Sacramento Mandarins Drum & Bugle Corps

"Everyone knows DCI Division III belongs to the Mandarins of Sacramento, a.k.a. the Chicago Bulls of drum corps. Not only can the Mandarins best you in competition, but they do it in such a classy way that you start to like them more after they wipe the field up with you!" -- Roi Evans, DCW Staff

• 98.4 - Cadets of Bergen County (Best Drum Major, Marching, General Effect, Visual Ensemble)
• 97.9 - Santa Clara Vanguard (Best Percussion Performance, Music Ensemble)
• 97.7 - Blue Devils (Best Colorguard, Visual Ensemble, Brass Performance)
• 96.2 - Cavaliers (Spirit of Disney Award)
• 92.8 - Glassmen
• 91.9 - Madison Scouts
• 91.4 - Crossmen
• 90.4 - Phantom Regiment
• 89.5 - Blue Knights
• 87.1 - Bluecoats
• 85.7 - Carolina Crown
• 85.3 - Colts

• 98.0 - Cadets of Bergen County
• 97.2 - Blue Devils
• 97.2 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 96.3 - Cavaliers
• 92.2 - Madison Scouts
• 93.7 - Glassmen
• 91.7 - Crossmen
• 90.5 - Blue Knights
• 90.5 - Phantom Regiment
• 88.6 - Bluecoats
• 87.3 - Colts
• 86.9 - Carolina Crown
• 85.0 - Magic of Orlando
• 83.1 - Spirit of Atlanta
• 81.2 - Boston Crusaders
• 78.5 - Kiwanis Kavaliers
• 76.9 - Les Etoiles

• 97.4 - Blue Devils
• 97.2 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 96.8 - Cadets of Bergen County
• 95.1 - Cavaliers
• 92.5 - Madison Scouts
• 91.8 - Glassmen
• 89.3 - Blue Knights
• 90.1 - Crossmen
• 88.9 - Phantom Regiment
• 88.5 - Bluecoats
• 85.5 - Colts
• 85.1 - Carolina Crown
• 84.7 - Magic of Orlando
• 83.2 - Spirit of Atlanta
• 80.6 - Boston Crusaders
• 79.2 - Kiwanis Kavaliers
• 77.2 - Pioneer
• 79.1 - Les Etoiles
• 75.2 - East Coast Jazz
• 73.0 - Spartans
• 73.3 - Patriots
• 73.4 - Tarheel Sun
• 71.5 - Mandarins
• 68.6 - Troopers

"I've always loved the daylights out of Mandarins. They always seem to innovate for the smaller corps. This year's show, based on "Symphony 1997" in commemoration of the transfer of Hong Kong to China, is another visual and musical victory of will over size, a primer in how to write for what one has. Other prior incarnations may have been a bit more melodically memorable, but you can't argue with winning the DCI Division III Championship for the sixth time. This staff has consistency." -- Michael Boo, DCW Staff

• DIVISION II
• 97.1 - East Coast Jazz
• 97.1 - Spartans (High General Effect)
• 96.6 - Patriots (Best Colorguard, High Visual, High Brass, Spirit of Disney Award)
• 96.3 - Tarheel Sun (High Percussion)
• 93.7 - Vanguard Cadets

• DIVISION III
• 93.8 - Mandarins (High Visual, High Percussion)
• 93.3 - Phantom Legion (Best Colorguard, High Brass, High General Effect)
• 89.9 - Yamato
• 88.3 - St. John's
• 85.7 - Blue Stars
• 84.0 - General Butler Vagabonds (Spirit of Disney Award)
• 83.4 - Lone Star
• 81.5 - Bayonne Raiders

"Close scoring battles characterized the 1998 DCI Championship Division II/III Finals, turning up the competitive heat to match the Florida climate. The smallest possible 0.1 margin separated Mandarins and Phantom Legion at the top, with a mere 0.5 victory margin for the Mandarins in finals seeming decisive by comparison.

The Mandarins won their sixth DCI Division III title today, the last three coming consecutively. But to call them "dominant" in their division would fail to acknowledge the close pursuit they faced.

