Blue Devils
Last year's top eight corps from the DCI World Championships were back in action Sunday, June 19, competing head to head in Austin, Texas as part of the opening weekend off the 2011 Drum Corps International Tour.
Mixing things up competitively, the participating corps performed in reverse order of
last night's event in Saginaw, Texas. That meant the Blue Devils stepped off as the first corps on at the 7:30 p.m. event start time, followed by the Cavaliers, Bluecoats and Carolina Crown. The Cadets, Phantom Regiment, Santa Clara Vanguard and Blue Stars performed after intermission.
Bluecoats Executive Director David Glasgow said that performing as the third group on was a little out of the ordinary for his corps, but "it prepared the kids for a different experience and put them out of their comfort zone. They responded well tonight."
Bluecoats
"I think 2009 was the last time I've performed with the sun up, so it's a different feeling," said Blue Devils Drum Major Andrew Rogers.
Heavy winds plagued all of the corps Saturday and Sunday, leaving color guard members at odds with flags and other equipment caught in the gusts.
Rogers said the wind was even a challenge for him as he was stationed more than six feet up on his conductor's podium on the front sideline. "Yesterday I almost fell off the podium a couple times losing my balance—I'm serious! I'd say that was the only time I've ever been scared conducting."
High definition broadcast television cameras were positioned throughout the Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex to capture footage for tomorrow's "Drum Corps at the Movies: 2011 Tour Premiere" cinema event. The program will show the complete performances of all eight corps as they were seen Sunday in Austin, in addition to various in-depth interviews with corps show designers and other features of the 2011 DCI Tour.
The Cadets
The "Tour Premiere" is coming to more than 400 movies nationwide on Monday, June 20, beginning at 6:30 p.m. local time.
View a list of participating theaters and additional info.
Official scores from an eight-person adjudication team were not announced to the public or the corps in Austin. This set, as well as the scores earned on Saturday in Saginaw, will be released for the first time to the movie theater audiences Monday night before they're posted to the web on DCI.org.
One winner was determined in Austin tonight. Fans had the opportunity to rank the corps via their web-enabled smart phones, ending the evening as well as the opening weekend of an entire summer of drum corps excitement to come.
Santa Clara Vanguard
1st: The Cavaliers
2nd: The Cadets
3rd: Carolina Crown
4th: Phantom Regiment
5th: Blue Stars
6th: Bluecoats
7th: Blue Devils
8th: Santa Clara Vanguard
View the complete 2011 Drum corps International Tour schedule.
