Drum Corps Associates' (DCA) 2022 season concluded Sunday with the finale event of its championship weekend series of events in Rochester, New York.
In its first return to in-person championship events since 2019, the all-age drum and bugle corps organization awarded gold medals to a trio of class champions, Reading Buccaneers (World Class), Hurricanes (Open Class) and Fusion Core ('A' Class).
View scores from the DCA Finals
For Reading Buccaneers, the corps’ 2022 title marks its 18th class championship and DCA’s first-ever World Class winner. Buccaneers (1st, 97.600) came from behind into the DCA Championships, having been outscored in close competition by the Hawthorne Caballeros (2nd, 96.725) at a pair of midseason events.
The Reading corps, which did not perform in DCA’s 2021 virtual season, earned brass and effect caption awards, while Caballeros — 2021’s defending champion — took home all other World Class caption awards.
Rounding out the World Class ranks were the Bushwackers (3rd, 94.600) and White Sabers, (4th, 90.800), both of which saw noticeable scoring improvement from their 2021 outputs.
DCACorps.org: DCA titles awarded to Buccaneers, Hurricanes, Fusion at memorable 2022 finale
“Everything just clicked with every member and everybody brought their ‘A’ game this week,” Reading Buccaneers member Leah Tasseff said. “It didn’t matter where we scored or where we placed, we knew we had a great performance tonight.”
The Hurricanes of Seymour, Connecticut, took home top marks in Open Class and earned the corps’ first DCA gold medal since 1981. Hurricanes won caption awards for brass, effect, visual, color guard and drum major.
Atlanta CV (2nd, 87.750) — which kept in close competition with Hurricanes throughout the weekend and earned the Open Class caption award for percussion — finished a successful competitive season in which the corps celebrated its 25th anniversary.
Cincinnati Tradition (3rd, 83.350) held serve in Open Class third place throughout the DCA Championships, while the class’ fourth-place finisher, Rogues Hollow Regiment (4th, 81.475), earned a strong score in its debut appearance at the event.
In 'A' Class competition, Fusion Core (1st, 85.725) posted impressive competitive results, sweeping all class caption awards and outscoring its field of competitors by nearly five points. 2022 marked the corps’ first DCA championship title since 2005.
“Tonight’s run was just incredible, and the members feel great about it, which is what’s most important,” Fusion Core drum major Kyle DeFranco said. “It really came together in the end.”
Skyliners (2nd, 80.950) and Govenaires (3rd, 78.975) were in close competition for A-Class second place throughout the summer, with the New York corps ultimately earning the edge. Rounding out the rankings, Columbus Saints (4th, 71.675) shattered the corps’ all-time-high final score; the previous mark, set in 2019, was 68.350.
Tickets are now on sale for the 2023 DCA World Championships in Rochester, New York