Comps of the Week: 4/12/25

By William Soquet, Editor-in-Chief

A national championship, a state championship, and a rare Oklahoma contest are on tap for the final big show choir weekend of the season.

FAME Show Choir National Finals

The Lineup

Mixed: Blue Valley “Chamber Singers” (KS), Grand Island Northwest “14 Karat Gold” (NE), Norris “Gold” (NE), Northwest Rankin “The Ambassadors” (MS)

Single-Gender: Northwest Rankin “The Allure” (MS), Northwest Rankin “The Ambition” (MS)

Attendance at the FAME National Finals is even from last year, as the 2024 edition also featured four mixed groups and two single-gender groups. However, this year’s lineup is much deeper than last year’s. All four groups in the mixed division have won at least one competition this year, and all have something left to prove this season. Blue Valley seemed set to continue its meteoric rise this season, placing second and first to open the year until a fluke fourth at Platte County threw a bit of a wrench in the season. A win here would be Chamber Singers’ third of the season, equaling last year’s total. Grand Island Northwest has won this year but also been as low as fifth. Beating at least someone here would show that the group can compete against quality competition. Norris has been everywhere from out of finals to grand champion this season. However, they have not competed since February 8th. That’s an insane over two-month gap in competitions. A good placement means that they managed to keep the rust away. Northwest Rankin actually comes in with some momentum, taking the overall grand championship at Brandon two weeks ago. A win for The Ambassadors would be their third on the year and prove that success in southern competitions does translate outside the region as well.

Jenks Trochella

The Lineup (groups from Oklahoma unless noted)

Mixed: Broken Arrow “Tiger Rhythm”

Prep: Durant “Sound Etc.”, El Dorado Springs “Sound Collage” (MO), Guymon “Tiger Tonality”, Mustang “Backstage Broncos”

Single-Gender: Broken Arrow “Tiger Mystique”, Edmond Santa Fe “Serenade”

Trochella’s third lineup is markedly smaller than its first two, with several out-of-state groups (Joplin, Carthage, Cabool, and Trinity Springs) electing not to go this year. That leaves a competition with Broken Arrow and the field. Trochella will advance the top four groups to an overall finals round, and the two BA groups are fairly clear picks for the top two spots. Third on back is anybody’s game. El Dorado Springs, the lone Missouri choir left at this competition, was the prep winner last year and has a finals berth at Hollister this year. Mustang and Edmond Santa Fe, from the Oklahoma City metro, have both notched good results at points over the last couple of years, although neither stands out as a surefire finals pick. Durant, from far southern Oklahoma, was second in the large school division at Enid last month. Guymon rounds out the geographically-diverse lineup, representing the panhandle. Friday night’s middle school division will be a sight to see, as all of the Broken Arrow middle school contribute to a lineup that’s heavy on tigers – Tiger Tonez, Tiger Valor, Tiger Harmony, Tiger Legacy, Tiger Tempo, and Tiger Fever make up six of the eight competitors.

North Carolina Show Choir State Contest

The Lineup (all groups from North Carolina)

Open: Lake Norman “Showformance”, South Granville “Chord on Blues”, South Granville “Shades of Blue”, Triton “Showstoppers”, Voyager “Bull City Lights”

NCASA has struggled to get show choir to participate in the state contest since the pandemic, and this year is unfortunately no exception. Voyager has won every state competition that’s been held since 2019, and could extend their streak to five in a row with a win. Bull City Lights placed fourth in small mixed at Manchester and did not place in a stacked middle mixed division at Powhatan. Nobody else has competed this season, so the rest of the contenders are unknown quantities. Former Voyager director Jenny Hobgood is now in her third year directing at South Granville, and Shades of Blue has a good shot to improve on last year’s third-place finish. Lake Norman has looked sporty some years, including a second with Best Choreography in 2019. Showformance could also make some noise in a smaller field.  A name that is surprisingly not in the field is the Hough Howlin’ Huskies. The two-time state champions competed at Clover Hill and Donelson Christian this year, placing first and second in small mixed, respectively. For whatever reason, they will not be in attendance at states for the first time since 2014.

These three competitions round out the mainstream show choir season - so be sure to come back for one last Comps of the Week Recap analysis early next week.