Winter guard members freshmen Anna Reddy, Mattie Lightfoot, Danielle Fletcher and Hailey Phillips run through their performance on Monday afternoon. The second semester consists of their main contest season, their first contest being on Feb. 1. Photo by Stephanie Palazzolo.
by Stephanie Palazzolo, assistant editor
Swords and rifles fly several feet into the air, spinning in circles as the captain counts off. The group moves in unison without even missing a beat. Maroon flags flutter in the air as they are twirled. Is this military practice?
Nope, just color guard preparing for their first competition.
“It’s all really exciting, going into your first competition, so I’m sure the freshmen will be nervous, but it’s really fun once you get out there and see all the people screaming your name,” junior Katherine Unger said.
In addition to their first winter guard competition on Feb. 1, a clinic will be held on Saturday, Jan. 18, where judges, choreographers and directors watch guards from around the state do their routines.
“The judges watch the guards perform and give us critiques on how to improve our show,” senior and color and winter guard captain Cayley Elsik said. “It’s a lot of help for our competition.”
During contest season, winter guard has practices an average of twice a week for a total of six hours, in addition to a normal class period. Training is especially taxing during this time, and having several new members on the team can also prove to be a challenge.
“The new members are definitely coming along,” Elsik said. “It’s always going to be really difficult the first year, but there’s been a lot of improvement since their first season.”
Due to the intensity of the practicing, winter guard members often find it difficult to balance school and winter guard. However, most find that overall, the benefits that come along with being on the team outweigh the drawbacks.
“It’s really stressful trying to keep up with doing guard and classes and stuff, but in the end, it’s worth it,” Unger said. “We’re all like a family, so it’s really fun once you get past the stress of it. It’s taught me a lot about making friends and about myself in general.”
