Carolina Crown dazzles in 2023 Muncie debut

MUNCIE, Indiana — Under the lights of Scheumann Stadium at Ball State University, the 2023 DCI Summer Tour reached the second show of the season, DCI Central Indiana presented by Music For All.

The members of Carolina Crown, in their season debut, took home top marks at Friday night’s event, with a score of 75.000.

“The show was really energetic,” drum major Cooper St. John said. “We were really happy as a corps just to perform tonight.”

According to St. John, weather and air quality issues prevented the corps from running their production in its entirety in recent rehearsals. Friday night’s performance marked the first time in nearly two weeks Carolina Crown has been able to perform “The Round Table” from start to finish.

“We have not actually been able to do a full run since the previous show about two weeks ago,” St. John said. “So we were all just incredibly hyped to be able to do our entire show for an audience again, just do a full run of our show even.”

View all scores and recap from DCI Central Indiana

1. Carolina Crown » 75.000
2. Phantom Regiment » 72.550
3. Blue Stars » 70.450
4. The Cavaliers » 70.100

Carolina Crown’s score from Friday night was 1.550 points higher than its 2022 debut at the same location. The Fort Mill, South Carolina corps earned top marks in every caption on the judges’ sheets.

 

Phantom Regiment continued a strong start to the 2023 season, as they finished Friday night’s event in second place with a score of 72.550. The corps improved its score from 2022’s Muncie event by nearly five points.

Friday marked the second time the Rockford, Illinois corps has placed ahead of Blue Stars in as many 2023 head-to-head meetings. Regiment also captured second-place finishes in every caption except color guard and percussion.

“That was the best run that we've ever done,” said Regiment drum major Keri McCourt. “I know fans have been skeptical, but the commitment that this corps has had to (our production) ‘Exogenesis’ has been unlike any other show that I've been a part of. We live and breathe and embody this entire show.”

The event in Muncie is hosted as a part of Music For All’s week-long Summer Symposium, an annual summer camp for high school music students who spend the week engrossed in intensive skills and leadership workshops. The students also take advantage of being front and center for the drum corps competition, providing an incredible level of energy and excitement for the performers.

“This is my favorite show of the entire season,” McCourt said. “I love having so many fans here and they're so close to us. I can feel their energy right on my back. I can hear when they’re cheering, and I'm so happy to be here.”

Earning third place Friday night was Blue Stars with a score of 70.450. The corps from La Crosse, Wisconsin surpassed 70 points for the first time this season, signifying a 3.05-point jump from the corps’ Muncie score a year ago.

 

It was a tight race between Blue Stars and The Cavaliers for third place Friday night, but Blue Stars earned a close victory, largely due to strong visual scores.

The Cavaliers — who scored 2.175 points behind Blue Stars at season’s end in 2022 — opened up the season on a strong note, finishing within 0.25 points of its Wisconsin-based counterpart. The Rosemont, Illinois corps tied the Blue Stars in the general effect caption and scored as high as second place in percussion.

“It was a pretty solid run tonight,” said Cavaliers drum major Carson Brooke. “We have a lot of things to work on, but so does everyone. The things that showed up tonight were definitely in the right ballpark.”

Friday night’s event marked the first time The Cavaliers fielded their 75th anniversary show after being unable to perform at the DCI Midwest Premiere on Wednesday night in Michigan. Friday was also the first time the Green Machine donned their new uniform look in competition, one of the many ways The Cavaliers are honoring 75 years of drum corps performance.

“The 75th anniversary is definitely very special,” Brooke said. “(Wearing) the hats, even though they might just be headwear to some people, really mean a lot to us. So it's very special to see it all come together and really get the experience of being a Cavalier.”

5. Troopers » 66.500
6. Colts » 65.850

 

Troopers remained ahead of Colts for the second time, but by a narrow margin. While the Casper, Wyoming corps’ 1.45-point advantage from Wednesday night shrunk to just 0.65, Troopers managed to score ahead of Blue Stars in the music analysis caption.

Colts, with a score of 65.850, outscored the Troopers in percussion and color guard.

Muncie marked the Colts’ second show of its 65th-anniversary season, and members’ excitement to perform has only grown through the tour’s first few days.

“There’s a fire in them and they are ready to keep working and getting things done in order to see out the end of the season,” Colts visual instructor Bridget Fleming said.

The six performing corps from Friday night will split off to continue their 2023 DCI Tour schedules. Colts, Troopers and Blue Stars will travel to Madison, Wisconsin for Drums on Parade on July 1. The Cavaliers, Carolina Crown and Phantom Regiment will head to Lisle, Illinois for Cavalcade of Brass on July 2.

gallery-2023-dci-central-indiana-muncie-in