Medina, Loveland, Kenton and Hamilton Bring Diverse Action to Ohio

By Simon Zimmerman, Ohio contributor

Last weekend, two competitions took place in Ohio at Medina and Loveland, on opposite ends of the state. This weekend, two more will take place, at Kenton and Hamilton. Though they’re not quite on opposite ends of the state, both will feature good lineups with several storylines to watch as Ohio show choir enters the second half of the season. 

Loveland Showfest Results

1st - Marysville “Swingers Unlimited” (Visuals) 

2nd - Daniel Hand (CT) “VIBE” (Vocals) 

3rd - Fairfield “Choraliers”

4th - Olentangy “Keynotes” (Band)

5th - Beavercreek “Friends”

Womens 1st - Marysville “Swingers Select” (Vocals, Visuals) 

Womens 2nd - Olentangy “She-Notes”

Small Mixed Winner - West Jessamine (KY) “Dually Noted”

Marysville followed up their win at Twinsburg with another quite impressive win at Showfest, beating Daniel Hand - one of the top groups of the New England circuit - and taking the Visual caption in the process. Marysville’s strength has long been their choreography, and they’ve relied on it in the past in tough matchups. Their win here is a sign that that visual strength hasn’t gone anywhere (if that was ever in doubt), which comes as good news as they move into their break week. Fairfield followed behind Marysville and Daniel Hand in third. While they don’t seem to be doing as well as last year (when their lowest placement was second), it is worth noting that they are facing much tougher competition. They’ll look to do well this upcoming weekend as they head to West Virginia to compete at Robert C. Byrd. 

Olentangy followed Fairfield in fourth place. Though it may not be as high as they hoped to place after their sweep at Marion Harding, it’s still a solid result to build on as they continue their season. They can also take comfort in the fact that they didn’t backslide; they beat Beavercreek, who placed fifth at Loveland, at both competitions. On the other hand, Olentangy is likely quite excited about the She-Notes’ placement; they beat Fairfield’s women’s group, Pure Elegance, to make single-gender finals, where they placed second behind Marysville. Marysville should also be quite excited about that result; not only does it mean they won both finals divisions at this competition, it is also Swingers Select’s first time successfully defending a single-gender title in finals (they won daytime single-gender at Ross 2025 but placed behind Loveland Allure in finals). A final group that should be excited is West Jessamine; though this isn’t their first time winning a small mixed division title, they were able to prove that beating South Dearborn at Beavercreek was not a fluke, which effectively shows that they are a rising ensemble in the region. 

Medina Midwest Showcase Results 

1st - Findlay “First Edition” (Vocals, Visuals)

2nd - Solon “Music In Motion” 

3rd - Euclid “Varsity Chorale” 

4th - Garfield Heights “Music Express” 

5th - Twinsburg “Great Expectations” 

6th - Alliance “Jetsetters” 

The big story at Medina is the resurgence of Findlay First Edition as they put an end to Solon’s seven-competition undefeated streak. FFE definitively showed that last season’s woes are behind them and their new style will work out just fine as they took both major caption awards; that they did it at their first competition of the season is even more impressive. MIM, for their part, is likely quite sad about the undefeated streak ending, though losing it to this Findlay group is nothing to be too sad about. Euclid put on a strong showing to round out the podium after winning the daytime small mixed division, adding another good result to their season. The rest of the finals round consisted of small mixed groups, all of whom beat large mixed Lebanon for finals slots. Garfield Heights’ fourth place is their lowest this season, but it is still a good result - they were only behind two large mixed groups and Euclid - and they did beat Twinsburg and Alliance, who claimed fifth and sixth respectively. Twinsburg slotted right into the small mixed division here, notching a solid placement, while Alliance fell behind Garfield Heights in the two groups’ third matchup (in as many competitions) of the 2026 season. 

Now, for this week’s competitions. 

Hamilton Double H Showcase Lineup

Large Mixed: Lebanon “Singers,” Edgewood “Choraliers,” Donelson Christian (TN) “Legacy,” Grove City “Touch of Class,”  Piqua “The Company” 

Small Mixed: Milton-Union “Center Stage,” Middletown “Purple Pizzazz,” Norwood “The Silhouettes,” St. Clairsville “St. C Singers,” Bradley Central (TN) “Vocal Motion,” Ada “Varsity Singers” 

Single-Gender: Mt. Notre Dame “Jubilation,” Grove City “Class Act” 

The big matchup at this year’s Double H Showcase is the one at the top between Piqua and Grove City. Both groups have won competitions this season - Grove City won last weekend at Hurricane, while Piqua last won at Van Buren on Jan. 10 - but they have also both struggled this season - Grove City was swept by Olentangy, while Piqua fell to North Royalton at Findlay. In this way, both The Company and Touch of Class are in somewhat similar positions, and there really isn’t a clear favorite for this matchup, which makes it interesting to see. The rest of the large mixed division is an eclectic mix of groups. Perhaps the most interesting is Donelson Christian, making the trip to the Cincinnati area from Nashville, Tenn., after taking a Best Visuals award off of Tift County at Rome, Ga. last weekend; they’ve traveled well in the past, and they’re definitely in contention for a podium placement here. The other two groups in the division are Lebanon and Edgewood, both of whom will have a goal of making finals here after not making finals at their last several competitions. 

