Weekly Recap | Week One

The 2016 Drum Corps International season is finally underway! Time and time again have we seen history in the making every year, in which corps from all over the country compete to ensure their place in the books and to prove to their friends, family, and the fan base alike what happens when you put an incredible amount of work into your passions. The first week of each season has given us a clear idea of what to expect of a few corps leading into the super regionals, and eventually, back into Indianapolis. The most updated scores of Indianapolis and Fresno this season are as follows: World Class

Bluecoats - 69.700 Carolina Crown - 69.200 Blue Devils - 68.950 The Cadets - 66.950 Santa Clara Vanguard - 66.800 The Cavaliers - 65.400 Madison Scouts - 64.250 Phantom Regiment - 63.450 Blue Knights - 62.450 Boston Crusaders - 60.450 The Academy - 58.900 Mandarins - 54.500 Pacific Crest - 53.700 Open Class Blue Devils B - 50.200 Vanguard Cadets - 50.150 Golden Empire - 45.150 Blue Devils C - 37.950 Although it's still far too early to make any absolute predictions and the differences in scoring amongst the judges, there is a minimal spread of scoring between each of the corps. Although these gaps will slowly increase throughout the season, it really brings the question of how tight some of these corps could come into each other. Looking back on last year's season, the top five corps, Blue Devils, Carolina Crown, Bluecoats, The Cadets, and Santa Clara Vanguard, had leaped back and forth for positions in an incredibly small scoring difference leading up to finals, not to mention Phantom Regiment and Blue Knights nearly a point or less for a massive duration of the season or the continued rivalry of Blue Devils B and Vanguard Cadets pushing back and forth for a first place finish. To note off for open class corps and the rivalry of Blue Devils B and Vanguard Cadets, the clash for a gold will definitely occur once again this season, simply by the 0.050 difference in their scores. Even as scores will depart and make larger gaps, it has always been a technical tradition of these two corps to install a rivalry presumed to be much greater than their parent corps, Blue Devils and Santa Clara Vanguard, and therefore, prove to them that the child corps can ensure pride to their organization. With Golden Empire not too far of behind, we can expect many more open class corps, both old and new, to enter the mix and challenge the natural "sibling rivalry" of Blue Devils B and Vanguard Cadets and push themselves for an open class medaling finish. Onto world class, it's incredibly exciting to note the burst of performance and vengefulness that Bluecoats had surged onto right from the very beginning of the season. For many years, Bluecoats had always been the underdog corps, the corps that many fans loved for their high energetic latin based shows and unique concepts, yet for the recent seasons, they have pushed much more to ensure themselves as a medaling corps, giving some of the most memorable performances including their 2014 program, Tilt, which had left hundreds of Trumpet players across the country playing that opening Trumpet solo lick. And now with their long anticipated program, Down Side Up, it's exciting to see what they'll do with it this year, considering that from right off the bat had they taken first for GE, placing them with less than a point difference away from Carolina Crown. Yet as well, we've seen countless amazing and "down to the dot" shows by Blue Devils, this season being no exception. Already from their first performance did they put a two point lead in front of Santa Clara Vanguard and an exact two point lead in front of The Cadets overall with incredible early season precision. Last year did they rise from fourth, to second, then to first in the span of all three championship performances, and as they so far stand third overall yet first in the west, we can expect that they won't stay third for long, and once again push for a great season, especially with the Shakespearian themed rivalry between them and Carolina Crown. The season of Drum Corps is in the air again, and although the scores are low and the forms aren't fully adjusted, the intensity and energy is still there. Rivalries will continue to flourish and push corps to outdo the other and members will push beyond their barriers to make themselves the best performer they can be, it's not too long before we see the season reach an impact point far greater than every power chord heard in the season, and the first week so far ensures this.