3 Things To Take Away From DCA Champs

The 2017 drum corps season has finally come to a close, marked by the conclusion of the Drum Corps Associates World Championships this Labor Day weekend.

Sep 4, 2017 by Andy Schamma

The 2017 drum corps season has finally come to a close, marked by the conclusion of the Drum Corps Associates World Championships this Labor Day weekend.

Rochester, NY, was buzzing with some of the most devoted fans and performers in the activity, and we hope you enjoyed watching our first-ever live stream of DCA! Here are some of the big takeaways that we found from this weekend's fun.

1. Reading Buccaneers Are Sky High

After holding an impressive lead towards the end of their season, Reading Buccaneers maintained a hold on the first-place position this weekend in Rochester. Going into Prelims, their highest score for the 2017 season was earned in Reading, PA, on August 26. The corps took first in Reading with a score of 95.20 -- 3.25 points more than the second-place White Sabers.

The Buccaneers' score of 98.93 at DCA Finals this year was just 0.1 of a point behind their highest score ever, a 99.03 earned in 2012 with their production "The Black Symphony." The corps is currently in the midst of one of the greatest drum corps legacies to hit the field.

2. The South Is In

For the first time in 53 years, a drum and bugle corps from Alabama has finally made its way to Drum Corps Associates World Championships! Southern Knights, representing the Birmingham area of Alabama, made their way to DCA World Championships for their first time ever after two years of hard work and planning.

The corps earned the final spot in A Class to get a second chance to perform their show for the Rochester audience. In their inaugural DCA Finals performance, the Southern Knights earned a score of 74.60. They earned their highest score of the season on Prelims night with a 75.18. Check out this interview we grabbed with them at the show!

3. English Drum Corps Is Welcome Here!

If you watched FloMarching's stream of the 2017 DCI Eastern Classic, DCI Open Class Championships, or even DCI World Championships, you may have watched a group called The Company. Well, The Company and one of their closest competitors, Kidsgrove Scouts, both made the trip from England to the United States to show off their ensembles and their productions.

Each ensemble brought around 200 performers and support staff to do one thing: perform for some die-hard American drum corps fans. Kidsgrove Scouts in particular made waves in the community with their performances at DCA Championship prelims and finals with their Romeo and Juliet-themed show "Montagues and Capulets."

Kidsgrove earned a respectable seventh-place finish after spending the last two weeks rehearsing and playing tourist in the United States. Both English groups will see each other at Drum Corps Europe (DCE) Championships at the end of September. Best wishes for their return and completion of the 2017 drum corps season! Check out this video below of two members from Kidsgrove who found themselves in their own love story at DCA Championships!

How to Watch

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