[WabashAlum]

Does anyone know the complete placings for all the bands who attended State Fair? I was hoping to check up on my old band. Thanks! 

[Bob from Wabash]

Does anyone know the complete placings for all the bands who attended State Fair? I was hoping to check up on my old band. Thanks! 

At one time last night the entire results were posted in this thread, but for some reason it looks like the placings below the top 25 have been deleted.  Wabash was somewhere around 35 (I don't recall the exact placing).  Manchester was the top band from Wabash County this year, placing around 30.

[WabashAlum]

Thank you, Bob! Sounds like they are on their way to rebuilding the program Congrats to Manchester as well!

[Matt Bonfield]

Sorry about that. We had two threads going on and wanted to consolidate into one. Just before we removed the other thread (started after ours), Paul Marlow from Garrett posted the full placings (we are withholding scores at the request of the Band Day Staff).

I have added these placings to the original post in this thread. So check it out! Thanks! 

[WabashAlum]

Thank you, Matt! You're awesome! 

[Douglas L. Weisheit]

can anyone explain to me, and i attended, how Sheridan placed 12th?  I was surprised they made the sweet 15 then even more surprised to see their GREAT placing with, i think, 13 players and Noblesville placed 16th?

[Dr. Albert Lilly]

can anyone explain to me, and i attended, how Sheridan placed 12th?  I was surprised they made the sweet 15 then even more surprised to see their GREAT placing with, i think, 13 players and Noblesville placed 16th?

Doug,

We judge on the sheets that are posted on the State Fair Band Day website.  I wrote those sheet.  Those sheets dictate the criteria that we use to judge, and the characteristics and levels of reward for each performance level.  If you look closely, there is NO place to give credit (or take away credit) for the size of the band.  Good is good, and every size of group (small, medium, large) has its own advantages and challenges.  Size does not matter to the judge, and we are no swayed or influenced by that.  WE judge the quality of the performance, regardless of size.  Bigger is not better....better is better.  Always has been.

Congratulations to all competitors yesterday for a fantastic prelim and final event at the state fair.  It was incredible, and ALL of you should be proud of your performances.

It was my honor to adjudicate your performances yesterday!

Dr. Al

[WabashAlum]

I would like to give props to Sheridan on their amazing placing! Having come from a small band of no more than 35 people (in a good year), I have found that the size of the band doesn't always determine how competitve that band will turn out to be. Small bands can and have been pretty fierce and should not be underestimated! 

[Chuck Kellum]

We judge on the sheets that are posted on the State Fair Band Day website.  . . . Those sheets dictate the criteria that we use to judge, and the characteristics and levels of reward for each performance level.  If you look closely, there is NO place to give credit (or take away credit) for the size of the band.  Good is good, and every size of group (small, medium, large) has its own advantages and challenges.  Size does not matter to the judge, and we are no swayed or influenced by that.  WE judge the quality of the performance, regardless of size.  Bigger is not better....better is better.  Always has been.

Dr. Al

Interesting how history can sometimes repeat itself.  I had been thinking about some posts Doug Fletcher posted in a discussion on this forum a couple of years ago in response to an assertion by someone that it was very unlikely a "small band" would ever again win the SFBD championship.  Doug defended the position that it is always possible for a small band to win, and among other things said "Bigger is not better... better is better! ...and CSJA judges always reward better.  Size is not really in the equation here."
This year, Doug and his students, staff, and parents/boosters were able to demonstrate the truth in that statement.  Well done, Winchester!
And good luck to ALL bands next year!

[Dr. Albert Lilly]

Interesting how history can sometimes repeat itself.  I had been thinking about some posts Doug Fletcher posted in a discussion on this forum a couple of years ago in response to an assertion by someone that it was very unlikely a "small band" would ever again win the SFBD championship.  Doug defended the position that it is always possible for a small band to win, and among other things said "Bigger is not better... better is better! ...and CSJA judges always reward better.  Size is not really in the equation here."
This year, Doug and his students, staff, and parents/boosters were able to demonstrate the truth in that statement.  Well done, Winchester!
And good luck to ALL bands next year!

