Dan Balash

IVC and Mahomet-Seymour have posted their openings for 2026-2027. It also looks to me that Casey-Westfield has an opening as well.

Sure, we've got Marian and Morton who can place in class nationally, win their class at regionals and Morton who can make finals, Lincoln-Way, who placed 6th and 14th at regionals this year, O'Fallon, who was 3rd in class at St. Louis, 5th in finals, and 22nd at Grand Nationals, Prospect in 27th place in St. Louis, and Normal winning their class and placing 9th at a weaker than usual Iowa regional. Outside of that, that does not constitute a "powerhouse" to me.

This is what I want. I want more nationally recognized judges being brought into the state. A band shouldn't see several of the same judges 3,4,5 times a season in Illinois.

Smart aleck. 🙂 2025-BOA-Grand-Nationals-Prelims-Recap.pdf 2025-BOA-Grand-Nationals-Semi-Finals-Recap.pdf 2025-BOA-Grand-Nationals-Finals-Recap.pdf

Updates from what I've heard; all are tentative. Plainfield South moving to 9/19 Marengo 10/11

It's also really difficult when you have Texas sending 6 bands, all of them making semifinals, 4 of them making finals (which is less than what a contingency of Texas bands making finals usually is), and then there's Avon, Carmel, Broken Arrow, and your bands such as Mason, Blue Springs, Bentonville etc. who have risen over the past 10-15 years to becoming perennial finalists. What do all of these states (save for Missouri) have in common? A state championship series with judging sheets that don't change week in and week out.

It's not possible to have a panel per class at prelims with 110 bands. That would be 4 panels (aka $$$$$$$), the panels would be routinely switching out, and judges aren't supposed to know what class each band is in. I still say the panel switch off each performance block was not a good change, but if you're trying to get 110 bands into a prelims format, this is the way to do it. I'm a fan of cutting Nationals off at 100(ish) bands, going back to a top 11 for Thursday prelims, top 11 Friday, next 8, class representatives from Thursday and Friday, and there's your semifinals.

Dan is in Paris. 😀

Congrats to Marian, Morton and O’Fallon on making semifinals!

I think we'll have 3 bands advancing to semifinals from Illinois: Marian, Morton and O'Fallon. O'Fallon is probably in a bubble of like 10 bands to make finals, Morton could win AA (I think the only other tough competition would be Jenison), and Marian is in the running for Class A, becoming (I believe) the 2nd band to win national Class championships in 3 separate classes.

Honestly, we're not going to get any fresh faces at ISU if both super regionals, ISU and WIU are the same day.

Ugh, this nonsense of two super regionals on the same day better not happen again.

No, I don't believe so. As far as I know, the only Illinois attendance in Texas was Naperville North at the 2004 BOA Arlington regional, where they placed 13th, out of finals by 3 points.

We had numerous people who played every fall sport under the sun: cross country, golf, tennis, football, you name it. They just switched off between rehearsal and the sports practice.

I know it's nuts to say this, but if we're going with the notion of 2 Chicago area shows/weekend, we're QUICKLY running out of time. We've got Lake Park/Stagg 9/12, CMBF 9/19, VJA/NIU 9/26, Downers Grove South/Plainfield South 10/3, Naperville Central 10/10, and Prospect, Providence Catholic, Romeoville, Lincoln-Way, Rich Township still have to find a weekend.

1975: Parade: Class D 1) 85.40 - Deland-Weldon 2) 78.20 - Toluca 3) 77.60 - Crescent-Iroquois Class C 1) 81.70 - Minonk-Dana-Rutland 2) 78.60 - Forrest-Strawn-Wing 3) 76.10 - ROWVA Class B 1) 91.90 - Monticello 2) 83.20 - Watseka 3) 83.00 - Fairbuiry-Cropsey Class A 1) 94.20 - Paris 2) 92.50 - Champaign Central 3) 91.30 - Mattoon Class AA 1) 97.20 - Dundee 2) 89.00 - Wheeling 3) 86.90 - Galesburg Field: Class D 1) 67.30 - Gridley 2) 57.70 - Bethany 3) 53.85 - Oakland Class C 1) 69.80 - Beecher 2) 64.85 - Minonk-Dana-Rutland 3) 64.35 - Lincolnwood-Raymond Class B 1) 86.35 - Monticello 2) 78.15 - Fairbury-Cropsey 3) 76.70 - Watseka Class A 1) 85.25 - Champaign Central 2) 82.85 - Salem 3) 77.50 - Mattoon Class AA: 1) 89.95 - Dundee 2) 88.30 - Wheeling 3) 79.30 - Joliet West Grand Champion: Dundee

1974: Parade: Class D 1) 88.30 - Bethany 2) 86.10 - Toluca 3) 77.90 - Tri-Point Class C 1) 94.60 - Minonk 2) 89.10 - Mt. Olive 3) 86.60 - St. Anthony Class B 1) 94.10 - Herscher 2) 92.50 - Monticello 3) 90.80 - Dakota Class A 1) 95.50 - Rock Falls 2) 92.60 - Warren Township 3) 89.90 - Carbondale Class AA 1) 89.80 - Wheeling 2) 89.70 - Danville 3) 87.50 - Galesburg Field: Class D 1) 69.55 - Bethany 2) 64.05 - Oakland 3) 54.05 - Tri-Point Class C 1) 82.95 - Lincolnwood 2) 77.25 - Mt. Olive 3) 75.10 - Minonk Class B 1) 89.40 - Monticello 2) 88.50 - Herscher 3) 86.60 - Dakota & Unity (tie) Class A 1) 93.95 - Rock Falls 2) 90.20 - Champaign Central 3) 88.45 - Salem Class AA: 1) 95.10 - Wheeling 2) 93.00 - Joliet West 3) 87.65 - Danville Grand Champion: Rock Falls

Additional tentative dates: September 12: Lake Park Washington September 19: Pontiac CMBF September 26: VJA NIU Morton October 3: IVC Downers Grove South Plainfield South Mt. Zion October 10: Metamora Normal Naperville Central October 11: Marengo October 31: Oblong Pinckneyville

Wild to see two of the last "major" holdouts in Marian and Carmel with a show specific design. True, Marian changed the sash a few times back in the old days, but nothing too major.

Lafayette, MO (2nd in class to Francis Howell Central, 4th overall), Kahoka, MO (2nd in finals behind Hickman, MO), Columbia, MO (1st in class in field, Grand Champion), and WIU.

It adds 2-3 weeks on to a competitive season. Sure, some bands go just for the experience, but it is one that is an expensive proposition if you're thinking about making the Saturday show between lodging, transportation, rehearsal space, food, and other various sundries. There's probably MAYBE 4 bands in Illinois that I would feel comfortable saying they could make semifinals any given year: Marian, O'Fallon, Morton and Lincoln-Way. There are others that are on the doorstep, but haven't quite made that next step yet.

I can't even imagine 12 bands that would add three weeks and participate.

No.

This should be a back to back 1A championships, but I digress. The fact that they won 1A in prelims by 1.3 last year and finished 4th in A in semifinals (6 points behind the champion) is just absolutely insane.

I know it's early, sue me. 🙂 September 12 Metro East Marching Classic September 19 September 26 October 3 October 10 October 17 ISU (tentative) Quincy BOA Indy (possible, will be released in December) October 24 October 31 November 7 November 12-14 Grand Nationals