Yeah Jill, Abe nailed it that it's pretty much based on school size. Ohio/West Virginia comps that label themselves as Class A, B, and C are usually based on school size although a growing amount of comps on this side of the Midwest are doing a large/small split, championship/varsity skill level, or something to that effect.
Obviously in the upper Midwest, y'all usually just have one big open mixed division. This really isn't all that dissimilar despite the different classes. Whether we lump the big, medium, or small sized schools together they're all eligible for finals just as the open division in Minnesota and Wisconsin. I suppose it's just a way to recognize more choirs with placement awards as it's somewhat rare for "Class C" schools to make finals. It's a way to compare against peer schools, I guess. Probably the more annoying thing about it, though, is that the Class A, B, and C classification may change from competition to competition. Whereas Iowa choirs stay the same 4A, 3A, 2A, or 1A classification throughout the entire competition season as it's connected with IHSAA, an Ohio choir could be Class A one week or Class B another week depending on the list of choirs attending a competition and whether their enrollment is near the top or middle of that list any given week. Whether it's a good or a bad thing, I have an ever-evolving opinion. I absolutely appreciate the consistency and foundation of Iowa competitions when putting events together, but I suppose I can also see the merit in changing choir classifications based on the needs/context of the event.
Granted, this rambling is all based on using school enrollment as your division classification metric, which probably wouldn't be my first choice. I actually like the way y'all do your divisions with Open/Class AA and Prep/Class A, but even that has weird patches. The divisions though across the board are all truly more alike than they are different, we just use different terminology from region to region. I mean heck, I've used a handful just in this one post. *shoulder shrug*
What is the number of students that determines each Tier?
(Sorry, MN gal that never really knows how big these schools actually are)
By the looks of what student size is reported on the site I think it's 1500+ then 1000-1499 then 999 or lower. With the exception of schools having multiple groups.
Super excited to finally attend and compete at this event! I think it's safe to say that nearly every Ohio competition this year, especially this one, is stacked. Can't wait!
GC: Findlay "First Edition" BV BB
1ru: Marysville "Swingers Unlimited" BC
2ru: Medina "Encore Entertainment Co."
3ru: Grove City "Touch of Class"
4ru: Piqua "The Company"
5ru: Lebanon "Singers"/Hamilton "Rhapsody in Blue"
I think Grove City, Medina, and Piqua will battle it out for 2ru.
EDIT: I totally didn't see Edgewood was attending. I think they could make it over Hamilton and Lebanon.
The Class C division really stands out here. I mean I know small schools don't get a ton of love, but this is a pretty big Class C division here with 7 choirs. I also definitely appreciate the schedule itself. It's great that the divisions are lumped in the same time blocks. It seems silly when other Ohio comps just have their A/B/C scattered randomly throughout. Anyways, I've attended the past 2 years and had a great time. Hope folks have a blast!
Crestview "Knight Vision" 8:30 Class C
Ada "Varsity Singers" 9:00 Class C
River Valley "Music Company" 9:30 Class C
Licking Valley "Vocal Impact" 10:00 Class C
Milton Union "Center Stage" 10:30 Class C
Elgin "Energizers" 11:00 Class C
East Noble "Knight Rhythms" 11:30 Class C
BREAK
Edgewood "Choraliers" 1:00 Class B
East Noble "A New Vision" Class B 1:30
Piqua "The Company" Class B 2:00
Medina "Encore Ent. CO." Class A 2:30
Grove City "Touch of Class" Class A 3:00
Hamilton "Rhapsody in Blue" Class A 3:30
Lebanon "Singers" Class A 4:00
Marysville "Swingers Unlimited" Class A 4:30
Findlay "First Edition" Class A 5:00
Marion Harding Singsational 2017
