Bluecoats -- North Canton, Ohio -- 92.7Crossmen -- Philadelphia -- 90.15One member of the Crossmen, Kayoko Egashira of Shizouka, Japan, expressed her gaol for the evening in one word: "Perform!" And indeed the Crossmen, havings scored a 90.15, did just that.Tamara Zuijdetvliet, a Crossmen member from Holland, also expressed what she was concentrating on. "I'm thinking about my show which is, right now, the most important show this year. We are definitely ready," Zuijdetvliet said. Seattle Cascades -- Seattle -- 86.9Another big story this season has been the phenomenal success of the Seattle Cascades, who are in their first year as a Division I corps. "It was fun! To sum it all up, we all had a lot of fun instead of worrying about it. With everyone talking about us all season, it makes us want to work harder," said Kelsey Flotlin, 17, a mellophone player from Seattle. "We're very excited to be one of the corps that the fans are talking about," corps director Sal Leone said today. "We're very excited about the possibility of being the first corps from the Pacific Northwest to make finals," Leone added.Leone is likewise ecstatic about putting the Northwest on the drum corps map once again. "We have a mission – we want to prove to the rest of the country that the Pacific Northwest can have a top-12 corps," Leone said, noting that the last Pacific Northwest Division I corps, the Kelso, Wash., Marauders, folded in the early 1990s. "Over the last 10 years there has been a tremendous void (in drum corps activity in the Pacific Northwest, and we are very excited to fill that void," Leone said.Leone said that the Cascades' 2002 show and the attitude of its members are the reasons for their success thus far. "We collected a selection of songs that were entertaining to the crowd. (The show is) a very appealing show to the general public, and it has a good structure to it to appeal to the judges," Leone explained.Meanwhile, Leone cites the positive attitude of the Cascades' members being an integral aspect of the corps' 2002 success. "We have a good attitude," Leone said. "We have the motivation and the attitude to succeed, and that's what makes it happen. We're excited about our start. We're hoping to progress even more," Leone said.Spirit of Jacksonville State University -- 87.2Spirit's " Darkness Into Light" 2002 program definitely shows off the progress this corps has made in recent years. This year the corps performs "Easter Symphony, 3rd Movement" and "Symphonia Resurrectus", by David Holsinger, with original material by Mark Fifer and Clint Gillespie.Blue Knights -- Denver -- 86.15Denver's Blue Knights wowed an appreciative Madison audience with the corps 2002 "Fear and Trembling" program, earning an 86.15.Kristen Silver, 19, a mellophone player from LaCrosse, Wis., said, "There was a lot of emotion out on that field. Our show is angry, and so there's anger, but my inspiration is to do the job that I came to do. It's hard to feel the joy after (our show), but I do."Silver said that her friends got her interested in marching with the Blue Knights. Blue Knights director Mark Arnold said, "They did really well. It's turned out to be a great season. It's a lot of work to put together a show like ours and now at the end of the season, it's really coming together. They're peaking at the right time.""Fear and Trembling" consists of "Piano Concerto Op. 3," Movements I and II, by Dimitri Shostokovich, and "Piano Concerto, Op 38," Movement I, by Samuel Barber.Colts – Dubuque, Iowa -- 85.25 The Colts, a perennial Midwestern contender, blaze through their "Revelations" program this afternoon and received an 85.25. Guard captain Courtney Caswell is celebrating her 22nd birthday today. The Memphis, Tenn., native said, "This week we finally figured out it's our last day together and we are really enjoying these times together." Caswell said that the Colts are anticipating their performance tomorrow. "(We're) looking forward to an even better show, cherishing every moment on the field". "Revelations" consists of "Dawn" by Joaquin Turina, from "5 Miniatures;" "Concertino for 4 "Percussion and Winds" by David R. Gillingham; "Be Thou My Vision," arranged by David R. Gillingham; and "New Century Dawn" by David R. Gillingham.Carolina Crown – Ft. Mills, S.C -- 83.8 Carolina Crown, whose set takes on the look and feel of ancient Greece, performed their 2002 program "Greek Mythology, Gods and Heroes" this afternoon and scored an 83.8."Next week, I'm going to miss these people. This is my frst and last year, but I'll really miss it," said Mandy Baumgarner, 21, a guard member from Orlando, Fla.Melissa Slade, 18, from Cincinnatti, said, "This (performance) was different. It all came together. It's been a rebuilding year for us since we had a lot of age-outs in the guard last year."Slade is following in her family's footsteps by marching with the Carolina Crown. Her parents met in the Queen City Cadets back in the 1970s, and her grandfather marched with a VFW corps many years ago, and lots of her family marched with the Pride of Cincinnatti.The program includes "Zeus" by Samuel Barber, "Eros" by Michael Torke, Andrew Wright and Calvin Lewis, "Icarus" by Will Jennings and Joe Sample, and "Medusa," featuring music inspired by Samuel Barber and Marty McCartt.Madison Scouts – Madison, Wis. -- 85.5The Madison Scouts got the hometown heroes' reception here this afternoon, bringing the appreciative crowd to its feet several times during their performance. Scout parent Deb Riederer, from Sun Prairie, Wis., has traveled around