Thank you to all the competing corps who attended the Lonestar World Classic in Finland this season! The Finnish prime minister, who attended the competition, was very impressed and moved by the performances of all the corps that evening. She even added that she will be traveling to Indianapolis finals week to see how all the competing corps have rounded out their season!

Nonetheless let's get started with Division 3. In this recap I will only be going over the top 5 corps from each division (with the exception of division 2) in order to save time and provide an in-depth analysis of each group's performance.

Honorable mentions to these D3 corps-Orlando Outlanders(6th) and the Jade Hussars(7th)

Coming in 5th place was the Houston Cadets, with their 2nd appearance at the Lonestar World Classic. Their show “Falling Into Fantasy” earned them a 61.315, noticeably higher than their first appearance at the world classic! The show seemed to be Alice and Wonderland themed, with a small twist that added the Cadets own signature to the show. Their ballad "Equus" personally grabbed our hearts, earning them the Regiment best ballad award. Overall the crowd and the judges were impressed. With a little more work the Houston Cadets could dominate division 3, and even make an appearance in division 2 next season.

In 4th place was the 86th Regiment with their first appearance at the world classic competition. Their show “Back and Forth” was a reiteration of their S112 show which seemed to focus on “Blue” songs. The judges and the crowd were impressed with their performance, but were a little unsure of their show theme. Either way the show and performance landed them in a solid 4th place with a score of 63.760.

In 3rd place with nearly an 8 point gap was St. Louis Starriders with a 71.705! Their show entitled “Her point of view” seemed to encapsulate a feminine perspective of the world, with notable selections like that of Elsa’s Procession,King Kong, and Dracula even. While in 3rd, the Starriders placed 2nd in the guard and visual captions with truly impressive drill for a division 3 corps. Overall the crowd was thrilled and brought to their feet by this corps performance and storytelling, earning them the Regiment fan favorite award. Their closer Elsa’s procession to the cathedral was also deemed the most moving in D3 earning them the Regiment best closer award. They were the only corps amongst all the divisions to earn two fan awards!

In 2nd place was the Quark DBC. Their show entitled “Arcane” featured entirely original music, making their experience truly unique and almost magical. The judges were truly impressed with Quark, as they earned four out of the 6 FMA performance awards, only falling short in color guard and visuals. Ultimately the corps had a good performance, and rounded off the night with a 72.625.

In 1st finishing off division 3 was the Hobbiton DBC from the shire itself! Their show entitled Rain encapsulated the story of a storm, crazy at first but then dying down and ending softly. The audience and judges were impressed with the show however oddly enough they took 1st with only two captions, being the visual caption and color guard captions. Either way the Hobbitons took home gold with a score of 75.710




Moving on to division 2, we will be looking at the top 6 corps, as we at Lonestar are included in the top 5 in division 2, and felt it would be unfair to have a corps miss out on being featured because of us.

Honorable mentions to these corps- Kingdom Corps Marching Knights(7th) and the Silver DBC(8th)

In 6th place in division 2 was the Knoxville Knights DBC. Their show entitled 80’s flashback, was just what it sounded like, featuring selections such as “Every breath you take,” “Anyway you want it,” and their closer “Living on a prayer,” which sure got the crowd excited, earning them the Regiment best closer award. The Knights were ultimately able to round off the night with a 68.150.

In 5th place was the Pentium DBC with a score of 73.545. Their show “Rhythm of the waves” featured selections like “Moon River” and “Niagara falls.” Ultimately this show impressed the judges and the audience with its seemingly Liquid like transitions, fitting the show and its theme quite well.

In 4th place was Black Gold with a score of 78.48, a notable gap. Their western themed show “Relentless” was a hit with the fans and the judges, earning them the Regiment Fan Favorite award. It featured selections like “The good the bad and the ugly,” “Benedictus,” and
“Urban dances” among others. This corps has been working hard all season making noticeable gains to get to where they are today, if they keep up their persistence, we could see the rest of the corps join their 3rd place color guard in the bronze medal position.

