Merry Christmas everyone!!!!!! Divisions are assigned, too!

Got my game face on ^_^ Im ready. lets do this. I'm doing a show like 1989 Phantom. I hope New World Symphony rocks d1as good as Phantom did that year lol

....and my fundraiser has begun .. I knew id be in d1 this season... Gl Phantom Legion. I love that show

btw merry x mas FMA I hope every gets what they want.

I'M actually kinda surprised that I'm in Div 1 this season but i'll give it my best shot. whether i campaign next season depends on how good my events do this season :) My groups are still babies despite all the medals I've gained in season 38 and 39.

Cool bananas. Aftershock NZ going for a finalist spot this season in DI while Aftershock NZ B is hunting down a podium finish in their second DII season after finishing top 12 last.

How's everyone else looking? Are we getting excited yet?!

I'm excited LOL WOOO!!!

I wonder how well some of last season's division 1 rookies will do. I have a hunch that they will come out swinging. I hope that my events generate a lot of funds. I feel like I'm behind on staff upgrades. Dark Knights are in the 4th season in division 1 and still only scoring as high as last season's division 2 champions, in the low 90's. That just doesn't cut it for division 1.

Merry Christmas to the crew at FAME. Good luck this season. We got a big number of active ensembles in each division.

ummm so im gonna suck this season! I barely made it through season 39 in D3 now im in D2 lets pray haha

dont worry gypsy I was in division 3 for only one season and division 2 for two seasons.. Now I'm in division 1 getting my butt handed to me. you gotta make the best of it.

welcome back everyone! The site going down has really thrown me off. Over the past couple days I have been debating whether I still want to compete this season or not. Who knows if the site will go down again in a week? I haven't gained any new attendees. So, I've lost money from events.. In addition to the site being down, I've probably behind on rehearsals, because I didn't get a chance to rehearse before the site went down and I didn't come back exactly when the site came back up. This totally sucks. i'm not happy about it

i hear ya .. I count on having a steady rehearsal schedule and now it's unpredictable. I might just quit the game altogether. This is the second time in two weeks that the site went down. everyeone wasn't affected last time, because the site wasn't down as long, but this is the second time now that the unpredictability of the site has affected my scores :(

Hey, don't quit! You guys are great competitors. Don't let a little hiccup ruin the game for you. Get back up and keep going.

I'm won't quit :-P I'm not really quite sure what to do though. Do I take off a season to earn money or keep pushing? I won't be very competitive my first season in d1. I could use the money to upgrade staff .There's a part of me that doesnt feel right not competing. I've gotten used to it :-D

Hey Crowley and liebling. Don't make any harsh decisions until you at least see where your first scores put you. Last season was my first in DI, after winning gold in DII the previous year. Well, I thought I was done after first show. I was ranked around 72 out of 80 corps. But I just kept rehearsing. It takes a while, like last two weeks of a season is when big movements in rankings occur, but you can finish respectfully. I finished 24th in my first DI season, even missing some rehearsal time. My score was 5 points below what I scored in DII the previous season, but that was where I had missed rehearsals.

The Arsenal D&BC fundraised/campaigned season 38 after a disappointing finish for season 37 DI finals. They came back for season 39, finishing 25th, one place behind 1st season DI corps Aftershock NZ. So it will be interesting to see where you guys fit in, with the corps who have not fundraised/campaigned and are in their second DI season, along with those who did fundraise during season 39 and will be competing in their first full season. Will be interesting too see the difference in result as to how you manage your corps to raise funds for staff and events. Also, you might be interested to see who some of our DI corps who fundraised last season were in season 38. http://www.fantasymarchingarts.com/event/25486. If there were a FAME then with the current corps we would have covered the top 10 at finals.

As far as the site being down, I'm not concerned. Everyone lost the two days, so it will be interesting to see if finals scores are a couple points lower. I missed around 7 hours rehearsal for not checking site sooner. But 7 hours is not a huge advantage, but could still be the difference.

So I would wait and see where your first 2-3 scores put you. You will at least see the point gains you're getting. Unless you just need the break for a while....but I think you could still finish well in your first DI season.

Well, I'm counting on our D1s to do well this season. I, on the other hand, since I've played on this site, have never campaigned to raise funds. Looking at my staff levels, they desperately need to be whipped into shape. I receive a 100% increase in funds for campaigning. I might as well take advantage of it. If you saw how low my staff members are ranked, considering I've been in division 1 for the past 4 seasons, you'd understand why I chose to do this.

Come on division 1 groups, I have faith in you to become finalists!!!

By the way, I still plan to be active on the site and will still rehearse. Obviously, with the campaign taking 60 energy from me every hour, I won't be as competitive as I otherwise would be.