A large 0.6 edge in visual performance won it for the Mandarins, whose overall lead was only 0.5 tonight. All other captions in Division III were settled by 0.1 margins except GE music, where Phantom prevailed by 0.2.

Again, the field percussion section wowed the crowd, clearly displaying the finest battery the Mandarins have ever put together and pulling top performance marks. The corps also swept the visual captions with an exposed, varied drill and their usual top-notch guard work." -- Ken Mason, DCW Staff

• DIVISION II
• 95.0 - East Coast Jazz
• 94.6 - Spartans
• 94.5 - Tarheel Sun
• 94.3 - Patriots
• 90.9 - Vanguard Cadets
• 89.5 - Jersey Surf
• 86.1 - Capital Sound
• 85.0 - Americanos
• 83.8 - Seattle Cascades
• 83.0 - Allegiance Elite
• 81.8 - Cincinnati Glory
• 72.1 - Dutch Boy

• DIVISION III
• 95.8 - Mandarins
• 95.7 - Phantom Legion
• 91.7 - St. John's
• 91.3 - Yamato
• 90.7 - Blue Stars
• 87.9 - Lone Star
• 86.6 - General Butler Vagabonds
• 86.2 - Bayonne Raiders
• 85.4 - Citations
• 84.7 - 3rd Regiment
• 83.9 - Lake Erie Regiment
• 81.9 - Les Senateurs
• 78.4 - Spectrum
• 76.2 - Knight Storm
• 74.8 - Conqueror II
• 74.7 - Emerald Knights
• 73.4 - Phoenix, NJ
• 72.6 - Marion Cadets
• 70.0 - Phoenix, MA
• 67.2 - Racine Scouts
• 65.8 - Illusion
• 65.5 - Bandettes
• 62.6 - The Volunteers
• 60.7 - Cadets of Brooklyn
• 48.6 - William Lucas

"There's never a dull moment in Division III competition, and today was no exception. Competition was stiff among the 25 entrants, especially at the top, where the Mandarins topped the Phantom Legion by the smallest of possible margins.

The Mandarins seem to do just fine no matter what the weather. They won top percussion and visual, rightfully so, but the huge bulges in those winning performance scores didn't seem justified today. The battery continues to excel, but pit execution is not tight enough to earn a spread over Phantom Legion's fine drum line. Drill is clean and the guard is particularly sharp, but the Mandarins do not have as demanding a drill this year. Still, the wins were valid, coupled with top ensemble visual and close second-place finishes in several other captions." -- Ken Mason, DCW Staff

• DIVISION III FINALS
• 91.5 - Mandarins
• 91.1 - Phantom Legion
• 88.3 - Yamato
• 87.4 - St. John's
• 83.2 - Vagabonds
• 82.0 - 3rd Regiment
• 81.7 - Les Senateurs
• 81.5 - Blue Stars
• 80.6 - Lone Star
• 77.0 - Knight Storm

"The DIVISION III race grew even racier at the 1998 North American Open. The title battle became brutal today as the Mandarins held only a 0.8 lead in prelims, then saw that margin cut in half in the night show.

Runner-up Phantom Legion swept the GE captions in both rounds, exchanging other captions with the Mandarins, but trailing by a damaging spread in ensemble visual. The Mandarins' excellent battery is almost enough to win drum captions alone, but the pit lacks demand in much of the show and remains dirty in the thickly-scored portions. Some ensemble problems still remain due to the complexity of the percussion book in spots; both pit and battery are guilty. For Phantom Legion, the percussion ensemble is cohesive. A couple less random individual errors in a show would leave them on top. Marching is a similar story. Stamina is an issue in one section late in the show, where peak drill demand coincides with a long sustained brass push." -- Ken Mason, DCW Staff