In 3rd place with a score of 79.84 was the Star Of Nevada. This is their first appearance in the Lonestar world classic competition, however ironically, not the corps 1st appearance in Finland, having performed there in S111 for the FMA world tour. Their show entitled “The Core Of Temptation” (Boston crusaders moment) told the bible-like story of Adam and Eve and their path towards temptation. Their ballad “Dance Of The Maenads” was particularly catching, earning them the Regiment Best ballad award, and the admiration of the audience. The Star Of Nevada has been an up and coming corps this season after faring particularly well in division 3 in previous seasons. Currently they’re on track to earn a division 2 bronze medal.

In 2nd place was our very own Lonestar Regiment. Typically we do not perform at our own competitions, however this being our 5th anniversary season, and our last season before the organization goes on hiatus, we found it appropriate to perform for a “home audience” one last time. Our show is entitled “The Life Of a Rose Harmony” telling the story of life itself through the image of a rose. Lonestar finished off the night with an 81.130.

In first place, sweeping all performance captions with a 7 point gap was South Star. This drum corps has done remarkably well in division 2, and is continuing to place amongst the high level corps of division 1. Their show entitled “Horizons” tells a story of new and promising adventures, with classical selections from Bach and Holsinger, this monster of a corps topped off division 2 with a score of 88.205.





On to division 1, the forefront of FMA performing arts, here we will analyze the top five of some of the best shows from around the world.

Honorable mentions to these corps-Silver Sage Vanguard(6th),Spirit Of The Raiders(7th),Central Symphony(8th),Legacy DBC(9th),Wildcat Pride DBC(10th).

In 5th place with a score of 87.015 was the Si Feng DBC with their show Terra Formation. The show was a wild spin on atypical drum corps and included many notable songs, and of course the classic traditional Si Feng selection of something from Porter Robinson. The audience was impressed and wowed by Si Feng's performance, earning them the Regiment fan favorite award. The China based corps is currently ranked 8th overall and has an exciting future ahead of them. We here at Lonestar were honored to have international participation at our international competition.

In 4th place was the Maple City Cadets. Their show “The Two Towers” is a powerful experience to see in person, especially with excellent brass which won them the best brass award that night. Their selections including “Treebeard,” and “Helms Deep” were only some of the notable songs that the Cadets brought to the field that night. Ultimately the audience and the judges were not disappointed, and the Maple City Cadets left the field with a score of 87.490.

In 3rd place was Synecdoche with a score of 90.610. Their show entitled “There Is No War In Ba SIng Se” is an interesting concept which we here at Lonestar were not expecting. The repertoire which contains no recognizable music has yet to be announced, and at this point in the season probably never will, giving this show a tinge of mystery. The judges were nonetheless impressed, Synecdoche still has a bright future ahead of their old corps, and we look forward to seeing them get their long sought after D1 gold medal.

In 2nd place was the returning Kanpeki-Sa. This asian corps has returned to the field after a long hiatus, and they have not disappointed. Their show “On the wings of courage” is an inspirational show which ignited the flames in the audience's hearts. Kanpeki-Sa walked off the field that night with a score of 91.410, and the best color guard caption award. The corps also managed to snag the Regiment best closer award with their selection “To Tame The Perilous skies.” We look forward to seeing how much more they progress in the coming seasons.

Finally in 1st place with a score of 94.115 is the Rebels DBC. Their show “The Other Side Now '' is a show filled with notable classical pieces including “Sanctuary” by Ticheli. We here at Lonestar were moved by the exceptional performance of the piece, just as much as the audience was. The Rebels left the field after their fantastic performance earning the Regiment best ballad award, and all other FMA performance captions excluding the best brass and color guard captions. This corps is well on their way to earn yet another division 1 medal.



We’d once again like to thank everyone for competing, and wish all the best in the coming days leading up to finals. We’d also like to extend an invitation to all the previously competing corps to the next Lonestar World Classic which will be held in Madagascar this coming season 114.

Madagascar won't know what hit em'! This was a fun reading! Thanks!

Fantastic write-up!