And just like that, two weeks of the drum corps season have come and gone.

DCI 2023 has gotten off to a hot start with high scores, slim scoring margins, and electric energy at every competition. With the start of Texas Tour looming right around the corner, here are our 5 major takeaways from the first two weeks of competition:

Everything You Need To Know About DCI 2023

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1. Scoring Margins are Razor Thin Amongst the Top 4

On July 5th, Boston Crusaders, Bluecoats, and Carolina Crown met for the first time during the 2023 season at the Summer Music Games in Cincinnati, and as expected, it was a photo finish to see who would come out on top. At the end of the day, Carolina Crown was victorious after earning an 80.150, while Bluecoats claimed second (79.850), and Boston third (79.750). The point spread between those three corps? 0.4 points. Holy moly.

As the competition stretch goes on, all four corps are continuing to earn scores that keep them neck-and-neck every step of the way. As of this past weekend, Blue Devils are leading the charge after scoring an 85.800 (DCI Capital Classic), Boston with an 83.850 (River City Rhapsody - La Crosse), followed by Carolina Crown with an 83.100 (DCI Macon), and finally Bluecoats with an 82.700 (DCI Macon).

While it's hard to tell how these four corps will compare once they're all at the same competition, fans won't have to wait long to find out: East Coast meets West Coast at DCI Broken Arrow on July 18th, and you will not want to miss it. All the excitement at Broken Arrow also leads into this year's Texas Tour stretch, where those four corps will meet numerous times over the week, all culminating in the big showdown at the Alamodome for the Southwestern Championship on July 22nd.

2. Phantom Regiment Claws Up the Leaderboard

There has been a lot of buzz surrounding Phantom Regiment, and for good reason! Since making their debut at the Midwest Premiere, the Rockford-based corps has steadily improved their score each competition, and has already secured multiple first-place finishes over the likes of Blue Stars, The Cavaliers, Troopers, and Colts. And according to the most recent scores, Regiment has secured a fifth-place seat on the Rankings leaderboard when looking at most recent scores.

Regiment most recently took the field at River City Rhapsody - La Crosse on July 9th and earned their highest score yet (an 81.400) and continue building their momentum by improving on their score by a point or more each time they take the field. It's also worth noting that this is the fastest the corps has broken 80 points since 2014's 'Swan Lake' season when Regiment broke 80 on July 2nd at Celebration in Brass in Waukee, IA.

Fans can look forward to seeing Phantom Regiment perform in upcoming shows such as Music on the March on July 14th, Show of Shows on July 15th, and DCI Broken Arrow on July 18th.

3. The Race for the Fred Sanford Is ON

The big question on everyone's mind this year: Who's going to win the Fred Sanford Best Percussion Performance award? 

Bluecoats won its first-ever Fred Sanford in 2022, marking the start of a new era of percussive excellence for the Canton-based corps. But it won't be a walk in the park for Bloo to go back-to-back Fred Sanford winners because it's looking like they'll have some stiff competition this season. 

Taking a look at the full score recap from the Summer Music Games in Cincinnati on July 5 (when Bluecoats, Boston, and Crown were all scored by the same judging panel), Bluecoats came out on top in percussion, but the margin, once again, was razor-thin. Bluecoats earned a 16.100 in the Percussion caption, followed closely behind by Boston Crusaders (16.000), and Crown (15.800). It's worth noting that at Drums Across the Desert (which took place just two days prior, on July 3), Blue Devils also earned a 16.100 in the Percussion caption.

For a more recent look at the numbers: 

• Blue Devils Percussion at DCI Capital Classic (July 10): 17.000
• Boston Crusaders Percussion at River City Rhapsody - La Crosse (July 8): 16.600
• Bluecoats Percussion at DCI Macon (July 8): 16.500
• Carolina Crown Percussion at DCI Macon (July 8): 16.400

While we can't directly compare a lot of these scores because the corps were judged by completely different panels, fans can deduce that the caption races, especially when it comes to Percussion, are going to be a lot of fun to keep an eye on throughout the remainder of the season.

4. DCI 2023's Best Moments (So Far) According To YOU!

There are plenty of show moments this season that are likely to have you tapping your foot along or jumping out of your seat. Here are some of DCI 2023's best moments (so far) according to the fans:

5. Rank and File

While not every corps has made their debut quite yet, the current standings based on most recent score may look pretty different than what fans may be expecting. As of July 10th, here's what everything is looking like:

You can keep tabs on rankings throughout the 2023 DCI season by bookmarking our 2023 DCI Standings tab, which gets updated weekly on Monday mornings. There, fans will be able to see both World and Open Class rankings, based on most recent score.