• DIVISION III PRELIMS
• 92.4 - Mandarins
• 91.6 - Phantom Legion
• 89.8 - Yamato
• 88.2 - St. John's
• 84.0 - Blue Stars
• 84.3 - Vagabonds
• 81.0 - Lone Star
• 80.5 - 3rd Regiment
• 77.4 - Knight Storm
• 76.7 - Bayonne Raiders
• 76.2 - Lake Erie Regiment
• 69.5 - Marion Cadets
• 68.9 - Citations
• 68.1 - Emerald Knights
• 66.5 - Spectrum
• 66.1 - Phoenix NJ
• 63.9 - Conqueror II
• 61.4 - Phoenix MA
• 59.6 - Cadets of Brooklyn
• 59.3 - Bandettes
• 55.2 - Illusion
• 45.6 - Gulf Coast Sound
• 44.7 - Williams Lucas

• DIVISION II FINALS
• 93.8 - Spartans
• 93.2 - Tarheel Sun
• 92.8 - East Coast Jazz
• 92.1 - Patriots
• 90.9 - Vanguard Cadets
• 88.2 - Jersey Surf
• 87.0 - Capitol Sound
• 82.8 - Allegiance Elite
• 82.1 - Americanos
• 79.8 - Cincinnati Glory
• 79.2 - Seattle Cascades

• 96.0 - Garfield Cadets
• 89.9 - Glassmen
• 87.7 - Crossmen
• 85.7 - Bluecoats
• 74.1 - Pioneer
• 67.8 - Vanguard Cadets
• 63.4 - Mandarins
• 62.8 - Troopers

• 94.7 - Blue Devils A
• 94.5 - Cadets of Bergen County
• 88.8 - Glassmen
• 87.0 - Blue Knights
• 77.6 - Spirit of Atlanta
• 73.1 - Pioneer
• 62.4 - Mandarins
• 62.2 - Cincinnati Glory

• DIVISION III FINALS
• 88.1 - Mandarins
• 85.0 - Phantom Legion
• 76.3 - Les Senateurs
• 76.3 - Yamato
• 75.4 - Bayonne Raiders

"Though not according to plan, the 1998 Coast Guard Open became the first clash of the Division III title contenders Phantom Legion and the Mandarins. The results? Phantom Legion defeated the mighty Mandarins in prelims, declaring the start of a war that will not end until finals in Orlando. But the Mandarins fought back like champions in finals and in doing so became champions once again by a surprising three-point margin.

Judges are to be commended for giving credit where credit is due. In Division III, where touring is sporadic, members are less experienced, and learning is more rapid, units often take large leaps forward (and on occasion, backward) from show to show. Scores this year are showing a remarkable correlation to these performance fluctuations, making for an exciting and satisfying series of contests.

As a prime example of such flucuations, the Mandarins gained four points on Phantom Legion between prelimes and finals and that's about how much better their finals performance was. At prelims, my expectations for the many-time DIVISION III DCI champs were not met. Besides the auxiliary work and the job the battery did on their feature, there were no other thrills. Sopranos were weak. Drums nailed their accents, but were not clear on unaccented parts. Even the drill seemed to lack appeal, save for the battery's drill during their feature.

Clearly determined to defend their Grand Haven win of last year, the Mandarins stepped up the energy in finals. The sporanos provided more sound in several key portions of the music. The whole horn line made better use of dynamics and clicked into focus mentally to improve timing. The battery cleaned up tremendously. Brass performance and ensemble music scores shot upward.

The Phantom Legion deliver effect and sheer power of a magnitude rarely seen in DIVISION III. Having tasted victory on the DCI level, Phantom Legion was given a lesson just hours later in finals. Only the final victory of a season can be savored. In close competition among rapidly-advancing corps, the most recent winning performance is rarely good enough to win again. Able only to match their prelim showing, Phantom Legion learned that lesson the hard way. It is a strange feeling for a corps to be better than they ever have been and to win, and then to realize that they must somehow improve even more, perhaps dramatically. But that is what champions must do." -- Ken Mason, DCW Staff

• DIVISION II FINALS
• 83.2 - Capitol Sound
• 82.1 - Americanos
• 79.1 - Allegiance Elite
• 69.5 - Les Stentors de Fleurimont