Chuck,

You likely have also seen my post in exactly the same line here many times, as I often point that out to anyone who will ask.  It is simply the truth.  The CSJA rewards performance level, regardless of size. 

All my best,

Dr.
Al

[Ace Band Dad]

There will be no clips from State Fair this year.

Be sure to thank Box 5 Productions for being the video police today, afraid that 1-minute fair use clips (that are also available on all Indy newscasts by the way, as well as broadcast as full shows on the radio routinely during the summer season, and also available from the Indy Star)... may somehow take away from their profits.

You would think a 1 minute clip would only be enough to whet the appetite, causing fans to seek out Box 5 for videos of full shows, therefore increasing their sales...

[Josh Hines]

One would think Ace Band Dad.... But anyway, I'd like to take a moment and give some of my thoughts from the day as well.

First of all, as I said in another post, this was by far the most respectful and supportive crowd I have witnessed at prelims. Most were quite for the performing group and clapped for each of them. One moment I'm reminded of is when North Decatur was on the field. For a band that had just 7 winds and 1 percussionist, the crowd began to clap along to "Season's of Love" which was their closer. That's the kind of support we should show ever band and it really brought a big smile to my face to see people really showing support for kids that weren't even their own. However, when it came to finals, it was slightly different as some groups didn't clap for other it would appear. You can clap for everyone. Promise it won't hurt your band. It's certainly a start though.

I'd like to thank David for coordinating another great SFBD. Don't worry about the video recording as that really is out of your hands. Thank you Dr. Lilly for putting another fantastic performance of the National Anthem this year as well. You haven't lost your touch at all. An additional thanks you him and the rest of the judges for keeping with it the whole day. It isn't easy physically and mentally for sure.

Next I'd like to give a few thoughts on some groups that performed as well in prelims performance order.

Anderson - Your closer was my sophomore marching year opener. It was cool to see another group perform it on the field!

Kokomo - Cool Drumline feature and it's awesome that you played music from Tron: Legacy. I certainly approve the choice. You also had some AWESOME dancers in the show. Very entertaining.

Mooresville - It's been awhile since I last listened to the Superman soundtrack but I know for a fact that two of your four pieces were from that movie which is another approved selection from me. Wasn't sure if your whole show music was from there though. Great to hear such great music on the field. Just try to play out more at the bigger hits!

Muncie Central - I guess this is what you could call your first "serious" show and you pulled it off wonderfully. I personally enjoy Stephen Melillo and you were able to do some pretty impressive musical things. Keep up the growth you've been having the past few years.

Muncie Southside - Your color guard as always was fantastic. Great performance! I also liked your tribute to the original greek olympic games during your ballad with the poses. Though to be fair, they wouldn't have been wearing toga's but I suppose I can let you get away with that historical error. 

Northeastern - Not the usual cheese that you've put on the field the past few years but still entertaining. Now get back to those scales Wolfie! 

Richmond - You took Asphalt Cocktail to the wall and ran right through it! You were fast and furious and hardly let up. It was such an enjoyment to watch all of you put out such an energetic show. You're drumline was truly second to none that day as well. Outstanding job! I promise you, keep putting shows of this quality out and you WILL eventually win SFBD. You keep coming so close and yet keep having victory snatched from you. Don't let it get you down because you all are fantastic so keep up the hard work and dedication. You're an amazingly talented group!

Shortridge Magnet - After being open for just one year, you have made tremendous strides! You have snazzy new uniforms and your drumline is entertaining as always. I look forward to getting to see you again later this fall at BOA if you participate again.

Wabash - You're rebuilding. I can understand and appreciate that. You only had 1 guard and 4 brass! In that respect, you put on a pretty good performance. Plus not only did you have just ONE guard member, but he was a he even! Now that's rare. He gave it his all and did a great job. Hope to see you reclaim a spot in the sweet 16 again soon.

Covington - Another small band with just ONE guard member who also gave it their all. I have to commend those lone soles because it takes guts to go out there and give what is essentially a solo for 5 minutes. Speaking of solo's, it was incredible to see one of your brass players not only have a solo, but to play on two brass instruments one right after the other as a solo. To switch from one to the other with what was basically one measure of rest takes talent! Great job!

