On Friday, July 31, and Saturday, August 1, all 22 of DCI’s World Class corps competed at the DCI Eastern Classic in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Since the Friday and Saturday events are considered to be one show in two parts with the same adjudication panel, the results from both days will be considered as being from one event.

Five corps broke 90 points in Allentown; two more than had accomplished that feat at the DCI Southeastern Championship in Atlanta the previous weekend. The scores of all 22 placements were lower than the scores for the same placements in Allentown last year. This year’s first place score was exactly three points under last year’s record first place score of 96.825.

There were two judges for GE 1, GE 2, and Percussion, with scores from each of those pairs of judges averaged together for the total caption score. The scores of the two Effect captions are counted for full value, but each of the scores of the three Visual captions (Visual Proficiency, Visual Analysis and Color Guard) and three Music captions (Brass, Music Analysis and Percussion) are first divided in half, with each of those half scores added together for the Total Visual and Total Music scores.

And, as has been done all season, we no longer refer to the General Effect captions as Visual GE and Music GE. Those captions are now known as General Effect 1 and General Effect 2, with each judge taking more of an overall view of every corps’ entire show, not unlike how fans view a show.

The top eight corps remained in the same position as in Atlanta. Cavaliers, who didn’t perform in Atlanta, placed 9th, two positions down from the DCI Southwestern Championship in San Antonio two weeks prior, slipping under Phantom Regiment and Madison Scouts. All the remaining positions stayed the same as they were in Atlanta. The top four corps were separated by just seven tenths, the same spread that separated the top three corps in Atlanta.

The order of performance for the DCI World Championship Prelims is determined by average the scores each corps earned in San Antonio, Atlanta, and Allentown.

View the complete scoring recap from Friday night in Allentown.

View the complete scoring recap from Saturday night in Allentown.

Carolina Crown (1st, 93.825) (+2.325 from Atlanta) tied for 1st in Total GE and took 2nd in Total Visual and Total Music. Top overall GE honors was earned despite placing 3rd in GE 1, due to Blue Devils placing 4th in GE 2. Besides GE 2, the corps took 1st only in Color Guard and Brass. All three 1st place captions were the same as in Atlanta. Crown took 2nd in Visual Analysis and Music Analysis, 4th in Visual Proficiency, and 5th in Percussion. Both Total GE and Total Music scored 0.20 above Blue Devils, holding off the 0.30 deficit to BD in Total Visual.

Blue Devils (2nd-93.725) (+2.25) was 1st in Total Visual and 3rd in Total GE and Total Music. The corps tied for 1st in GE 1 and took 1st outright in Visual Proficiency, and Visual Analysis, 2nd in Color Guard and Percussion, 3rd in Brass and 4th in GE 2 and Visual Analysis. As the corps tied Cadets in Total Visual and was 0.425 under Cadets in Total Music, it was the 0.55 advantage in Total Visual that kept the corps from slipping under Cadets.

The Cadets (3rd-93.600) (+2.80) captured 1st in Total Music, tied for 3rd in Total GE, and took 3rd in Total Visual. Cadets placed 1st in Music Analysis and Percussion, 2nd in GE 2, Visual Proficiency, and Brass, 3rd in Visual Analysis, and 4th in GE 1 and Color Guard. The corps’ 0.475 spread over Bluecoats—the biggest spread between adjacent corps among the top-4 units—was due to a 0.625 lead in Total Music.

Bluecoats (4th-93.125) (+3.60), despite that aforementioned spread under Cadets, enjoyed the greatest increase in scores from Atlanta. A similar increase, along with the same increases listed among all other top corps, would put the corps in 1st in Indy. Bluecoats tied for 1st in Total GE and took 4th in Total Visual and Total Music. The only caption to take 1st was a tie with BD in GE 1. The corps had no 2nd place caption finishes. GE 2, Visual Proficiency, Color Guard, and Music Analysis finished 3rd, and Visual Analysis, Brass, and Percussion finished 4th. The 2.55 spread over SCV was mostly due to a large 1.35 lead in Total GE and 0.60 leads in both Total Visual and Total Music.

Santa Clara Vanguard (5th-90.575) (+1.50, the smallest increase among the top 8 corps) was 5th in all three of the caption totals. Music Analysis and Percussion placed 3rd, but the Total Music finish was tempered by a 7th place finish in Brass. All other captions within Total GE and Total Visual placed 5th. The corps stayed 2.70 ahead of Blue Knights due to a 0.85 lead in Total GE, a 1.25 lead in Total Visual, and a 0.60 lead in Total Music.

Blue Knights (6th-87.875) (+1.60) was 6th in Total GE and Total Music and 7th in Total Visual. Brass placed 5th, GE 1, GE 2, Music Analysis, and Percussion all placed 6th, Visual Proficiency, 7th, Color Guard 8th, and Visual Analysis 9th. The 0.80 lead over Phantom Regiment was mostly due to a 0.60 lead in Total Music.

Phantom Regiment (7th-87.075) (+1.90) was 6th in Total Visual and 7th in Total GE and Total Music. Visual Proficiency and Brass placed 6th, both GE captions, Visual Analysis, and Music Analysis took 7th, Percussion placed 9th, and Color Guard finished in 12th. The corps’ 1.625 led over Madison Scouts was mostly due to a 0.80 lead in Total GE and a 0.675 advantage in Total Music.

Madison Scouts (8th-85.450) (+1.975) was 8th in Total GE and Total Visual and 10th in Total Music. Visual Analysis placed 6th, GE 2, Music Analysis and Percussion 8th, Visual Proficiency 9th, GE 1 and Color Guard 10th, and Brass 11th. The corps’ 0.20 spread over Cavaliers was due to small leads in both Total GE and Total Visual.

