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The Blue Stars completed their season Saturday with an eighth-place finish in the finals of the 2008 Drum Corps International World Championships. They scored 90.475 points in their first return to world class finals since 1979 when they placed 10th.
Brad Furlano, the Blue Stars’ executive director, said the finals’ show went well but was not quite as sharp as Friday’s semifinals’ performance.
“They gave it their all, and they’re feeling great,” Furlano said. “It was great performing in the finals and ending our season that way.
“It was a fantastic season,” he said. “Not only did we do well competitively, but we had a show with great crowd appeal. How much people enjoyed our show means more to me than eighth or ninth place.”
When the Blue Stars took the field in the finals, a drum major placed a white helmet with a red plume — the old Blue Stars’ helmet — on the podium, Furlano said.
“It was acknowledgement of the past,” he said.
The Blue Stars beat five 2007 top 12 finalists to take eighth place in the semifinals and advance to the finals. They missed the finals in 2006 and 2007 with 14th-place finishes both years.
Terry Rindfleisch can be reached at trindfleisch@lacrossetribune.com or (608) 791-8227.