the country with her husband and family to watch her son, Tony, as well as the other Scouts. After the Scouts' performance, the beaming Riederer said, "They really came together musically and visually! It was so powerful. I think the concept f the "Conquest!" really came through and all of the changes have made a big difference. It was awesome!" The Scouts' 2002 "Conquest!" program consists of "Captain from Castile" by Alfred Newman, "Asturias" by Isaac Albeniz, "Conquistador/Save El Dorado" by Maynard Ferguson, Jay Chattaway, and Jim Centorino.Southwind – Lexington, Ky. -- 79.25Southwind took the field this afternoon after a short break in the competition. The corps' 2002 program is entitled "Evolution," and it contains "Toccata," by J.S. Bach, "Marche Slave," by P.I. Tchaikovsky, " "Prelude," by John Bogenschutz and "Esprit de Corps" by Robert Jager.Kiwanis Kavaliers -- 75.9The Kavaliers' 2002 "Hall of Justice" show, parts of which feature the gaurd wielding lightning bolt-shaped props, was again a strong feature here this afternoon. The up-and-coming corps has enjoyed strong audience approval all summer. The Troopers – Casper, Wyo. -- 75.55The Troopers of Casper, Wyo., took the field here to an appreciative crowd.Jason Boucher, 17, a first-year snare drummer from Chino Hills, Calif., described the Troopers show as, "Awesome! Definitely the best show of the year. Everything finally came together, everything that we've been working for all summer. It was an incredible experience." Their 2002 show is entitled, "Red, White, & Blue: The American Spirit," and the show consists of "Javelin," by Michael Torke, "An American Elegy," by Frank Ticheli, and "Into the Storm" from "Stormworks," by Stephen Melillo.Pioneer – Milwaukee, Wis. -- 73.25Pioneer's performance of their 2002 program "Oliver – with a Twist" charmed the audience here this afternoon. Zachary Brown and Willeka Versteeg, members of the Pioneer, were "happy, sad and tired" after their performance today. Before the corps' performance, Brown, an age-out, expressed his feelings about not returning to the field next year. "(I thought about) how much I'm gonna miss it. I love everyone in the Pioneer and DCI. There isn't a place in the world I'd rather be."Versteeg, an aging-out corps member from Holland, said, "I started two years ago with exactly the same emotions, crying, and it's weird that I won't be doing this again. It just became a habit."Magic of Orlando – Orlando, Fla. -- 87.15Magic's continuing drum corps Odyssey lead them to a Division I performance here in Madison today, where they again turned in a strong performance. Brian Peterson, 21, the Magic's aging-out drum major, said, "Every day we get better. Our goal is to push through to Saturday night if possible. (But) we competed to beat ourselves every night."James McNeil, 20, also a drum major, added, "But our goal is to focus on one day at a time." Executive Director Dennis Cappello, reveling in the corps' victory on the field after the show last night, said, "We've got a special group of kids. You couldn't ask for a better bunch of kids – they're hardworking. We got down the road safely, the kids had a good time and they ate well." Executive Director Dennis Cappello, reveling in the corps' victory on the field after the show last night, said, "We've got a special group of kids. You couldn't ask for a better bunch of kids – they're hardworking. We got down the road safely, the kids had a good time and they ate well." Jennifer Chapman, 19, a Magic guard member from Port Orange, Fla., also agreed with Cappello's sentiments. "It's great! It's what I hoped for." Virginia Tibbitts, 19, of Orlando, said, "I'm really proud of what the organization has done. Saturday night (Division I finals) has been our goal since the first camp."Capital Regiment – Columbus, Ohio – 79.3 Capital Regiment presented its "Climbing Everest" program to an eager crowd today.Capital Regiment was one of the corps who made the jump to Division I today, and the corps announced its intentions to make the leap following a high-energy evening last night that saw an immense amount of cooperation and appreciation between all corps.Paul Cain, of Boston Mass., a Drum Corps International show coordinator, remarked how "impressed" he was with the sportsmanship of all the corps members last night."One of the things that gave me goosebumps (last night) was all the corps members applauding each other big-time," Cain said.Rick Bays, director of the Capital Regiment (who scored 96.50 lat night), was excited about making the jump to Division I competition. "I think that they probably had the best run of the season. Their finals performance beat their semifinals performance. We had a great run, and I'm very proud of them," Bays said.Mandarins – Sacremento, Calif. -- 78.05The Mandarins lead off the proceedings here in Madison this afternoon. The weather is perfect – temperatures are hovering at the 76 degree mark, and the sky is spotless."I am thrilled for the members. They had a great experience on the field, and that is all we ask of them," said Greg Mar, color guard caption head (Greg Mar is the son of Mandarins director Ray Mar).Ray Mar, director of the Mandarins (they scored 95.80 here last night and elected to make the jump to Division I), was enthusiastic about his corps' performance here last night. "I think that they performed really well, and that they're a very capable unit. If I didn't think they were capable, then I don't think we would have made the decision to jump (to Division I), on a limited touring basis."