• DIVISION III PRELIMS - TOP 5 ADVANCE TO FINALS
• 85.8 - Phantom Legion
• 85.0 - Mandarins
• 80.9 - Bayonne Raiders
• 80.7 - Les Senateurs
• 80.6 - Yamato
• 79.6 - Blue Stars
• 78.1 - St. John's
• 72.5 - 3rd Regiment
• 72.1 - Erie Regiment
• 71.2 - Emerald Knights
• 69.3 - Marion Cadets
• 68.9 - Lone Star
• 68.5 - Conqueror II
• 67.8 - Knight Storm
• 60.6 - Volunteers
• 57.0 - Racine Scouts
• 52.1 - Bandettes
• 45.4 - Kingsmen

• DIVISION III PRELIMS
• 86.7 - Mandarins
• 81.0 - St. John's
• 77.1 - 3rd Regiment
• 74.8 - General Butler Vagabonds
• 73.8 - Les Senateurs
• 71.5 - Lake Erie Regiment
• 71.3 - Marion Cadets
• 70.9 - Raiders
• 68.1 - Emerald Knights
• 66.1 - Knight Storm
• 65.7 - Conqueror II
• 64.0 - Phoenix
• 59.4 - Coachmen
• 56.8 - Volunteers
• 46.9 - Les Melomanes
• 44.8 - Kingsmen

"Whew!! An excellent show with difficulty written all over it and executed with precision! Mandarins marched 15 horns, 13 battery, 12 pit and 8 guard. The thing that impressed me the most about the Mandarins was their execution. They have mastered the basics - Horn pops, stick heights, dressing....etc, etc, are all there. This attention to the basics allows the Corps to execute their difficult show with precision and style. They do a great maneuver around bamboo poles that form a maze for the drum line to weave in and out of - VERY cool. I think it was a good move for the Mandarins to de-emphasize the Japanese Drums. A real crowd pleaser with great brass sound and a terrific battery. Great show Mandarins!" -- John Fournier, De La Salle Drum and Bugle Corps Alumni and fan

• DIVISION II PRELIMS
• 89.5 - Tarheel Sun
• 88.1 - East Coast Jazz
• 87.6 - Spartans
• 86.5 - Patriots
• 80.6 - Seattle Cascades
• 79.5 - Allegiance Elite
• 68.1 - Les Stentors de Fleurimont
• 64.9 - Dutch Boy

• DIVISION III FINALS
• 85.7 - Mandarins (High Drum Major, Color Guard, Brass, Percussion)
• 82.5 - St. John's (High Visual)
• 77.4 - 3rd Regiment
• 77.4 - General Butler Vagabonds
• 72.8 - Les Senateurs

• DIVISION II FINALS
• 89.7 - Tarheel Sun (High Percussion)
• 87.7 - East Coast Jazz (High Brass)
• 87.5 - Patriots
• 86.6 - Spartans (High Drum Major, Color Guard, Visual)
• 80.6 - Seattle Cascades

• DIVISION III
• 81.7 - Mandarins (High Percussion, Brass, Visual, General Effect)
• 70.1 - Earthquake
• 66.0 - West Coast Sound

• DIVISION II
• 83.4 - Pacific Crest (High Percussion, General Effect)
• 81.2 - Blue Devils B (High Visual)
• 79.2 - Vanguard Cadets> (High Brass)
• 69.3 - Seattle Cascades

• DIVISION I
• 86.5 - Blue Devils (High Visual, Brass, General Effect)
• 85.7 - Santa Clara Vanguard (High Percussion)

• DIVISION II/III
• 83.5 - Mandarins (High General Effect, Visual)
• 81.8 - Pacific Crest
• 80.4 - Blue Devils
• 79.4 - Vanguard Cadets (High Brass, Percussion)
• 70.8 - Earthquake
• 69.2 - Seattle Cascades
• 65.8 - West Coast Sound

• DIVISION I
• 85.7 - Blue Devils (High General Effect, Visual)
• 84.7 - Santa Clara Vanguard (High Brass, Percussion)

