edit: by the way, would someone be able to type the prelim awards? I know we're all watching the livestream, but I doubt I'll be quick enough to get it all covered (among all the other competitions). So I'd appreciate it if someone would volunteer.
I am happy to announce that the forecast for the 2014 Solon Show Choir Invitational is clear from precipitation all morning and through the afternoon. We are supposed to get an inch or so in the evening, but an inch up here is really no big deal at all!
I am also excited to announce that we will have a live stream of the entire day starting at 8:00am with ETC Rouge. There will not be a charge and there will be no interruptions for ads. This is our first attempt, so hopefully it will go well!
Great news! Twinsburg will be performing "Wings" this week! (right after Santa Baby and before Run, Run, Rudolph) Scott and I decided that awards with food attached is our real reason for doing show choir. Don't get in between two skinny, hungry directors and wings!!! (Scott prefers sesame chicken and I prefer plain...I am a simple boy)
So ecstatic to be able to fly in just to attend this competition! With that caliber of schools attending, this is probably one of the best Ohio competitions this year! I'm so lucky to be capable of watching every single choir performing tomorrow. With that being said, here are some predictions:
GC: Twinsburg "Great Expectations" (BC)
1RU: Findlay "First Edition" (BV)
2RU: Piqua "The Company" (BB)
3RU: ETC "The All Americans"
4RU: Medina "Encore Entertainment Company"
5RU: Garfield Heights "Music Express"
In all honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if Piqua took this one. Their show is extremely entertaining, and with not winning for the past two years, they are definitely going to be one of the most driven choirs there. Can't wait to be back in Solon!
We are going to let the live stream question linger, and allow the anticipation to build until no one can stand it any longer...
In other words, maybe. We are working out the technological kinks to avoid pink curtains, random ads and the like.
I know you said linger a bit but do you have any word on a live stream?
Are these Divisions related to the "Tiers"?
Yes. The "Tier" system is something we developed awhile back in order to bring some consistency to the national circuit (since there often is none). It gets really confusing (and difficult to manage) when every competition uses their own system... and most of it isn't easily understandable (which is why a director had to explain it in the post you quoted). In *my* perfect world, show choir divisions would be based purely on skill level, and we could avoid all of this "Class AA," "Division 2," "Open Class," "Varsity" stuff. But I realize that probably isn't going to happen anytime soon.
Anyway, competitions divide groups up differently - some based on skill level (good), some based on choir size (okay) or school size (awful), often by gender, etc. The tier system provides a universal way to reference the different separations, with Tier I being the "top" tier, Tier II being next highest, and so on. Tier II might consist of smaller groups than Tier I, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are any less capable. In competitions where divisions are split by school size, for instance, some of the smaller schools routinely make finals and are every bit as competitive as the Tier I groups! (Of course at these competitions, it seems every division is eligible for finals... which brings into question why they are even divided in the first place. But I digress...)
The main point is that it's important that the website accurately reflects the way the event is run, so we still want to show how the groups are split up (and list the awards for each division appropriately). More than anything, it should help you when looking at an event on showchoir.com to instantly see how things are separated (regardless of what the event itself is calling the divisions). That's why we started listing divisions this way and it has worked out very nicely for several years now.
Since people often ask, Divisions are determined by the following:
Division A: Choirs with 50 S/D or more OR 2200 or more students in the school.
Division B: Choirs with 30 to 49 S/D OR between 1300 and 2199 students in the school.
Division C: Choirs with less than 30 S/D or less than 1299 students in the school. Are these Divisions related to the "Tiers"?
The Tiers here on SCC are just a way of standardizing show choir and making sense of everything. Ohio and West Virginia use the A/B/C model, Virginia does A/B, Indiana Large/Small or Championship/Varsity, Iowa, Nebraska, and Missouri use 4A, 3A, 2A, 1A, Minnesota/Wisconsin do Open/Class A…….. so as you can tell everywhere is different. It can be confusing and frustrating.
So, yes, these A/B/C divisions are related to the Tier model in the sense that A=Tier I, B=Tier II, and C=Tier III, but no those number requirements do not apply to the Tier system in any other competition aside from this one here.
Since people often ask, Divisions are determined by the following:
Division A: Choirs with 50 S/D or more OR 2200 or more students in the school.
Division B: Choirs with 30 to 49 S/D OR between 1300 and 2199 students in the school.
Division C: Choirs with less than 30 S/D or less than 1299 students in the school.
I am thrilled to announce the addition of a new caption award at the Solon Show Choir Invitational!
Since Little Mix's "Wings" seems to be the show choir song of the year, and we will have 5 or 6 groups performing this song on Saturday(plus Solon), the "Best Wings" award will be presented during the afternoon awards. This award is sponsored by Buffalo Wild Wings in Bainbridge Ohio. The judges will choose this award and the winning choir will receive a beautiful trophy and the Director of that choir will receive a $50 gift certificate to Buffalo Wild Wings!
Thank you to B-Dubs for the sponsoship! We can't wait to see everyone in Solon on Saturday!
Brilliant!!!!!
Solon Show Choir Invitational 2014