Manchester - It's good to see you back on the field once again. With just 7 winds you put out a pretty good sound and had a coherent show. Keep up the work and hope to see you back to your high numbers once again.

Winchester - Oh how I wish you were doing field show this year! You'd be a top contender for sure in Class D. Great performance all around with a touching ending. Hope to see you in the fall next year!

Jay County - One word could describe this show. Controlled. Controlled body. Controlled sound. Everything was clean and you nailed it. Excellent performance all around.

Lebanon - It is great that you also came back! You certainly surprised me with your performance. After such a long time since you last competed, I expected less, but you proved me wrong. I personally had you 17th on the day so great job and hope to see you grow back into the power you once were. You certainly have the talent to challenge.

Centerville - Kudo's to you for being the only band on the day to have a rain performance. Not only did it rain, but it was coming down pretty hard during portions of your show. Great job of sticking with it and following through!

Overall, I had a pretty good day of picking the bands out as well. I was 15/16 for the finalists (I had Garrett in personally but knew the fact that the guard hadn't been integrated into the show yet would hurt them). This wasn't a down year by any means even if the scores say otherwise. Everyone gave their all during performances and it showed. I had an enjoyable day once again thanks to all of you performers!

As a special thanks, here are some additional awards that otherwise wouldn't be announced. This is the color guard and percussion which is only judged during prelims.

Top 5 Large Band CG placings:
1. Muncie Southside
2. Kokomo
3. Richmond
4. Northeastern
5. Anderson

Top 5 Small Band CG:
1. Winchester
2. Centerville
3. Union County
4. Hagerstown
5. Frankton

Top 10 Overall CG:
1. Muncie Southside
2. Kokomo
3. Winchester
4. Richmond
5. Northeastern
6. Anderson
7. Muncie Central
8. Mooresville
9. Jay County
10. Centerville

Top 5 Large Band Percussion:
1. Richmond
2. Jay County
3. Muncie Southside
4. Northeastern
5. Mooresville

Top 5 Small Band Percussion:
1. Winchester
2. Hagerstown
3. Union County
4. Centerville
5. Elwood

Top 10 Overall Percussion:
1. Richmond
2. Winchester
3. Hagerstown
4. Jay County
5. Union County
6. Muncie Southside
7. Northeastern
8. Mooresville
9. Kokomo
10. Garrett

Again, fantastic job to everyone. Good luck to those bands who will continue into the fall and I'll see you all again next summer!

[WabashAlum]

Thank you Josh for your awesome and encouraging feedback! I know that Wabash was fairly unsure of trying to start up the marching band program again without Art Conner, but I commend them and believe that they did very well given their limitations. Also, not only was Cody the only guard member, he had never spun before until this season! He's a pretty awesome kid! 

[Paul W Marlow]

Thanks for the compliment Josh. Not having the guard moving really did hurt our score. The size of the track just did not make it possible for them to do their drill. We also could not use any of our props. The show theme will make a lot more sense when all of the colors are added. Thanks for trying to take video of all of the bands. Sorry that you were stopped.

Sullivan High School made their first appearance in a marching contest in 32 years at State Fair. It was so cool to see the excitement on their kids faces as they waited on the track. I think they did an awesome job.

[Mark A Wayman]

Paul,
I wanted to to thank you and your drum majors for wishing us luck before our performance.  That was a great thing you did and it once again shows why bands can compete with each other but also wish each other good luck. 

Very classy move!

Not only was this our first contest in 32 years.....it was our first marching contest EVER in the history of the band program.  Some directors or students may be embarrassed to place 35th out of 45 bands, but we are pleased as pleased can be.  I am very proud of my kids in their performance and how they represented Sullivan High School.  Some of the kids have never even been to the State Fair for any reason before last Friday!!  So, preparing a show with 13 rehearsals (only 4 with the Arrowettes guard), seeing that big crowd and not freezing is something to shout about. I was very excited to see all the smiles on the kids' faces after (and during) the performance.   

We just may have to do this again!

THANKS,
Mark Wayman, Director
Sullivan High School Band