The Cavaliers (9th-85.250) (+1.30 from Murfreesboro, one day before Atlanta) was 8th in Total Music, 9th in Total GE, and tied for 9th in Total Visual. Percussion was 7th, GE 1 and Visual Proficiency 8th, Brass, GE 2 and Visual Analysis placed 9th, GE 2 and Visual Analysis took 10th, and Color Guard finished 11th. The corps’ 0.65 lead over Boston Crusaders was due to a 0.25 lead in Total GE and a 0.35 lead in Total Visual.

Boston Crusaders (10th-84.600) (+2.825) was 9th in Total Music, 10th in Total GE, and 12th in Total Visual. An 8th place finish in Visual Proficiency was followed by 9th place finishes in GE 2 and Color Guard, 10th place in Music Analysis and Percussion, 11th in GE 1 and Visual Proficiency, and 14th in Visual Analysis. The 0.775 spread over Crossmen was due to a 0.55 spread in GE Total and a 0.575 spread in Total Music, offsetting a 0.35 deficiency in Total Visual.

Blue Stars (11th-83.600) (+2.50) was 9th in Total Visual, 11th in Total Music, and 12th in Total GE. Color Guard placed 7th, followed by 10th in Visual Proficiency, 11th in Visual Proficiency and Percussion, 12th in GE 1, GE 2 (tie), Visual Proficiency, and Brass. The corps was 0.35 down in Total GE to Crossmen and tied Crossmen in Total Visual. Being 0.60 up in Total Music was the key to beating Crossmen by 0.25.

Crossmen (12th-83.350) (+2.575) was 11th in Total GE and Total Visual, and 12th in Total Music. Color Guard took 6th, GE 1 placed 9th, GE 2 and Visual Analysis 11th, Visual Proficiency and Percussion 12th, Brass 13th, and Music Analysis 14th. The corps kept Colts out of the top 12 by 1.875 due to similar leads in all Total captions, with one-third of that due to a 0.60 lead in GE 1 alone.

Colts (13th-81.475) (+2.475) took 13th in Total GE and Total Visual, and 15th in Total Percussion. Visual Analysis was 8th, GE 1 took 12th and GE 2 tied for 12th, and GE 1 and Visual Proficiency took 13th, with GE 1 in a tie. All three Music captions finished in 15th. The 0.80 lead over Troopers was due to the 0.80 lead in Total Visual, as the 0.55 lead in Total GE was cancelled out by an identical loss in Total Music.

Troopers (14th-80.675) (+2.075) tied for 13th in Total Music, placed 14th in Total GE and tied for 14th in Total Visual. Brass placed 11th, and GE 1 tied for 13th, with Visual Analysis and Percussion also placing 13th. 15th place was earned for GE 2, Visual Proficiency, and Color Guard, followed by Music Analysis in 16th. The 0.40 spread over Academy was due to 0.20 leads in both Total GE and Total Visual.

The Academy (15th-80.275) (+2.525) took 14th in Total Music, tied for 14th in Total Visual, and placed 15th in Total GE. Music Analysis placed 12th, GE 2, Visual Proficiency, Color Guard, and Brass finished in 14th, GE 1 and Visual Analysis placed 15th, and Percussion 16th. The 2.375 lead over Spirit of Atlanta was due to similar leads in all Total captions.

Spirit of Atlanta (16th-77.900) (+2.525) was 16th in Total GE and Total Visual, and 17th in Total Music. Music Analysis took 14th, GE 1, GE 2, Visual Analysis, and Color Guard finished 16th, and Visual Proficiency, Brass, and Percussion placed 17th. The 2.15 lead over OC was due to a 1.35 spread in Total GE and a 0.80 lead in Total Visual.

Oregon Crusaders (17th-75.775) (+1.925) was 16th in Total Music, 17th in total GE, and 18th in Total Visual. Percussion took 14th, Visual Proficiency and Brass 16th, both GE captions and Music Proficiency 17th, and Visual Analysis and Color Guard 19th. The 0.725 spread over Mandarins was due to a 0.775 lead in Total Music.

Mandarins (18th-75.050) (+1.275) was 17th in Total Visual and 18th in Total GE and Total Music. Visual Analysis and Color Guard finished 17th, both GE captions, Music Analysis, and Percussion placed 18th, and Visual Proficiency and Brass finished in 19th. The 0.95 spread over Pacific Crest was mostly due to the 0.45 lead in Total GE.

Pacific Crest (19th-74.100) (+0.50, the smallest increase since Atlanta) was 19th in all Total captions. All three Visual captions placed 18th, as did Brass. GE 1 and Percussion finished 19th, and GE 2 and Music Analysis ended in 20th. The 3.20 spread over Cascades was the result of similar spreads in all Total captions.

Cascades (20th tie-70.900) (+1.90) was 20th in Total Visual and Total Music, and 21st in Total GE. GE 2 and Music Analysis placed 19th, Visual Analysis and Brass 20th, and the other four captions finished in 21st.

Jersey Surf (20th tie-70.900) (+2.625) was 20th in Total GE and 21st in Total Visual and Total Music. 20th place finishes included GE 1, Visual Proficiency, Brass, and Percussion. GE 2, Color Guard, and Percussion placed 21st. Visual Analysis ended in 22nd.

Pioneer (22nd-65.425) (+0.925, the 2nd smallest increase since Atlanta) was 22nd in all Total captions. Visual Analysis placed 21st, with the remaining seven captions finishing in 22nd.