By Simon Zimmerman, Ohio contributor
It’s back! This weekend, West Virginia will kick off its show choir seasons with a competition at Nitro, which will feature contenders from across the region looking to start their season off with good placements.
The Lineup
Large Mixed - Hurricane “Red Hot,” Robert C. Byrd “Vocal Intensity,” Marion Harding “Harding Singers,” Musselman “Kaleidoscope”
Medium Mixed - Herbert Hoover “High Impact,” St. Clairsville “St. C Singers,” Winfield “General Admission,” Riverside “Melodic Fusion,” Sissonville “Touch of Class,” Capital “Voices In Perfection”
Small Mixed - Ripley “Phoenix Blue,” Doddridge County “Bel Canto Bulldogs”
Single-Gender - Marion Harding “Singers Xtreme,” Cabell Midland “Rhythm in Red,” Hurricane “Heat Wave,” Winfield “Emerald Elegance”
The Nitro Showcats Classic was cancelled in 2024 due to weather, but it’s roaring back in 2025 with a lineup featuring several of the best groups in Ohio and West Virginia.
There are strong groups in every division at this competition, but a division that shouldn’t be overlooked is the Single-Gender division. The obvious favorite there is Hurricane Heat Wave, the reigning West Virginia State Champion in the division, whose successful season last year included five divisional wins, three overall finals placements, and two podium placements (a second and a third). Still, they will face competition from some other strong West Virginia groups, including Cabell Midland Rhythm in Red, now in their fourth season as a treble group; they placed on the podium in single-gender at every competition they attended in 2024, and they show no signs of slowing down. Another competitive womens group will be Winfield Emerald Elegance, now in their third season of competition; though they failed to place at Homestead and Marysville in 2024, they managed to snag several podium placements and split captions with Heat Wave at West Virginia States. The wildcard in single-gender is the only bass group in attendance, Marion Harding Singers Xtreme, who won the single-gender division at their last two competitions in 2024; they’ll be looking to continue that success here.
The Small Mixed division only has two groups. Ripley Phoenix Blue is entering their second year of competition after their 2024 resurrection; though they failed to place at the three competitions they attended last year, it is a new year, and so look for Ripley to try to make a strong statement at their fourth competition. Their only competition in Small Mixed will be the Doddridge County Bel Canto Bulldogs, who are under new direction this year; Doddridge County has had some ups and downs since the pandemic, including a 2024 season where they didn’t make finals and finished last in Small Mixed at WV States, but with a new year and a new director, anything could happen.
Middle Mixed is the largest division at Nitro, and it does not disappoint. One of the strongest contenders will be Winfield General Admission, who has consistently been the best small group in WV since the pandemic. In 2024, they won their division several times and took home a Grand Championship at Sissonville before coming in second to Hurricane at States. They’ll be one of the favorites here, but watch out for Herbert Hoover High Impact. Hoover found themselves on the losing side of several close battles in 2024, including splitting captions with Medina and falling to Edgewood and Winfield; they’ll be looking to win those close battles in 2025, which would begin with a strong placement here. Another group to watch out for is Sissonville Touch of Class, who began their season in 2024 with strong placements, including a finals spot at Capital, before failing to make finals at Herbert Hoover. Look out for TOC to try to have another strong start this year. Another strong contender will be Capital Voices in Perfection, who placed on the podium in their division at all of their competitions last year and made overall finals at three of the five before winning Small Mixed at WV States; despite this record, they’ve been consistently underrated, and so they’ll be looking to show the world they deserve consideration among the best West Virginia small groups. The final two groups, the St. Clairsville St. C Singers and Riverside Melodic Fusion, will be looking to turn things around after not having placed at their last several competitions.
Now for Large Mixed. The clear favorite here is Hurricane Red Hot, the reigning West Virginia State Champions, who have chosen not to attend Beavercreek’s competition for the first time since the pandemic. Red Hot won four competitions last season, including every competition they attended in West Virginia, and the only groups that beat them were Loveland, ETC, and Zionsville. They will be looking to start out their mammoth seven-competition season with a win at Nitro before going to some tough Ohio competitions in February. Hurricane will be challenged here by Marion Harding Harding Singers, a group that saw some success in Ohio last season, beating middle-of-the-road groups like Olentangy and taking home a win at Teays Valley. They’ll be looking to build their momentum from the past several years at this competition. Another challenger will be Robert C. Byrd Vocal Intensity, who made finals at all but one of their competitions last year, including a placement at a tough Fairfield competition and a podium finish in Large Mixed at States. They’ve also been on something of a rise since the pandemic, and so look for them to try to start their season off on the right foot here. The final group in Large Mixed will be Musselman Kaleidoscope, traveling down from the far northern part of the state. They’ve always been something of a wildcard, so watch out for them at this competition.
Finals are a bit of a sticky situation at Nitro; it has had different finals arrangements each year it has run. Still, if it’s like other West Virginia competitions, it will feature a separate finals for Large Mixed and Small Mixed, as well as potentially a Single-Gender finals. There is no certainty on how many groups would make finals in each division. Still, the competition should bring plenty of excitement, marking the start of the West Virginia season as it does, and it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.
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