BOA St. George Preview
Welcome to the preview for the BOA St. George Regional, held in Washington, UT! The final regional of the year before next week’s Grand Nationals, this show will feature some of the top bands in the West. Almost half of the current West Top 12 will be here, including San Marcos (CA), who launched into the top half of the rankings after topping Vista Murrieta (CA) at the Western Bands Association’s SoCal Super Show last week. Let’s dive in!
(All Times MT)
7:00 - Desert Pines (NV)
7:15 - Santa Fe (NM)
7:30 - Sky View (UT)*
7:45 - Palisade (CO)
8:00 - Covina (CA)
8:15 - Wasatch (UT)*
8:30 - La Cueva (NM)**
8:45 - Montezuma-Cortez (CO)
BREAK
9:30 - Lone Peak (UT)
9:45 - Alta (UT)*
10:00 - Olathe Middle (CO)
10:15 - Copper Hills (UT)*
10:30 - Arbor View (NV)
10:45 - Ogden (UT)*
11:00 - Skyridge (UT)**
11:15 - Green Canyon (UT)**
BREAK
12:15 - Valley (NV)
12:30 - San Marcos (CA)
12:45 - Buchanan (CA)
1:00 - Brighton (UT)*
1:15 - Cedar Valley (UT)**
1:30 - Lehi (UT)**
1:45 - Silverado (NV)
2:00 - Farmington (UT)**
BREAK
2:45 - Westlake (UT)**
3:00 - Maple Mountain (UT)
3:15 - Uintah (UT)*
3:30 - Pinecrest Academy of Nevada Cadence (NV)**
3:45 - Davis (UT)**
4:00 - Mountain Ridge (UT)**
4:15 - American Fork (UT)**
* Denotes returning group
** Denotes returning finalist
This will be the last competitive show of the year for quite a few of these bands, with a notable exception being American Fork (UT), who will be at next week’s Grand National Championships (fun little tidbit, American Fork will be sending their trailer straight from the regional to Indianapolis to make it in time for their Prelims performance on Thursday). The vast majority of the states represented here will already have completed their State Marching Contest, with the Utah bands performing the evening before at the UMEA Red Rocks State Marching Band Championships, also held at the same venue.
Every single finalist from last year, except Lakota West (OH), will be returning, so expect a just as competitive regional, however with the additions from California and other states, don’t be surprised if the names called out at the end of Prelims sound a little different. American Fork looks to be the favorite; however, with San Marcos here, the placements below are entirely up in the air. Westlake (UT) has been getting a lot of hype, so they’re certainly not a group to sleep on.
Davis (UT) has been making strides in recent weeks, as they seemed to have settled into a different show philosophy than they have used in the past, so they certainly are in a position to hold on to their top 5 finish from last year, despite the different lineup that will be seen at this year’s event. Green Canyon (UT) should not get overlooked, as they were one of only two groups (along with Lakota West) at last year’s Finals to take any subcaptions over American Fork, winning both individual subcaptions and tying for the overall Music caption.
This is a fascinating regional, bringing together many groups who don’t get a ton of exposure to the marching world at large, and the BOA world especially, due to performing at times when most fans east of the Rockies are either watching retreat at other shows or are already in bed. As such, it is an excellent opportunity to make sure you’re familiar with some of the fantastic programs all over the country, as opposed to only the ones you see yearly at your local regionals or Grand Nationals.
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 at @SatNightLites. He currently lives in Florida with his partner and their two dogs.
