1998 DIVISION III SCORES and REVIEWS

"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

AUGUST 15 - DCI OPEN CLASS FINALS - ORLANDO, FL
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

AUGUST 14 - DCI OPEN CLASS SEMIFINALS - ORLANDO, FL
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

AUGUST 13 - DCI OPEN CLASS QUARTERFINALS - ORLANDO, FL
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

AUGUST 11 - DCI DIVISION II/III FINALS - ORLANDO, FL
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

AUGUST 10 - DCI DIVISION II/III PRELIMS - ORLANDO, FL
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

AUGUST 7 - NORTH AMERICAN OPEN - ROCKY MOUNT, NC
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

AUGUST 5 - HAMPTON, VA
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

AUGUST 2 - CENTERVILLE, OH
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

JULY 31 - COAST GUARD OPEN - GRAND HAVEN, MI
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

JULY 29 - CANADIAN OPEN - KITCHENER, ONTARIO
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

JULY 11 - DCI PACIFIC DIVISION II/III CHAMPIONSHIPS - SAN JOSE, CA
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)

JULY 10 - MOOLIGHT CLASSIC - STOCKTON, CA
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)

JULY 5 - MOORPARK, CA
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)

JULY 3 - RIVERSIDE, CA
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

JUNE 28 - VANCOUVER, WA
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

JUNE 27 - SEATTLE, WA
DIVISION II/III
66.4 - Mandarins
64.5 - Vanguard Cadets
55.3 - Seattle Cascades

DIVISION I
77.5 - Santa Clara Vanguard

JUNE 26 - WOODBURN, OR
DIVISION II/III
68.9 - Mandarins
66.7 - Vanguard Cadets
56.4 - Seattle Cascades

DIVISION I
76.1 - Santa Clara Vanguard

JUNE 20 - PRECISION WEST - CONCORD, CA
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

JUNE 19 - PACIFIC PROCESSION - SANTA CLARA, CA
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