No, there are not single-gender finals. Single-gender finals are pretty uncommon outside of Indiana. Today's competing choirs will have their awards ceremony at 10:45 pm CT.
This competition is extremely interesting. It's pretty safe to say Los Alamitos is the favorite, but I would assume their group is a majority upperclassmen and they haven't competed yet this year, didn't compete at all last year, and only competed once in 2020. That means they've only competed once since 2019, where they edged out Glenwood by mere points. I could totally be wrong, but it would be hard for a group who most of the kids have never competed in a competition to come in and win the toughest competition of the year. But, I still have them in first and have total faith that if they do what they've done in past years then they'll be in the drivers seat. I have Loveland above Ankeny most because historically Iowa groups don't do great at Nationals. The last time a group from Iowa placed top 3 at Nationals was 2012. Also 3 of the 5 judges spent most of their time in show choir in Illinois. Illinois and Iowa have two very different styles of show choir. Illinois much more dance heavy, while Iowa is much more vocal heavy. At the end of the day, I think this competition will come down to who sings well, while having challenging choreography and executing it. Groups 4th-6th could really interchange and switch any positions. Glenwood and Decatur could potentially get into finals but it's really going to depend on vocals. Also the finals order is decided by prelims placements, and since no judges are added from prelims to finals, placements USUALLY don't change a lot. But this is all just my opinion, and I thought it would be interesting to share.
I like the bold prediction, Loveland probably does have a chance here and probably haven’t gotten enough credit for that.
On the topic of Iowa groups not doing as well at nationals, Ankeny Centennial has won best vocals off of Los Al as recently as 2016 (Fame National Finals) and beat Burbank in 2017 (Los Al Extravaganza). I wouldn’t count them out solely on historical results here.
We will be watching some of the best vocals/soloists in the USA this weekend. Some of these kids will continue to sing throughout their lifetime and we may even see them having their own shows on the Grand Ole Opry someday. I thought it would be interesting to mention the soloist who continue to win "Outstanding Soloist" year after year. I have been following a few of them and these singers are insanely gifted. Soloists to watch out for... Ankeny Centennial - Sophia Elgin, Loveland "By Request"- Eva Dudeck, Peoria Soundwave - Olivia Vicary, Los Alamitos - Aria Gunn, Titan Fever - Aesen Copland, Auburn - Macy Johnson, Findlay - Nathan Kibble. Our hosts "Clinton Attache" have received best vocals overall in every competition they've been in so I believe all of them would make my list. Good Luck to all! Looking forward to seeing what the Judges tally in this years SCN2022!
I’m glad this was brought up, so many talented individuals on stage this weekend. The Peoria duet that Olivia Vicary is apart of is insane. If you have never seen their show and are going to Nationals make it a priority to listen/watch. It is crazy to see how far they have come the past few years from being primarily a prep group to a threat in tier 1.
I don't even know how to explain my predictions. Some might call them "bold" but they certainly are not crazy. Can't wait to see my predictions be busted like my brackets.
Ankeny Centennial would have to be Kentucky for that to happen haha. Predictions are so hard, but so fun. One of my math teachers in high school actually had the last remaining perfect bracket several years ago because he picked against what everyone else was picking. You’re a genius if you’re right, and relatively unnoticed and unchanged if you’re wrong when making “bold” predictions.
Even though I haven't seen Los Al's show, I think the judges will prefer their style and they will come out on top. I'm pretty confident that 1st ru-3rd ru will be Ankeny Centennial, Loveland, and Findlay, in any order. Although Glenwood hasn't been quite as successful as they've been in the past, I still think they'll make finals. That last spot could honestly be any of these groups. Petal made finals here in 2019 over some strong groups and Decatur always has so much passion and energy, so I wouldn't be shocked to see either of them sneak into finals. After those two, I think Peoria has the next best chance at finals.
This is going to be such an intense (and amazing!) competition!
Yeah, for instance my group uses a professional band and we’ve mistakenly been given best band despite sending in the notice we were ineligible. it’s the amount of adults if I’m not mistaken, as joe said. Loveland does have a killer band tho
Your comment, "I think the judges will prefer their style and they (Los Alamitos) will come out on top." This might be a concern in today's competitions. Some of today's judges have a preferred style and often don't consider other styles as being legitimate even if executed to near perfection. Judges need to be open-minded and judge the quality of the performance regardless of the style. Does the vocal production and choreography match in style. Do the performers display proper technique? Is there variety in the production or are many of the selections the same style? Does the show have highs and lows and build to a climax? In my opinion, in recent years I have witnessed a decline in non-partial judging. If an ensemble does not fit the preconceived mold in the eyes of the judge, they are scored lower.
I for sure agree that judges do have preferred types of shows. I like to think there are two main. Traditional, which follow a set theme and revolve around it, and Story, which are a lot like musical theater in which groups go throughout the story with set characters that have a fluid character development. Not to say that with traditional show choir a story can’t be told, but it’s definitely a main focus for story based groups. I feel like there’s a good mix here and it will be interesting to see how the judges prefer their shows. I know Peoria is heavily story based and Decatur has some reoccurring characters but I haven’t seen many of the other shows unfortunately. It will be interesting to see how Tennessee Judges differently from other states.
These are not "Tennessee Judges". A cursory look at the panel's history shows that there are "Illinois Judges", "Mississippi Judges", "Virginia Judges", and much more. Every single person on the panel has gobs and gobs of experience and I don't think that it will favor one style or the other very much.
Show Choir Nationals 2022
