Homewood High School is hosting the South Central Classic this Friday and Saturday: a major Southeastern show choir competition.

An annual tradition — with the exception of COVID-19 — the South Central Classic serves as a significant competition opportunity for Southeastern show choirs.

Schools from Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and other SE states are set to participate, each competing to dethrone last year’s large mixed-group winner, Brandon High School.

Middle schools and high schools compete on Friday and Saturday, respectively, with the proceeds from hosting the competition going right back to the funding of Homewood’s show choir.

Hosting and organizing the SCC is no easy business. With around 2000 to 3000 people in attendance, hundreds of hours are poured into scheduling, setting up, and operating the competition.  Byron Mosquera, Homewood’s assistant show choir director, explains that coordinating the event is an elaborate and often challenging undertaking.

“[The hardest part is] the coordination of everything, from setting up, from people having to work the check-in table to parking and getting the students set up,” Mosquera said. “The logistics of all of that, trying to get students in and out with their props isn’t simple.”

Homewood’s show choir groups may not be competing in the competition, but they still perform and contribute largely to its success.

Concessions and food are also provided and sold at the event, which requires volunteers. Hospitality rooms for bus drivers do as well. The Network, Continuum, and Nexus — Homewood’s three show choir groups — occupy these quintessential roles.

Some members act as hosts for groups, ensuring that their experience at HHS is accommodating. These hosts show the groups around the school and stay in contact with the directors in case of need or emergency. They also lead soloists to their designated individual competition areas. Other students act as emcees, who introduce groups and their shows.

Nexus and Continuum have a busy few days up ahead. They prepare on Thursday, the day before the opening night, for their showcase on Friday. While different show choirs are competing, the groups work the event and host. They also perform while judges deliberate, to tide the audience over until they reach a decision. The Network performs and works on Saturday.

While not without its difficulties, the South Central Classic is a prime opportunity for Homewood and other show choirs to illuminate their abilities: both in carefully crafted performance and intricate coordination.