There’s another Tennessee group at this competition in small mixed: Bradley Central, who placed behind Donelson Christian at Rome last weekend (author’s note: competing against the same group at two successive competitions on two successive weekends in Georgia and Ohio is insane, and this author must give props to Donelson Christian and Bradley Central for this). Another group to watch in small mixed is St. Clairsville, who is an Ohio group but competes mostly in West Virginia. They’ve made finals at all of their competitions so far this season, beating groups like Herbert Hoover and Ravenswood in the process; they’re definitely a solid finals contender here. Norwood made finals at Marion Harding, and they certainly have a shot at doing so here as well. Middletown is competing for the first time this season here, and will look to start off on a strong foot. In single-gender, Grove City Class Act is the definite favorite, with a high chance of making finals; their ceiling here is a podium placement, and that is almost certainly their goal going in. 

The Double H Showcase will take six finalists this year. Piqua and Grove City’s mixed groups are both locks for the evening round, and Class Act is probably going to make finals as well barring something extraordinary. That leaves three spots up for grabs between the rest of large and small mixed; the competition for these spots is going to be close, and it is quite difficult to predict which groups will make it. Of course, that just makes this competition all the more exciting to watch. 

Kenton Cup Lineup

Large Mixed: Brownsburg (IN) “Spotlight Singers and Company,” Solon “Music In Motion” 

Middle Mixed: Perrysburg “The Swarm,” Teays Valley “Prominent Rendition,” Twinsburg “Great Expectations,” Jay County (IN) “Patriot Edition” 

Small Mixed: Crestview “Knight Vision,” Whitehall-Yearling “Music Unlimited,” Van Buren “The Association,” Walsh Jesuit “Harmony Gold,” Norwell (IN) “Knight Moves” 

Large Single-Gender: Brownsburg (IN) “Starlight Voices” 

Small Single-Gender: Norwell (IN) “Knight Stars,” Jay County (IN) “Just Treble” 

The second annual Kenton Cup is shaping up to be a good one - all the more fitting to celebrate the opening of Kenton’s new performing arts facility. The matchup at the top of this competition is going to be an interesting one. Solon is fresh off losing its winning streak to Findlay last weekend, and will likely be looking to start a new one here. Brownsburg, meanwhile, will be looking for a win here to start a tough run of competitions in the Indianapolis circuit. MIM did beat Brownsburg the last time they competed against each other (at Homestead 2025); this is also their fourth competition this year, while it is only Brownsburg’s first. However, they had similar advantages over Findlay, who beat them last weekend; it will truly come down to their performance on stage. 

The middle and small mixed divisions at this competition are going to be exciting. In middle mixed, both Teays Valley and Twinsburg have solid records to their names this season; they last saw each other at Olentangy, where Twinsburg made finals while Teays won small mixed, and both groups have made finals since then (Teays placed fourth at Poca while Twinsburg placed fifth at Medina). Jay County is in the mix in that division as well; they placed well in a stacked division at Carroll earlier in February, though they failed to make small mixed finals at Homestead. Kenton’s small mixed division is also interesting. Van Buren is probably the favorite going in; they have two finals placements so far this season - note that only two of their competitions have had finals - and were in the top five at another competition. Some of the groups in the division have seen each other so far this season - Norwell beat Crestview at Carroll (Jay County beat both of them), while Van Buren beat Walsh Jesuit at North Royalton. It will be interesting to see if those placements replicate themselves at Kenton. 

In single-gedner, Brownsburg Starlight Voices is the clear standout; they are the only large single-gender ensemble competing here, and thus have an advantage based on numbers. Like Brownsburg’s mixed group, they are starting their season here, and a win here will be a nice result before entering the Indianapolis single-gender scene. The small single-gender division will feature a rematch between Jay County and Norwell’s women’s groups; Jay County won this matchup at Carroll, and so should be the favorite to win it again at Kenton. 

The Kenton Cup will take five mixed finalists and two single-gender finalists. In single-gender, Brownsburg Starlight Voices is a lock, and the matchup between Jay County and Norwell’s women’s groups will determine who earns the other finals spot. Mixed finalists are more interesting. Brownsburg Spotlight Singers and Solon are definite locks for the evening round, leaving three spots open for middle and small mixed groups. Teays Valley, Twinsburg, Jay County, and Van Buren probably have the highest chances of earning a finals spot, but that could all change depending on what happens Saturday.