The 2018 DCI Southeastern Championships featured some great performances, new endings, and some crazy shake-ups in the standings!

Some pretty clear tiers are developing in the scores, but what's most interesting is the corps that are breaking out of their normal groupings. Oh yeah, did we mention the new stadium?

Mercedes-Benz Stadium Takeaways

First off, if you weren't in the brand new, over-$1 billion stadium on Saturday, you were truly missing out on an awesome experience.

For the fans who watched at home, their was actually a massive area for multiple concession stands of many varieties, as well as an open-air standing area for any fans on the field-level. 

The dome's massive 360-degree screen at the top of the stadium gave fans from any vantage point in the stadium a beautiful view of the corps on the field. Not to mention, it was a comfortable 70-degrees in the new venue all day long.

The experience for the performers was not as peachy, however. The walk from the bus/warm-up lot took at least twenty minutes and included a scenic stroll through the Georgia International Convention Center and right past the location of the now-demolished Georgiadome.

Regardless, it was an awesome day in the new dome and should this venue be on the schedule for years moving forward, it is bound to become a new favorite destination.

The Nitty Gritty From The Gate City

If you haven't seen the results, check them out here.

I just want to touch on some of the most interesting points from Saturday's event in Atlanta. Starting from first and moving down, here are some of the focal points to take note of.

Overall

1. Vanguard and BD have now separated themselves considerably from Bluecoats and Crown.
2. Boston Crusaders caught The Cavaliers after competing at the same shows a number of times.
3. Blue Stars have maintained their lead over Phantom Regiment, and even opened it up to the point where they passed Blue Knights.
4. Mandarins are now within striking distance of Phantom Regiment (10th), falling behind the Rockford corps by only a tenth of a point.
5. Spirit of Atlanta had a great showing at their home show. This could set up a possible chance at DCI World Championship finals in Indianapolis.

Recaps

Head to DCI.org to see the full recaps. Unless otherwise noted, I'll be making comparisons from the DCI Southeastern Championship on 7/28 to the DCI Southwestern Championship on 7/21.

• Guard
  • Bluecoats have improved from 5th to 2nd since 7/14
  • The Cavaliers dropped from 5th to 7th
  • The Academy improved from 14th to 9th
  • Phantom Regiment dropped from 10th to 15th
• Drums
  • Boston moved up to 4th from 7th
  • The Cavaliers dropped from 4th to 6th
  • Blue Stars moved up from 12th to 9th
  • The Academy jumped from 17th to 14th
• Brass
  • Blue Devils were edged out by Bluecoats (by just .050)
  • Blue Knights improved from 9th to 7th
  • Troopers jumped from 17th to 15th