Grove City Sweeps Hurricane Red Hot Championship, Claims Second 2026 Win
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By Tonya Chase, West Virginia contributor
The sun was finally shining on Hurricane show choirs as they hosted the Red Hot Championship on Saturday. One of the largest competitions in the Mountain State, ten choirs spent their Valentine’s Day performing their hearts out. Unlike other competitions in the region, the size of Hurricane’s school and easy interstate access lends itself to larger choirs attending from outside the metro area (Grove City and Marion Harding this year), while still providing value to smaller show choirs from Putnam County and the surrounding areas.
Grove City’s Touch of Class took the audience on a European tour to win Grand Champion, first place in large mixed, Best Vocals, Best Choreography, Best Band and Best Show Design. The show begins with a strong vocal performance followed by songs filled with energetic choreography highlighting the culture of each country. This is their second sweep this season and redemption after coming in second to Olentangy at Marion Harding Singsational. Touch of Class looks to create a streak of Grand Championships as they face Piqua The Company at the Hamilton Double H Showcase this week.
Pirates invaded the first runner-up position as Marion Harding's Harding Singers band of buccaneers teamed up for an amazing performance. Besting a fourth-place finish at Findlay FEst earlier this season, their love for performing shines each time they are on stage. With such great individual talent and enthusiasm, this group should continue to improve throughout the season. Harding Singers will have some stiff competition in Loveland By Request Saturday when they compete at South Dearborn Opening Knight Showcase in Indiana.
Grove City Class Act also improved over last week’s fifth-place finish at Marion Harding Singsational, coming away with second runner-up and first in the womens division. Walking the red carpet all season long, these ladies become divas on the stage with excellent vocals and catchy tunes. This week they travel to Hamilton hoping to keep their first place in division intact.
Seeing grass for the first time in weeks, Robert C. Byrd Vocal Intensity was able to head south for their competition debut. Shaking off the first competition jitters, Vocal Intensity earned third in large division and fourth overall. After referring to darkness as a friend in the opener, the performers move closer to the light, finishing with a solid performance. This group will only improve throughout the season, putting pressure on Winfield General Admission, Poca Visual Volume and Hurricane Red Hot.
Cabell Midland Rhythm in Red, second in womens, is now two-for-two in finals appearances this season, reaching fourth runner up over Saint Clairsville St. C Singers, who won first in the medium choir division. Both of these ensembles held their own against the large mixed groups, providing entertaining shows with well thought designs. Each group should continue to do well in their divisions as they move to the back half of their seasons.
The biggest accomplishment of the day was Hurricane show choirs staying on time and finishing the competition as scheduled. After a day to recover, Red Hot and Heat Wave are preparing for the Capital City Classic hosted by the Capital VIPs, where they face Herbert Hoover High Impact, coming off their third-place finish in the small division at the Homestead Classic Showcase. This will be Hurricane’s only local competition, spending the rest of the season traveling to Ohio, Virginia and the West Virginia State Show Choir Festival at Robert C. Byrd.