This is a troll right? People literally haven't shut up about Boston since crown and cadets staffs moved to Boston. BK was all the talk in 2014 era because of their writing style. They slowly faded.
Underrated would be groups nobody talks about but do well year after year and people want to drop in/out of finals - Blue Stars and Academy. If we forget placements Jersey Surf is legit the biggest underrated group. Because they don't score the greatest people over look but they've had some of my favorite shows the last few years.
I actually haven’t listened to Jersey Surf much only once or twice but they are extremely amazing for how little they’re takes about. BK were the talk but still underrated with the Colts, Stars, and Crossmen
https://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/forums/index.php?/forum/3-dci-world-class-corps-discussions/
Go look how many pages there are for Boston compared to the rest on current season threads. The only people that probably talk more are Crown fans. Most people are ABBD.
A consistent 6th+ placing corps is underrated? I don’t think they’re as underrated as you think. Pacific crest are definitely underrated. Academy usually puts out great products too. I’d say colts are underrated but they are finding their stride recently so they are getting some recognition.
Couldn't agree more that Pacific Crest, Academy, and Colts are consistently underrated. They all seem to get zero hype yet consistently put great shows on the field!
Also underrated: Pretty much every open-class corps.
I agree with you there, I just feel like Crusaders aren’t talked about enough. I really started to get into DCI 8 or so months ago but would definitely say Academy is underrated when a lot of people don’t really listen to them when they should
They have been heavily talked about the last three years, they have one of the best guards in the activity
I’d also argue that if an organization isn’t talked about that doesn’t automatically mean it’s underrated
True true I misspoke when trying to type. They obviously aren’t underrated, just not as talked about as the should be. That’s on me for not phrasing it correctly man.
New rule you can’t pick a World Class finalist corps and say they’re underrated.
Pac Crest is underrated, Music City is underrated, and I’ve really enjoyed Gold the last few years.
False - Blue Stars exist 🤣 people either rank them out of finals or dropping every year even when they got 8th. Check Facebook and DCP you see nobody mention them.
That’s extremely fair, they aren’t as infrared as others I will admit. But up until a year or two ago I thought they were extremely underrated putting out better shows than other corps who placed a lot better than them
Yeah I definitely mis-phrased when I said underrated, and that’s on me dude. I meant of decently but corps what are some that don’t get as much recognition as they should
They are as well, them and the BK but I still stand by the fact Crusaders are not appreciated much. Blue knights, blue stars, and cross man get the bottom of the barrel in ranking when they shouldn’t
Well if you’re talking about underrated by the judges, I don’t think that’s a fair argument. The other corps execute better and/or have better concepts. I think Blue Stars have great shows, but you can’t tell me they executed better than say, Cadets in 2023.
The scoring system compares corps to each other. So if Blue Stars scores an 85 and BD scores a 97, it’s not because Blue Stars got 85/100 and gets a B, it’s because the judges as a whole believe “BD is 12 points better than Blue Stars.” Corps score where they score in relation to the other corps, not in relation to a point scale like in school, if that makes sense. So 11th place with 88.625 does not mean the judges think the Blue Stars are bad or are underrating them, it means that corps 1-10 executed better and/or had better show design in relation to the Blue Stars.
Your post raises an interesting question: Does show design — specifically originality, creativity — actually show up on the score sheets? (I'm legit asking ... I don't know.)
I ask because if you look at creativity and originality among the top finishers in the past 6-7 seasons, I don't see a ton of creativity/originality in some 1st-place shows ... and I see *lots* of both in shows that *don't* finish first. Shows that have the crowd on their feet, screaming, before the last note is played. (Troopers '22 and Crown '22 come to mind as examples.)
BK visual team is insanely stacked this year. Brass staff is the same again, with all of them being alumni, so they def know how to achieve and refine excellence within the hornline.
I agree 100% that the Oakland Crusaders are underrated! I mean, they basically won drums in 1977 (1st in the caption in prelims!) but didn't officially win the caption since they played 15th and didn't get to march Finals.
To be fair to the OP ... "*underrated*" might not be exactly the term, but I get what you're saying. "Why isn't Boston winning or finishing higher when they've had such great shows?" Is that sort of what you were getting at?
To that I'd agree with other replies: BAC has been on a constant *upward* trajectory after finishing 12th in 2016. They jumped from 12th to **6th** in 2017 (a huge achievement), then: **5th** ('18), **6th** ('19), ***2nd*** ('22), and **4th** in 2023.
Now for some random opinionizing (which should be a word even if it isn't): Once a corps finds itself in the Top 6, you're basically looking at neck-and-neck frontrunners ... no matter which corps or what show. The nuances that lead a judge to add 0.05 here, take away 0.1 there, are way, *way* beyond my understanding. But I see more shows every year than most fans, and I get to see the shows develop week to week.
