Minneapolis won by the Power of Ten(th)

A variety of surprises were in store for fans attending the DCI Minnesota event on Saturday, July 11, at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

With the largest lineup of corps to date on the DCI Tour, the Cadets (1st, 82.950) were victorious over the Blue Devils (2nd, 82.850), snapping the California corps’ undefeated streak which stretched all the way back to June of 2014.

82.950 is the highest score for the Cadets so far this season. After taking a week off from competition, corps members have been hard at work rehearsing numerous changes to their show, “The Power of 10.”
 
“Not only did we get to have the new ending, but we added some more body [movements], we added more details and more finesse to the show,” Cadets drum major Kendall Stevenson said. “The crowd loved it and I think the members vibed off it really well.”
 
With a third-place finish overall (81.550), Santa Clara Vanguard’s drum line continues to put up impressive numbers, edging the Blue Devils by a tenth of a point in the percussion caption. Down to the Vanguard by nearly a point, Carolina Crown’s (4th, 80.700) score has dropped by more than two points since performing in Ft. Wayne, Indiana on Wednesday.

The Cavaliers finished fifth (77.650) ahead of Phantom Regiment (6th, 76.250). Regiment conductor David Warren says that the corps is in the process of working in several changes to its production, “City of Light.”
 
“I think what really makes the show unique is that it’s a little bit of old drum corps and it’s a little bit of new drum corps,” Warren said. “We had a couple rehearsal days to put in a lot of great changes that made the show sparkle a little bit more. It was a blast to perform tonight.”
 
Blue Stars took seventh place with a score of 73.250. Moving ahead of the Madison Scouts (8th, 73.100), this is the third time this season they've won against the Wisconsin corps, despite having lost five straight shows to the Scouts since June 28.
 
After making changes to the end of their production, “78th and Madison,” Madison Scouts executive director Chris Komnick says the corps is working to “better connect” to fans in the crowd in future performances.
 
“We wanted to put out music that’s very recognizable, that has a melody to it,” Komnick said about the design of the Gene Kelly-inspired program. “We’re going to continue to clean the things we have implemented over the next seven to 10 days.”

Boston Crusaders (9th, 72.600), Crossmen (10th, 71.450) and Jersey Surf (11th, 63.150) rounded out the World Class lineup in Minneapolis.

The Open Class corps were first to perform on Saturday with Legends taking home their sixth win of the season with a score of 59.450. Legends performers, however, have goals beyond the competition.

“It'd be great to see a medal, but that's not what we go for,”  said Legends drum major Noah Koch who is an eight-year veteran of the corps. “We compete against ourselves. [Our goal is] just to be the best Legends corps that has existed so far.”

Although “The Climb” brought the Legends to victory, Music City (2nd, 58.700) has closed the gap, trailing by just 0.75 points. Taking top honors in the General Effect caption, Music City is making headway after “The Planets” earned the corps it’s highest score of the 2015 season on Saturday.

Second-year drum corps Louisiana Stars took third with a score of 54.300. Although this is only the corps’ second performance of the season, the group held a 1.7-point lead over the Colt Cadets (4th, 52.600).

With just 12 rehearsals so far this season, River City Rhythm took fifth place with a score of 45.900.

Their 2015 production, “And the River Flows On,” is the corps’ first as one of DCI’s newest Open Class units.

“We just really pushed this last [rehearsal] camp to get our show on the field, and the kids worked so hard to get the whole show ready for TCF Stadium,” River City Rhythm director Todd Dufalt said. “We know that this is just the start.”

Racine Scouts (6th, 40.250) and Blue Saints (7th, 40.200) rounded out the Open Class competition for the night. The Blue Saints out-scored the Racine Scouts in overall General Effect and Music.

Two local All-Age Class corps also appeared in the Minneapolis lineup. St. Peter’s Govenaires scored 61.950 while St. Paul’s Minnesota Brass performed in exhibition at the end of the event.

All of DCI's World Class corps will be in action next Saturday, July 18, as the DCI Tour heads to the San Antonio Alamodome for the DCI Southwestern Championship presented by Fred J. Miller, Inc.

Contributing: Tim Webber