Prelim Rankings broken down by judge:
Bob Anderson-
1st- Los Alamitos
2nd- Center Grove
3rd- Mitchell
4th- Broken Arrow
5th- Mt. Zion
6th- Lincoln Southwest
7th- El Paso Gridley
8th- Zionsville
9th- Waubonsie Valley
10th- Pleasant Hill
11th- Twin Lakes
12th- Lincoln Southwest Prep
13th- Watseka
14th- Pleasant Hill Prep
Jeff Gemar-
1st- Los Alamitos
2nd- Center Grove
3rd- Zionsville
4th- Mitchell
5th- Broken Arrow
6th- Lincoln Southwest
7th- El Paso Gridley
8th- Mt. Zion
9th- Waubonsie Valley
10th- Lincoln Southwest Prep
11th- Twin Lakes
12th- Pleasant Hill
13th- Pleasant Hill Prep
14th- Watseka
Linda Southard-
1st- Los Alamitos
2nd- Center Grove-
3rd- Zionsville
4th- Mitchell
5th- Lincoln Southwest
6th- El Paso Gridley
7th- Mt. Zion
8th- Broken Arrow
9th- Waubonsie Valley
10th- Twin Lakes
11th- Pleasant Hill
12th- Lincoln Southwest Prep
13th- Watseka
14th- Pleasant Hill Prep
Mike Weaver-
1st- Los Alamitos
2nd- Center Grove
3rd- Broken Arrow
4th- Mt. Zion
5th- Zionsville
6th- Mitchell
7th- Lincoln Southwest
8th- El Paso Gridley
9th- Waubonsie Valley
10th- Pleasant Hill
11th- Twin Lakes
12th- Lincoln Southwest Prep
13th- Watseka
14th- Pleasant Hill Prep
Ly Wilder-
1st- Los Alamitos
2nd- Center Grove
3rd- Mitchell
4th- Lincoln Southwest
5th- Mt. Zion
6th- Zionsville
7th- Broken Arrow
8th- El Paso Gridley
9th- Waubonsie Valley
10th- Pleasant Hill
11th- Lincoln Southwest Prep
12th- Twin Lakes
13th- Watseka
14th- Pleasant Hill Prep
This is why, as someone who was there, the final awards were somewhat mystifying (as they were to everyone we spoke to afterwards, who were from all different groups attending. It really seemed like everyone there thought Los Al won except for the 3 judges who didn't).
I thought Los Al's finals performance was a step up from their prelim performance (there were a few minor choreo issues and technical issues in their prelim performance), and I thought that Center Grove's finals performance was about the same, or maybe a tiny bit worse than their prelims (I mainly thought their energy lagged in the middle of their set during finals, which is completely understandable given how long the comp ran).
I I like the commentary of Midwest vs west coast show choir look at the different between the Midwest and west coast middle school choirs. I’m shocked to see middle school Midwest groups with bands , sets and costumes all full out. I wonder why that’s different as well
Can’t really tell placements other than Los Al and Center Grove off that without knowing how placements were determined (likely points).
Consensus Ranking:
1. Los Al (unanimous)
2. Center Grove (unanimous)
3. Zionsville
4. Mitchell
5. Broken Arrow
6. Lincoln Southwest
7. Mt. Zion
8. El-Paso Gridley
9. Waubonsie Valley (this was unanimous as well)
10. Pleasant Hill
11. Twin Lakes
12. Lincoln Southwest Prep
13. Watseka
14. Pleasant Hill Prep
Maybe "SCFootDoc" knocked out one of the regular judges in between the prelims and the finals and took over as that judge? That way he could get his final vengeance on these newfangled story shows. :D
After years of lurking, I finally made an account to express my admiration for all of the incredibly talented choirs at WWS yesterday (well, and today, haha). Because I worked at the comp from 7 a.m. until after finals, I was only able to sneak into the gym a couple times. The livestream was no match for the real experience, but I was blessed enough to hear and see it all day from my post in the commons. The judges had a monumentally difficult task, but what a privilege for them to be able to see so much talent in one place. Pretty much the only phrase I uttered during finals yesterday was "oh my God" ... and then some frenetic hand waving.
Not only did their shows bring me to chills and tears on multiple occasions yesterday, as a Classics parent volunteer, I got to personally interact with dozens of performers ... and supporters and general show choir enthusiasts. Everyone was amazing -- friendly, patient, and with positive attitudes toward everything. If any parents are reading this, your kids are wonderful and made that very long day feel much shorter.
I also think, based on some of my conversations with customers yesterday, that I met a few of you posters. And it was an absolute pleasure!
My son is a senior, so this was my last hurrah. Thank you all so much for making WWS Choral Classic 2024 one I'll always remember.
Thank you for taking the time to register and share. It was really nice to read your words, and though we often focus on the performers or the judges or the directors in these comments, it’s so important to remember the thousands of dedicated parents who are out there supporting their kids and enabling this to even happen in the first place. You and all of the others like you are so appreciated.
Your team of volunteers were incredible - from the guys directing parking first thing in the morning, to the runners, to the cashiers, etc. Just a great job all-around.
I will 100 percent second this. I dipped for a while to go to a concert on the north shore and got back to WWS around 11:40 p.m. There was still a woman working the parking lot with a safety vest, even though the traffic in and out of the lot was minimal. I heard from a WWS kid that they were short on parents on Saturday, but I guess short on parents for them is overstaffed at any other regular competition.
Care to clarify? After prelims, 2 judges had them 1st, and 3 had them 4th. That should be enough for top 3.
In consensus ordinal rankings, it's not. A majority of judges had Trax *outside* top the top three cutoff for finals.
Wheaton Warrenville South Choral Classic 2024