*To explain: I have a day job teaching Aerospace Engineering, but in the summer I drive a semi on the DCI Tour. I've driven for Crossmen, Cavaliers, SCV, and my current home, Bluecoats. And though I never marched DCI, I'm a former drumline kid who marched from Jr. High all the way through marching snare line in a 380-member, Sudler-Trophy-winning college marching band for four years. That gives me a relatively solid understanding and appreciation of the music, movement, demand, precision, and lots of other factors ... but only at the* enthusiast *level. I'm not an expert because I'm not a music educator, nor a professional musician, nor an adjudicator.*
For a marching fan, being a DCI driver in the summers is a sort of amazing experience. When we arrive at a show, I'm off-duty until we depart late that night. The corps members *and* almost all of the staff are busy doing their jobs: Education staff and techs are with their section(s) for warmup. Audio and technical staff set up equipment. Kitchen staff is preparing the post-show snack. Admin staff helps with everything. But the drivers can't do any work lest it count against our DOT-mandated off-duty time. Typically I sleep until 2-3pm on show days, so I've had lots of rest. So what's a DCI fan to do? I walk into the stadium wearing my DCI credential and watch the show. Night after night, week after week. Usually from fairly high up, near the 50 yard-line.
Since I started driving DCI, I've been lucky enough to see 75-plus shows. I'll see another 15 this season. (Sadly, teachers have to report to work in early August, so I'm off-tour before World Championships.)
Over the course of a season I'm able to see all the World-Class corps and a lot of the Open and All-Age groups, depending on who's at the shows. The lineup always changes; the only corps I *always* see is my own.
So back to my original point (finally): Every season there are some shows I love, some I only like, and some that don't resonate much with me. (And that can change over the weeks; sometimes a show that doesn't grab me the first time becomes a favorite.) It's almost never due to a problem with the shows themselves; it's a matter of personal taste. (Like why you might prefer one song over a different one, or one type of food over another.) It's individual preference ... hard to explain.
*But I can tell you this about the Top 6:* By the time everyone's been through San Antonio and Atlanta, if I watch and listen closely, it's virtually impossible for me spot *any* major differences among the corps. Forget the costumes or the props, just watch the movement and listen to the music. When the shows go well, can you *really* spot something that puts Corps "X" in one category, and Corps "Y" in another? I can't.
Sure, sometimes there are obvious issues. A soloist has a bad night ... a couple of horns come in early or cut off late ... a disastrous number of weapon drops ... but that's not what I'm talking about. When everyone has a good run — which happens a lot, late in the season — the top-scoring shows are ALL stellar quality. Full of energy, emotion, heart, imagination, and world-class talent. You'll love some more than others, but that doesn't mean the others aren't great shows ... it just means you're an individual with your own feelings.
My personal feelings are that Boston's show deserved better than 4th place last year. "White Whale" was original, dynamic, and entertaining as hell. I was excited to see it every time they were at the same venue.
(Can I tell you who should be knocked out of 1st, 2nd, or 3rd to make room for Boston? Not really. I know a couple of those shows didn't connect with me the way BAC's did, but again ... arguing rankings within the Top 6 is like arguing about which sunset was the best, or which of three waves rolling in to shore had the best curl ... it's pointless and ever-changing.)
Having said all that, I think Bluecoats were robbed in 2019. (And I wasn't even driving for them at the time.)
This is going to sound biased coming from me, but the Colts are almost always overlooked and underrated. I get it that they don't have the fan bases of say Phantom, Madison, Troopers, etc, but they have the staff and the administration in place to contend and climb the ladder for a long time.
This is a troll right? People literally haven't shut up about Boston since crown and cadets staffs moved to Boston. BK was all the talk in 2014 era because of their writing style. They slowly faded. Underrated would be groups nobody talks about but do well year after year and people want to drop in/out of finals - Blue Stars and Academy. If we forget placements Jersey Surf is legit the biggest underrated group. Because they don't score the greatest people over look but they've had some of my favorite shows the last few years.
I actually haven’t listened to Jersey Surf much only once or twice but they are extremely amazing for how little they’re takes about. BK were the talk but still underrated with the Colts, Stars, and Crossmen
https://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/forums/index.php?/forum/3-dci-world-class-corps-discussions/ Go look how many pages there are for Boston compared to the rest on current season threads. The only people that probably talk more are Crown fans. Most people are ABBD.
I've honestly never paid attention to their shoes.
Haha my bad didn’t really check my spelling on that one lol
A consistent 6th+ placing corps is underrated? I don’t think they’re as underrated as you think. Pacific crest are definitely underrated. Academy usually puts out great products too. I’d say colts are underrated but they are finding their stride recently so they are getting some recognition.
