Back of the Bus: Going Home

Another DCI season has drawn to a close, and we have another corps finally joining that elite few that have won three competitive seasons in a row (Is it a threepeat? I think so. Is there much more debate than there needs to be on this? Yes.) Let’s explore the past week, shout out some under-the-radar performances, talk a little about why some groups placed where they did, and look ahead to next season. 

Championships

BD went undefeated again. This shouldn’t come as a surprise for anyone watching throughout the season. The Cut-Outs was not their most dominant show and was not full of unbeatable performances, as great as this corps was. Neither of those was needed. Every other corps in the top 4 had significant issues that kept things exciting but ensured they couldn’t top the reigning champions. 

The closest that another corps came last night was the Bluecoats, who, despite having a stunning production of The Garden of Love, just was not clean enough to beat the Devs. If you look at the recaps under the music caption, the only caption where their achievement was at the same level as their performance was Brass, with the other three judges giving credit to the show but clearly stating they weren’t performing it to the full extent. 

For Carolina Crown, the area they were held back by is their visual package. It’s wild to see that every visual judge last night thought that what they saw from the members was stronger than the members were given, with Vis Proficiency specifically saying the achievement was a 9.9, just .1 behind BD, and so close to a flat 10. The content? 9.6, .3 below, and 4th overall. With a production that put them just .02 behind BD in Overall Music, if their visual numbers had been up there with BD, or even if the content was in line with the achievement, we might have been talking about Crown as the 2023 DCI Champions. 

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The trendy pre-season pick for this year was my home team, the Boston Crusaders. After a dream season last year, they pulled a Se2ond Chance and went with the metaphor for the championship they felt should have been theirs last season. Similar to that Crown show, they ended up in 4th. White Whale was a profoundly flawed production at the beginning of the year, starting with some odd pacing and tonal decisions from a coordination standpoint and staging issues out the wazoo. Many of these issues were addressed throughout the season, but it seemed to be a case of too little too late. When you combine that with a visual package that seemed tailor-made for winning the Zingali rather than the Founders, it was somewhat unsurprising to see this corps end up where they did. They have the talent, both on the field and on staff, to win a Championship. They just have to put it all together. 

Under The Radar

Depending on who you talk to, the Colts this year either had the most boring milquetoast production of the World Class groups OR something uniquely Iowa and a fantastic tribute to their home state and their history as an organization. I certainly side with the latter and appreciate the nuance they brought to that show. Very few moments throughout didn’t bring a smile to my face, make me tear up, or in some cases, both. This was undoubtedly a year and a show worthy of the highest score in corps history. 

We’ve discussed Spirit here before, and I’m doing it again. This was a fantastic year for this corps, who many doubted would return this year after last year’s hiatus. Well, they returned and created a ton of momentum moving into the 2024 season with Up, Down, and All Around. If a corps consisting primarily of rookies can do that, the sky is the limit for this team, and it’s hard not to see them on their way back into consistent finals contention for the first time in 10 years. Great job y’all, and it’s good to see the Baby Blue back and making the right moves. 

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Genesis and Surf are inseparable this year in my mind. Two amazingly fan-friendly shows and precisely what groups in their competitive echelon should be doing year in and year out. If you want to grow your member base, ensure the students are treated well and that they’re doing something fun that they can enjoy and have the people watching enjoy. That ensures they keep coming back, and when they’re ready to move on, they share precisely how good it is to march at your organization. That’s what these corps did so well in 2023. 

Finally, I gotta give love to Les Stentors. Always a corps that does something enjoyable to watch, simple, and right in their wheelhouse. If you don’t tune into OC Prelims, you should always try to catch them at WC Prelims, as they’re typically the most fun and different production you’ll see until you get to the top level of Open Class, and sometimes until you hit the mid-teens World Class corps. They’re great and deserve every bit of love they get. 

MY Way-Too-Early 2024 Predictions*

*only includes groups who attended the 2023 Championships

1. Carolina Crown

2. Blue Devils

3. Bluecoats

4. Boston Crusaders

5. The Cadets

6. Mandarins

7. Phantom Regiment

8. Colts

9. The Cavaliers

10. Blue Stars

11. Troopers

12. Pacific Crest

13. Blue Knights

14. Spirit of Atlanta

15. Crossmen

Crown is winning next year. They pulled a very solid third with a staff just starting to gel, and with time for that group to develop together? Next year’s title is theirs to lose. As for the rest of the top four, it’s foolhardy to think that BD will place out of the top two, as they haven’t done so since 2006, and I won’t believe that they’ll do so until I have any sort of hard evidence. That team is too good. Bluecoats will do another stellar production, but on the strength of the top two groups, it’s hard to see them being able to push past one of these corps, much less both. I certainly wouldn’t be surprised to see them win, though. As for the Crusaders, I think they’ll figure things out, but I don’t know that next year will be it. 

Cadets seem to be the best setup for success out of the next five or so corps, and I don’t see them pushing the top four, but I don’t see them losing ground to the next few groups, barring any significant staff changes. 

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I think Blue Stars will begin to rebound next year, but I don’t know that they’ll make huge strides just yet, and we also might need to see some staff changes before. On the other hand, the Troopers have been doing excellent but seem to be punching above their weight class. If SCV comes back out, and the Rennicks spend more time there, as good as the current Troopers staff is, I think Paul and Sandi’s absence will be felt. 

The area I’m least confident about here is 12-15. Any of these corps could land in any of these spots. I have to think Pacific Crest is just slightly ahead, as they accomplished what they did this year after a 19th-place finish last year, so with more talent coming in the door for 2024, that seems like it can only help. The most interesting corps here for me is Crossmen. They have had the performances over the past two years to make finals, but the shows have been lacking. Does their absence on Saturday night lead many of the kids who would be looking here to turn elsewhere? Or can this staff turn it around and get them back in the mix from a design perspective? If they do come out with something special for next year’s show, this group could place as high as tenth, considering the improvements they made to this year's performance. That said, you’re only as strong as what you have to perform.

Offseason Notes

I’ll likely be putting this out every other week until the fall season is well underway, depending on what news we get from each of the big activities. It has been a ton of fun going through this season with you all, and I can’t wait for the next one. Thank you for joining us on this ride, and we hope you’ve had fun in the back of the bus.

Matthew Carstensen is currently GEM’s Managing Editor. He has been involved in the Pageantry Arts for over a decade as a performer at the highest level, an instructor, and a fan. You can find him on Twitter, Threads, and Instagram at @SatNightLites. He currently lives in Florida with his dog.