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Vesssel
Vesssel
Impulse
Impulse
Blue Devils B
Blue Devils B
Gold
Gold
Blue Devils C
Blue Devils C
Santa Clara Vanguard
Santa Clara Vanguard
Mandarins
Mandarins
Blue Devils
Blue Devils
Pacific Crest
Pacific CrestWALNUT, California — After marching through the 2023 DCI Tour undefeated, the Blue Devils opened 2024 on a familiar note, sitting atop the leaderboard.
Nine performing groups spanning two competitive divisions took the field for Corps at the Crest at Mt. San Antonio College’s Hilmer Lodge Stadium on June 28. The two-day event, which was open on Friday exclusively to school groups, helped kick off the West Coast portion of the DCI Tour in Southern California.
“I remember being in those stands and how much joy watching those performances gave me,” Blue Devils drum major Dina Bratanovic said about the crowd of young student musicians in the audience. “The first DCI show I ever saw, I immediately was like ‘I have to do this.’ I relate to them a lot and I’m really appreciative of them being here.”
1: Blue Devils » 76.600
2: Santa Clara Vanguard » 72.650
3: Mandarins » 71.650
4: Pacific Crest » 64.300
Blue Devils’ score of 76.600 was slightly behind its opening score in 2023, but still marked the highest score to date of any World Class corps on the 2024 Tour. The Devils took first in every caption on the scoresheet, including a particularly strong mark in general effect which was 1.6 points ahead of the nearest competition.
Santa Clara Vanguard’s return to the field after a one-year hiatus, was capped off with a second-place finish, a full point ahead of the third-place Mandarins. Vanguard took second in overall general effect and music, but finished third in visual.
According to drum major Maddy Heintz, the journey back to competitive action has been a long one, especially considering that only about 40 members of the 2024 corps have previous experience marching with Santa Clara Vanguard.
“It’s only up from here,” Heintz said. “Everyone has the mentality of bringing Vanguard back to the field and continuing the excellence and legacy of the corps through everything we do.”
In third place Friday night were the Mandarins with a score of 71.650, nearly a half a point higher than the corps’ 2023 opening performance. The color guard caption was a bright spot, where the Sacramento corps finished second, three tenths of a point ahead of Vanguard.
Rounding out the World Class competition was Pacific Crest with a score of 64.300. The hometown corps finished fourth in every caption.
1: Blue Devils B » 61.950
2: Gold » 59.000
3: Impulse » 52.000
4: Vessel » 49.850
5: Blue Devils C » 46.700
Blue Devils B earned top marks in the Open Class division with a score of 61.950. The corps finished first in every caption across the scoreboard.
“The performance was great,” Blue Devils B drum major Marco Duldulao said. “It’s our first competitive run. Getting the show on the eyes of the crowd really drives our competitive fire.”
The gap in overall score Friday night between Blue Devils B and Gold, who finished in second place in all captions, was sizable compared to the 0.4 points that separated the two California corps a year ago.
There’s plenty of work ahead this season for Gold, but it’s a challenge that drum major Charlie Ly says his corps is ready for.
“The members wake up every single morning, bright and early,” Ly said. “And they've been putting in the work every single day to get things done.”
Impulse took third place, sitting more than two points ahead of Vessel. Vessel finished fourth place in all captions except for percussion, where the San Dimas-based corps finished in third, 1.3 points ahead of Impulse.
“I think it was a pretty good performance, compared to the runs we’ve been having recently,” Vessel trombone player David Perez said. “It wasn’t our best, but, I know that tomorrow night and the competitions that follow, we’re going to be putting our best foot forward and improving every single time.”
Blue Devils C rounded out the Open Class competition with a score of 46.700.
All of Friday night’s performing groups will return to the campus of Mt. San Antonio College Saturday for the second night of Corps at the Crest.