INDIANAPOLIS — The third-annual edition of the DCI All-Age Class World Championships in Indianapolis got off to a flying start Friday morning, with intriguing competition from top-to-bottom of a 14-corps leaderboard.
After the first of two days of All-Age championship competition at Lucas Oil Stadium, Reading Buccaneers emerged with the inside track, taking first place at the DCI All-Age World Championship Prelims.
“I’m so proud of them because we have a really young and somewhat inexperienced corps, and we’ve been working really hard this year,” Reading Buccaneers drum major Andrea Gwyn said. “We’re spread all over the field and we have a lot of ensemble challenges. So they did a really great job with the acoustics in here and everything.”
Following an offseason vote amongst the All-Age Class corps directors, this year’s championship event is the first in three seasons of DCI All-Age competition to feature one “all-in” competition, as opposed to competitive divisions from seasons past.
As such, the Top 12 corps from Friday’s competition will advance to Saturday morning’s DCI All-Age World Championship Finals, where caption winners, medals, and more will be awarded.
1. Reading Buccaneers » 94.700
2. Hawthorne Caballeros » 94.050
3. Bushwackers » 91.400
4. Atlanta CV » 90.975
As they have at every DCI All-Age championship event since the class formed in 2024, Reading Buccaneers owned the top slot on Friday’s scoreboard, outscoring the field by just 0.65 points, earning top marks in the General Effect and overall Music captions.
The two-time defending silver medalists, Caballeros retained second place, but within striking distance of the top spot largely thanks to first-place scores in overall Visual.
Atlanta CV and Bushwackers were neck-and-neck for third place, separated by just 0.425 points, with the Georgia corps holding slim leads in all three major captions to take the lead. Bushwackers held notable leads in Music Analysis and Visual Proficiency.
With one performance left, Atlanta CV is seeking its first-ever DCI All-Age medal, having earned fourth in each of the previous two seasons.
“It felt really good to be back at Lucas Oil Stadium — really, really special venue, really special performance,” Atlanta CV drum major Rickey Jennings said. “I’ve been extremely impressed with how the corps as a whole has been able to adapt to new changes and events, adapting to a new style.”
5. Cincinnati Tradition » 89.900
6. Hurricanes » 86.263
7. White Sabers » 84.550
8. Fusion Core » 84.200
9. Rogues Hollow Regiment ≫ 82.775
Cincinnati Tradition posted an impressive result, earning fifth place and outscoring the sixth-place Hurricanes by a commanding 3.637 points despite trailing the Connecticut corps in Color Guard. The Ohio corps’ placement would match its finish from a year ago.
“The energy was great; we had a bit of trouble with some weather (during warm-ups), but they really locked back in,” Cincinnati Tradition drum major Rachel Landers said. “As soon as we got in the tunnel, it was game on, everybody all-in, you could feel the energy buzzing.”
Less than two points separated White Sabers, Fusion Core and Rogues Hollow Regiment from seventh to ninth place. White Sabers emerged from the pack largely thanks to strong General Effect scores.
Should it keep its eighth-place standing, Fusion Core has the chance to post a significantly improved final result from 2025, having snuck into Finals last year in 12th place. Rogues Hollow Regiment outscored both corps in Visual Proficiency.
10. Govenaires » 81.175
11. Northern Lights » 79.325
12. MBI » 78.275
13. Sunrisers » 73.825
14. Columbus Saints » 73.325
Govenaires crossed the 80-point threshold for 10th place, earning a significant advantage over the rest of the field in General Effect, while outscoring Rogues Hollow Regiment in Color Guard.
After receiving official approval to become a full All-Age Class member during this past drum corps offseason, Northern Lights and MBI each earned spots in Saturday’s Finals, ranking 11th and 12th respectively.
For Northern Lights, this is the corps’ first time achieving finalist status, after falling short during its All-Age affiliate season in 2025. While the Michigan corps led its Minnesota counterpart by 1.05 points in total, MBI shined in Color Guard, ranking sixth.
Sunrisers and Columbus Saints each completed their 2026 seasons, falling just outside the Top 12 cutoff for Finals positions.
It was a close finish between the two, with Sunrisers scoring just half a point ahead of Columbus Saints for 13th. The Ohio corps, though, outdid Sunrisers in overall Visual, and its score of 73.325 is its highest final tally since the genesis of DCI All-Age in 2024.
The Top 12 All-Age Class corps will advance to Saturday morning’s All-Age World Championship Finals. Gates open at Lucas Oil Stadium at 9 a.m. with the first corps stepping off at 10 a.m. The event will also stream live on FloMarching.