Well, technically, I went on hiatus early during S37- so I'd count that more as a fundraising season. :P

FAME Corps Fare Well on Opening Night

by: Jim Helsel (kiwidrummer)
FMA Commentator - Director of Communications/FAME

On opening night for FMA Season 40, a few of the FAME corps took the opportunity to warm up before their own FAME Season Kickoff on Tuesday, December 30th. Division III led the way with 3 corps ranked in the top 12, including 1st and 3rd, and 9 in the top 30. Division II is just behind with 2 top 12ers and 6 in the top 30. Division I has a good nucleus of 9 corps ranked between 45-60, with corps who have not competed to be added into the mix.

Division III

Saboteurs, from Hyrum, Utah, are leading all division III corps after they won at Northern Exposure, scoring a 50.820. The Warriors placed second at the same show with a score of 50.400, placing them in 3rd in the FMA rankings. Eagle Corps rounded out the top 12 in 4th place, scoring a 50.260 and winning at Spirit of Dayton Season Opener. Other winning FAME corps on opening night were The Gates at Argentum Invite and Black Crown at come Hand Here. Here is is how FAME Div III stacks up against FMA after day one.

FAME Div III FMA Rankings

1. 50.820 Saboteurs
3. 50.400 The Warriors
4. 50.260 Eagle Corps
17. 48.500 Impact and Resonance northwest Corps
19. 48.315 The Gates
20. 48.305 Kansas City Krown
23. 48.250 Black Crown
24. 48.235 Panhandle Patriots Drum and Bugle Corps
28. 47.695 Bluecoats
36. 47.085 Lunar Sentinals
37. 47.025 Oyster Brigade
40. 46.635 MOHS

Division II

Aftershock NZ B and Buccaneers lead FAME into division II ranked 6th and 7th in FMA. Aftershock NZ B took second at Northern Exposure with a score of 55.425 in an 18 corps deep division II. This show alone featured 13 FAME corps out of a 30 corps event. Buccaneers won on their first outing, which happened to be their home show, Drum Corps on the Coast, with a score of 54.745. The Commonwealth Crusaders are near the edge in the FMA rankings at 14th with a score of 53.660, taking 4th at Northern Exposure. The Washington Spiders were the only other corps registering a win, scoring a 48.715 at Come Band Here. FAME is looking like this in division II.

FAME Division II FMA Rankings

6. 55.425 Aftershock NZ B
7. 54.745 Buccaneers
14. 53.660 The Commonwealth Crusaders
18. 52.650 Marching Hawks
22. 52.185 Colonial Regiment
30. 50.985 Shadowcoats
33. 50.400 The Black Planets
41. 50.045 The Mushrooms in Uniform
45. 49.825 Blue Eagles
46. 49.775 Imperial Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps
52. 49.190 Park Pulse
t58. 48.990 Caramel Drum Corps
t58. 48.990 Carolina Crown
67. 48.715 The Washington Spiders

Division I

FAME has a good pack of corps in division I who are capable of cracking the top 12 within the next few seasons. The highest ranking corps, at 45th is The Arsenal D&BC, scoring a 63.625 at Northern Exposure for 4th place. Sitting at 50th is Spirit of Atlantis, leading a group of corps that could be dangerous to FMA if they all peak at the same time. This group of corps has destroyed every division they have competed in together as they progressed up the FMA ranks. Sitting at the bottom of this group is Northern Lights and Patriots. This is quite an accomplishment when you consider a little history. Both of these corps fundraised during season 37. In season 38, they outclassed their competition to take gold and silver at FMA Division III Finals, Northern Lights winning and Patriots playing bridesmaid. If that was not enough, both corps repeated the same feat in division II the following season. So fast forward to now, these two corps are keeping up with other FAME corps who spent a season in DIII, 2 seasons in DII, and are in their second DI season.

So, considering these corps will progress into the top 25 if not higher by season's end, this is an important part of defining who FAME is in the FMA world. This is how they rank after day one.

FAME Division I FMA Rankings

45. 63.625 The Arsenal D&BC
50. 59.665 Spirit of Atlantis
51. 59.535 Devil Crusaders
52. 59.000 Defiant Hearts
53. 58.920 Phantom Legion
55. 58.615 Ghost Riders
57. 57.180 Dark Knights
59. 56.655 Northern Lights
60. 56.420 Patriots

Wow, overall I'm impressed. It's still extremely early to tell who will make finals, but it seems that many, especially in d2 and 3 have a shot if they dedicate themselves this season. It's a pleasure scrolling through the statistics page and seeing a sea of FAME, many groups working hard to compete and represent. It will be interesting to see where everyone is in a week. Keep us posted, Jim and thanks for the write up.