were trying to say got cut off for some reason. All that is showing up is the message that BOAHistoryBuff left and your previous quote.
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