DCA Prelims this year was wonderful...except for the results.  My Kiltie brothers and sisters took the field, and I could not hold back the tears.  From the opening moment of Syne, the Kilts took the crowd by storm...delivering one of the cleanest, brightest, most interesting and entertaining shows of the entire evening.

They solved every concern I mentioned in my previous post....all captions, according to fans AND some DCA judges, were vastly improved from August; yet, in true DCA form, the Kilties were one of only two corps whose scores fell from their prior shows.

This was the best Kiltie corps in more than a decade...no foot problems, great visuals, a gorgeous horn line; yet, they lost to a dull, flat and out-of-sych corps in CorpsVets (even their founder did not believe they deserved a finals spot)...and they lost to Brigs...who were also flat and out-of-synch...neither corps provided the crowd with excitement or energy or novelty.

As one former judge and current drum corps professional said afterwards:"  I thought, when the Kilties had finished, that 'it is about effing time!' No one is going to keep Kilts out of finals this year."

However, after waiting almost 90 minutes for the Kilts' score to be announced, I knew, as in 1997, that the Kilties were destined again to be left out.  The finals crowd deserved to see the Kilts and the wonderful show they delivered...and the Kilts deserved to be there.

There were two other corps that suffered similar fates..but not as traumatic.  Alliance, I believe, should have placed above Brigadiers, and I believe the Renegades were good enough to finish in the top five.....but Alliance is new and Renegades are from the West...oh well.

I am so proud of the Kilts....they took a major hit for no reason...and no members complained because they KNEW they treated the prelims crowd to something very special.  The crowd knew it too, judging from the ovations and the thunderous applause...what in god's name were the judges looking at?  Sheesh.