DCI West Sets Up BD & SCV Battle For Top Spot Out West
DCI West Sets Up BD & SCV Battle For Top Spot Out West
Competition in the Drum Corps International tour is heating up already! SCV and BD are entangled in a battle for the top spot in the West.
If the first week of the 2018 Drum Corps International summer tour is any indication of what this season will be like, we are in store for an exciting season. While the Bluecoats have been consistently taking the No. 1 spot against the likes of The Cavaliers and Carolina Crown, two neighboring corps are in a battle for the top position in California.
Blue Devils Sandwich
The corps began its tour with three events in a row: MidCal Champions Showcase in Clovis, CA, on Friday; DCI West on Saturday; and the Moonlight Classic in Sacramento on Sunday. Blue Devils won in Clovis and Sacramento, and Vanguard pulled out the win in Stanford.
In Clovis, Blue Devils earned a 71.300 and Vanguard scored a 70.700. The two were the most separated in the general effect caption (by 0.50) but tied in music and were only 0.10 away from tying in visual. Also, Vanguard's percussion, brass, AND color guard topped the Blue Devils' for the night.
In Stanford on Saturday night, Blue Devils took second behind Vanguard for the first time since 2007. Jeff Griffith, a member of the DCI Communications team, made it apparent just how long it's been since SCV has beaten the Concord corps.
This was the first time you read about SCV beating Blue Devils on an iPhone.
— Jeff Griffith (@Jeff_Griffith21) June 24, 2018
The first one was released nine days later. https://t.co/WpijcmAAgW
At DCI West, SCV scored higher than BD in two of the three captions. But, this time the color guard sub-caption flipped and went to BD while overall general effect went to Vanguard (by 0.40). Overall, SCV was only ahead by 0.60.
The saga continued as the two advanced onto Sacramento, where Blue Devils once again overtook Vanguard. BD scored 72.700 and SCV scored 72.450.
On To The Next
The Blue Devils' performance in Sacramento was their last until this upcoming weekend's Drum Corps At The Rose Bowl event. Vanguard will perform in Oceanside, CA, on Friday, while Blue Devils have 3 1/2 rehearsal days—extremely valuable rehearsal time that is not easy to find once the summer tour begins.
It will be interesting to watch these two West Coast powerhouses duke it out as they strive toward a first win in two decades or a seventh since 2009.