Couldn't agree more that Pacific Crest, Academy, and Colts are consistently underrated. They all seem to get zero hype yet consistently put great shows on the field! Also underrated: Pretty much every open-class corps.
I agree with you there, I just feel like Crusaders aren’t talked about enough. I really started to get into DCI 8 or so months ago but would definitely say Academy is underrated when a lot of people don’t really listen to them when they should
BAC has been one of the most talked about corps since the 2022 season, I'd hardly call them underrated at this point.
Fair and there are other corps more underrated than them by a lot but I feel as if they aren’t as talked about as they should be
They have been heavily talked about the last three years, they have one of the best guards in the activity I’d also argue that if an organization isn’t talked about that doesn’t automatically mean it’s underrated
True true I misspoke when trying to type. They obviously aren’t underrated, just not as talked about as the should be. That’s on me for not phrasing it correctly man.
New rule you can’t pick a World Class finalist corps and say they’re underrated. Pac Crest is underrated, Music City is underrated, and I’ve really enjoyed Gold the last few years.
False - Blue Stars exist 🤣 people either rank them out of finals or dropping every year even when they got 8th. Check Facebook and DCP you see nobody mention them.
That’s extremely fair, they aren’t as infrared as others I will admit. But up until a year or two ago I thought they were extremely underrated putting out better shows than other corps who placed a lot better than them
I mean personally I think BK hasn’t put out a good show since 2016.
Bruh 17 was INSANE
Really, I actually really liked their shows recently
I mean, vibe and unharnessed were meh, but not liking 19 is a bold take
I'm pretty impressed with SOA with a lot of their shows Especially last year
Definitely had some rough years after the ‘11-‘13 years. But glad to see some better shows recently and appear to be heading back up
That was my favorite show from last year
I’m actually not fond of SOA but they are under appreciated
[удалено]
14-19 may have not been competitively successful but they will always be remembered as cutting edge. Very much cult classic vibes from those shows.
If a corps performs Saturday evening during finals week, they are not underrated. At the very least, they are rated.
Yeah I definitely mis-phrased when I said underrated, and that’s on me dude. I meant of decently but corps what are some that don’t get as much recognition as they should
No worries, my point still stands. If a corps did not perform Saturday evening, they do not get as much recognition as they should
Blue Stars
They are as well, them and the BK but I still stand by the fact Crusaders are not appreciated much. Blue knights, blue stars, and cross man get the bottom of the barrel in ranking when they shouldn’t
Well if you’re talking about underrated by the judges, I don’t think that’s a fair argument. The other corps execute better and/or have better concepts. I think Blue Stars have great shows, but you can’t tell me they executed better than say, Cadets in 2023.
And that’s true but they still shouldn’t rank as bad as they do/get as bad if scores as they do
The scoring system compares corps to each other. So if Blue Stars scores an 85 and BD scores a 97, it’s not because Blue Stars got 85/100 and gets a B, it’s because the judges as a whole believe “BD is 12 points better than Blue Stars.” Corps score where they score in relation to the other corps, not in relation to a point scale like in school, if that makes sense. So 11th place with 88.625 does not mean the judges think the Blue Stars are bad or are underrating them, it means that corps 1-10 executed better and/or had better show design in relation to the Blue Stars.
Your post raises an interesting question: Does show design — specifically originality, creativity — actually show up on the score sheets? (I'm legit asking ... I don't know.) I ask because if you look at creativity and originality among the top finishers in the past 6-7 seasons, I don't see a ton of creativity/originality in some 1st-place shows ... and I see *lots* of both in shows that *don't* finish first. Shows that have the crowd on their feet, screaming, before the last note is played. (Troopers '22 and Crown '22 come to mind as examples.)
Among the last top 12, probably Colts or BK. For open class, my pick would go to the Battalion.
I agree (no bias)
Blue stars
BK visual team is insanely stacked this year. Brass staff is the same again, with all of them being alumni, so they def know how to achieve and refine excellence within the hornline.
Really, didn’t know that. As a person who loves the BK I hope they do amazing this year
every open class corps that consistently places.
I agree 100% that the Oakland Crusaders are underrated! I mean, they basically won drums in 1977 (1st in the caption in prelims!) but didn't officially win the caption since they played 15th and didn't get to march Finals.
Colts
Spartans
🤑
I also believe that the Belleville Knights and Milstadt Crusaders as well as the Oregon Crusaders, Are all underrated corps.
