Occasionally, efforts to simplify things wind up making things a bit more complicated than they were originally. In hindsight, such was the case of the change in "finals week" format as was unanimously passed by the Division II and III directors at their annual meeting last January.
According to Division II & III advisory committee chairman George Brown, "Our original intent in changing from the old format to the "Divisional " and "Grand Finals" Championships format used this past summer was to create more performance opportunities for the competing corps, and to recognize a greater number of corps as 'finalists.' The corps directors voted unanimously to create this format." Although more finalist positions were created, there was a great deal of confusion. Brown continued, "There were some great performances throughout the week and well-deserved recognition goes to all of the corps which advanced from the preliminaries to the Divisional Finals, and then to the Grand Finals World Championships. The Division II and III advisory committee would like to extend their special congratulations to the champions of both the divisional medalists and the Grand Finals World Champions in their respective divisions." "We're all well aware that the crowning of two different categories of champions has caused considerable confusion which must be eliminated as we determine the ultimate outcome of our championships for corps members and fans alike. With everyone in the same venue for the final week of the coming season, we're already looking forward to what we're sure will be a very successful series of competitive events in Madison, Wis., next August. We're confident that corps members will have the chance to participate what is sure to be one of the most exciting series of "Championships Week" events ever presented by Drum Corps International, and we're hoping to attract record audiences of enthusiastic fans and supporters of Division II and III events."
According to Division II & III advisory committee chairman George Brown, "Our original intent in changing from the old format to the "Divisional " and "Grand Finals" Championships format used this past summer was to create more performance opportunities for the competing corps, and to recognize a greater number of corps as 'finalists.' The corps directors voted unanimously to create this format." Although more finalist positions were created, there was a great deal of confusion. Brown continued, "There were some great performances throughout the week and well-deserved recognition goes to all of the corps which advanced from the preliminaries to the Divisional Finals, and then to the Grand Finals World Championships. The Division II and III advisory committee would like to extend their special congratulations to the champions of both the divisional medalists and the Grand Finals World Champions in their respective divisions." "We're all well aware that the crowning of two different categories of champions has caused considerable confusion which must be eliminated as we determine the ultimate outcome of our championships for corps members and fans alike. With everyone in the same venue for the final week of the coming season, we're already looking forward to what we're sure will be a very successful series of competitive events in Madison, Wis., next August. We're confident that corps members will have the chance to participate what is sure to be one of the most exciting series of "Championships Week" events ever presented by Drum Corps International, and we're hoping to attract record audiences of enthusiastic fans and supporters of Division II and III events."