GEM is Onsite at Grand Nationals!
Also, a little explainer on a BOA Rule Change affecting tomorrow's performances.
The GEM Social Team is onsite at Lucas Oil Stadium for Bands of America Grand National Championships! We have
, , and myself, as well as a couple of fabulous guest contributors! We’re getting pictures, videos, and more at the culmination of the BOA season. Feel free to say hi if you see the crew!Grand Nationals is just as great as ever, with many of the nation’s best bands, including #4 The Woodlands (TX), #5 Avon (IN), #6 Hebron (TX), and #7 Carmel (IN) all vying to become the 2023 Grand National Champions!
There have been a few rules revisions this year, including one that affects tomorrow’s Semis order. In previous years, BOA has taken the Top 22 scores overall, the Next 8 scores overall, and then up to two representatives from any class who did not have two or more bands in on score per judging panel. The class representatives performed first, by draw order, and then came the first four bands in the next eight by draw. Following that was the top 22 overall, and then the final four bands in the next 8.
This year’s change means that tomorrow will begin with the Next 8 bands, followed by the top 22 bands, and then finally will be the class representatives, and their pre-draw numbers will order each of these groupings. Another interesting wrinkle for this year is that instead of the Top 22 being the top 22 overall, it will be the top 11 for each panel combined. This marks a further evolution from the old system, which, up until 2018, divided the bands by the day of prelims that they performed. This all means that there may be a few wild shakeups in scoring and also that a few of the class representatives will get a larger audience than they may have ever had before, with fans and bands crowding the dome to watch all of the spectacular semi-finalists and to figure out who will be advancing to tomorrow evening’s Grand National Finals!
It’s been an unpredictable season, and with so many great programs here, I certainly wouldn’t be surprised to see more of the same!
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.