The 2026 TSMC Contest of Champions – November 7th
TSMC TRUCK/BUS FLOW MAP – Found Here.
The West Virginia, Ohio, & Kentucky premier marching band competition!
Tri-State Regional Marching Championship Competition date is November 7th.
Spectator Information Sheet Purchase 2026 TSMC Tickets Here!All marching band fans…come out and join us for an all day event on November 7th in the Joan C. Edwards Stadium! We understand this is in conflict with another show, but this was our best option. We hope that you will choose to join us. You are promised to have a well run show that will provide excellent feedback from our highly qualified adjudicators using quality judges sheets. This is truly a contest of champions across the Tri-State Region!
We hope to see you there.
Registration
Registration for the 2026 Tri-State Marching Championships, Contest of Champions is coming soon! We look forward to having you on November 7th.
Directors – Here is the 2026 TSMC Director Packet.
Additional Information
We will continue to partner with CompetitionSuite to offer you a more streamlined approach to scoring and judges commentary. CompetitionSuite is an online program used by DCI, WGI, Bands of America, and many other competitions that puts all of your information in one place. You will be able to access your judge’s commentary within minutes of your performance, and all scoring tabulation will be handled directly through the software, eliminating any chance for human error. This information will stay online and only accessible by you, so you don’t have to worry about keeping up with a CD, SD card, or losing your score sheets. We will send out more information about how to create your profile closer to the event.
Registration Fee – In an effort to continue giving you the experience that you and your students expect, the registration fee is $150 per band. This helps us provide the quality adjudication that you’re used to, the great facilities we need, and the hospitality worthy of champions. Here is a link to the 2026 invoice. There is also a link to your invoice at the end of the registration process.
Your performance time slot is determined by the date/time which you paid the registration fee. The earlier you pay, the later you perform. The only instance your original sign-up date will be used is if there are multiple bands that paid on the same day/time.
We are excited to continue to make this show the pinnacle of your season. Let us know how we can help.
Adjudication Panel
Music GE – Larry Shane
Visual GE – Steve Visnage
Music Ensemble – Steve McKeithen
Visual Ensemble – Heather McKeithen
Color Guard – Maurica Smith
Majorettes/Dancers – Adam Abshire
Percussion – Donnie Ross
Drum Majors – Julia Hall
Timing & Penalties – Nathan Kerr
Awards
We are excited to continue the State Champion awards (for those bands representing)! The award goes to the highest scorer from their state. We will also continue with Grand Champions (1st place overall), Top 3 in each class, and Best in each class for each of the following captions: Music, Visual, Effect, Color Guard, Percussion, and Drum Major/Field Commander. In addition, we will have over all awards for Majorettes, Feature Twirler, and dance.
Performances begin: AM
Food
No outside food or drink is allowed in the stadium. Concession stands will be open on the west side of the stadium. The east side of the stadium will not be accessible.
Tickets
There is a $15 entry fee, while children under 5 are free. We will also offer a $10 ticket to all supporting high school students (who are not already performing).
Day-of tickets will be available for the same price and can be purchase with cash or card.
Tickets can be purchase at the link here:
Click to Purchase 2026 TSMC TicketsStadium Entrance, and Amentities
Gates for the event will open 1 hour prior to the start of the event. In addition, Marshall University has implemented a new “Safe to Stay with The Herd” policy and process. This change has been made due to the implementation of the Campus Carry Law (WV Code 18B-4-5b) taking effect as of July 1, 2024. All fans, staff, volunteers, and students attending the Tri-State Marching Championships must go through screening prior to admittance to events. Once guests enter the venue, they may not exit and re-enter without a separate un-torn event ticket. This means, if a spectator leaves and would like to re-enter the stadium, they must purchase a new ticket at the ticket booth.
Clear Bag & Clear Bottle
Fans are now permitted to bring in a sealed or empty clear plastic bottle to fill at available refill stations installed around the stadium. In addition, Marshall University’s clear-bag policy will be in effect. Please take the necessary measures.
Performance Schedule
This year, the event will kick off at 11:00am and will conclude with an exhibition performance from the Marching Thunder, a Drum Major Retreat, and Awards Ceremony.
Current Registered Ensembles
This year we have 34 bands registered for the competition, which are list below in alphabetical order (performance order is linked below).
| Bluefield High School |
| Cabell Midland High School |
| Chesapeake High School |
| Dawson Bryant |
| Greenbrier East High School |
| Greenbrier West High School |
| Huntington High School |
| Hurricane High School |
| James Monroe High School |
| Johnson Central High School |
| Liberty High School |
| Lincoln County High School |
| Logan High School |
| Magnolia High School |
| Musselman High School |
| Nicholas County High School |
| Oak Hill High School |
| Philip Barbour High School Band |
| Pike County High School |
| Point Pleasant High School |
| Portsmouth High School |
| Ravenswood HS |
| Richwood High School |
| Scott High School |
| Shady Spring High School |
| Sissonville High School |
| South Charleston |
| St. Marys High School |
| Tates Creek High School |
| Wahama High School |
| Wayne High School |
| Westside High School |
| Williamstown Middle/High School |
| Woodrow Wilson High School |
The Tri-State Marching Championship is one of the biggest and best marching contests in the Tri-State area! Students get to perform in the 30,000 seat Joan C. Edwards stadium for a panel of expert adjudicators. Don’t miss out on this great performance opportunity for your students.
We will have three competitive classes one overall award ceremonies (1A, 2A, & 3A) at the end of the competition. We are also excited to continue to bring in world-class judges from around the country to provide you with feedback on your students’ performance.
Options include:
Full page, half page, quarter page, and business card sizes (see form for pricing). The advertisement can be either color or gray scale. In addition, all advertisements that are half-page or large will also get their ad up on the big screen in our stadium.
Please send all pre-formatted pdf, jpg’s, or png’s to Dr. Schletter.