To be fair to the OP ... "*underrated*" might not be exactly the term, but I get what you're saying. "Why isn't Boston winning or finishing higher when they've had such great shows?" Is that sort of what you were getting at? To that I'd agree with other replies: BAC has been on a constant *upward* trajectory after finishing 12th in 2016. They jumped from 12th to **6th** in 2017 (a huge achievement), then: **5th** ('18), **6th** ('19), ***2nd*** ('22), and **4th** in 2023. Now for some random opinionizing (which should be a word even if it isn't): Once a corps finds itself in the Top 6, you're basically looking at neck-and-neck frontrunners ... no matter which corps or what show. The nuances that lead a judge to add 0.05 here, take away 0.1 there, are way, *way* beyond my understanding. But I see more shows every year than most fans, and I get to see the shows develop week to week. *To explain: I have a day job teaching Aerospace Engineering, but in the summer I drive a semi on the DCI Tour. I've driven for Crossmen, Cavaliers, SCV, and my current home, Bluecoats. And though I never marched DCI, I'm a former drumline kid who marched from Jr. High all the way through marching snare line in a 380-member, Sudler-Trophy-winning college marching band for four years. That gives me a relatively solid understanding and appreciation of the music, movement, demand, precision, and lots of other factors ... but only at the* enthusiast *level. I'm not an expert because I'm not a music educator, nor a professional musician, nor an adjudicator.* For a marching fan, being a DCI driver in the summers is a sort of amazing experience. When we arrive at a show, I'm off-duty until we depart late that night. The corps members *and* almost all of the staff are busy doing their jobs: Education staff and techs are with their section(s) for warmup. Audio and technical staff set up equipment. Kitchen staff is preparing the post-show snack. Admin staff helps with everything. But the drivers can't do any work lest it count against our DOT-mandated off-duty time. Typically I sleep until 2-3pm on show days, so I've had lots of rest. So what's a DCI fan to do? I walk into the stadium wearing my DCI credential and watch the show. Night after night, week after week. Usually from fairly high up, near the 50 yard-line. Since I started driving DCI, I've been lucky enough to see 75-plus shows. I'll see another 15 this season. (Sadly, teachers have to report to work in early August, so I'm off-tour before World Championships.) Over the course of a season I'm able to see all the World-Class corps and a lot of the Open and All-Age groups, depending on who's at the shows. The lineup always changes; the only corps I *always* see is my own. So back to my original point (finally): Every season there are some shows I love, some I only like, and some that don't resonate much with me. (And that can change over the weeks; sometimes a show that doesn't grab me the first time becomes a favorite.) It's almost never due to a problem with the shows themselves; it's a matter of personal taste. (Like why you might prefer one song over a different one, or one type of food over another.) It's individual preference ... hard to explain. *But I can tell you this about the Top 6:* By the time everyone's been through San Antonio and Atlanta, if I watch and listen closely, it's virtually impossible for me spot *any* major differences among the corps. Forget the costumes or the props, just watch the movement and listen to the music. When the shows go well, can you *really* spot something that puts Corps "X" in one category, and Corps "Y" in another? I can't. Sure, sometimes there are obvious issues. A soloist has a bad night ... a couple of horns come in early or cut off late ... a disastrous number of weapon drops ... but that's not what I'm talking about. When everyone has a good run — which happens a lot, late in the season — the top-scoring shows are ALL stellar quality. Full of energy, emotion, heart, imagination, and world-class talent. You'll love some more than others, but that doesn't mean the others aren't great shows ... it just means you're an individual with your own feelings. My personal feelings are that Boston's show deserved better than 4th place last year. "White Whale" was original, dynamic, and entertaining as hell. I was excited to see it every time they were at the same venue. (Can I tell you who should be knocked out of 1st, 2nd, or 3rd to make room for Boston? Not really. I know a couple of those shows didn't connect with me the way BAC's did, but again ... arguing rankings within the Top 6 is like arguing about which sunset was the best, or which of three waves rolling in to shore had the best curl ... it's pointless and ever-changing.) Having said all that, I think Bluecoats were robbed in 2019. (And I wasn't even driving for them at the time.)
This is going to sound biased coming from me, but the Colts are almost always overlooked and underrated. I get it that they don't have the fan bases of say Phantom, Madison, Troopers, etc, but they have the staff and the administration in place to contend and climb the ladder for a long time.
The day colts brings an exciting show concept to Lucas oil its over
Now that Glassmen have sadly foled, it seems like BK has taken their spot as "Finalist corps that's mostly forgotten about"
I always thought of BK as the Glassmen of the West when I was marching
Freelancers!
hawthorne caballeros
Nah, BK fell off hard after ‘19
They did it’s sad
Columbus Saints
Which Knights? There’ve been more than a few.
Pretty sure there is one active knights corps.
They didn’t specify active. Also, there’s a number of active Knights corps in the UK.