• DIVISION II/III
• 74.4 - Pacific Crest (High Brass, General Effect)
• 73.7 - Mandarins (High Percussion, Visual)
• 65.9 - Earthquake
• 60.0 - West Coast Sound

• DIVISION I
• 84.7 - Blue Devils (High Visual, General Effect)
• 82.5 - Santa Clara Vanguard (High Percussion, Brass)

• DIVISION II/III
• 73.5 - Pacific Crest (High Percussion, Brass, General Effect)
• 69.4 - Mandarins (High Visual)
• 66.6 - Earthquake
• 60.0 - West Coast Sound

• DIVISION I
• 82.1 - Blue Devils (High Visual, General Effect)
• 80.2 - Santa Clara Vanguard (High Brass, Percussion)

"The Mandarins were certainly not giving anything away, but their show was inconsistent enough to come up second to Pacific Crest. This was also my first viewing of the Sacramento corps and it is a visual wonder. There are symbols of good fortune and freedom abounding in this production. Musically, there is a mellophone solo/call and answer section that was absolutely beautiful. Again, every single member of the brass line has come up to the challenge of being responsible for absolute top quality sound. In all, this show is bound to be taken down to the wire in Orlando." -- Stefanie Kressaty, DCWorld Staff

• DIVISION II/III
• 74.0 - Vanguard Cadets
• 71.3 - Mandarins
• 56.2 - Seattle Cascades

• DIVISION I
• 79.0 - Santa Clara Vanguard

"The Mandarins have shown year after year one formula for a successful drum corps: carve out a musical and visual niche and create an identity out of it. Their 1998 show is a blend of contemporary and traditional Chinese music with a drum corps style, the result of which is a unique drum corps experience. Bamboo poles, sunflowers, Taiko drums, and handmade uniforms are the ideal visual complement to the musical presentation." -- Donald Chinn, DCWorld Staff

• DIVISION II/III
• 66.4 - Mandarins
• 64.5 - Vanguard Cadets
• 55.3 - Seattle Cascades

• DIVISION I
• 77.5 - Santa Clara Vanguard

• DIVISION II/III
• 68.9 - Mandarins
• 66.7 - Vanguard Cadets
• 56.4 - Seattle Cascades

• DIVISION I
• 76.1 - Santa Clara Vanguard

• DIVISION II/III
• 69.6 - Mandarins (High Visual)
• 68.4 - Blue Devils B (High Percussion)
• 66.9 - Pacific Crest (High Brass, General Effect)
• 65.2 - Vanguard Cadets
• 59.2 - Earthquake
• 51.3 - West Coast Sound

• DIVISION I
• 76.3 - Blue Devils (High Brass, General Effect)
• 74.1 - Santa Clara Vanguard (High Visual, Percussion)
• 72.8 - Madison Scouts

"In a combined Division II/III category, Mandarins -- with only 15 horns -- once again took first place over both Division II and III corps. Happy Valley is almost Irish with its jig-reel feel. The guard double-times on rifle in front of the stationary poles and, in a frenzied drill, the drums weave in and out of those same poles with deft precision. There were several exceptional soloists including a mellophone and a contra. Capturing the essence of Chinese folk music, their show brings deceptive simplicity and driving force through choice talent." -- Christina Mavroudis, DCWorld Staff

• DIVISION II/III
• 64.1 - Mandarins (High Visual, Percussion)
• 63.6 - Blue Devils B (High Brass)
• 62.1 - Pacific Crest (High General Effect)
• 61.3 - Vanguard Cadets
• 53.6 - Earthquake

• DIVISION I
• 71.7 - Madison Scouts (High Visual, Percussion, Brass, General Effect)
• 70.8 - Santa Clara Vanguard

"In Division II/III, the current DCI World Champion Mandarins are performing pieces celebrating Chinese music. With 15 horns -- including a sole contra player who definitely holds his own in the ensemble -- that sound like more. Mandarins are a complete package, albeit a small one as usual.

Drill compliments the corps' size. Taiko drums are used again to their advantage. There are eight talented guard members who seem to do one toss after another through the entire show." -- Sue Johnson, DCWorld Staff