Color guard has always been an important part of marching band.
Color guard members use flags and other equipment to interpret the music that the marching band is playing. This adds flair and variety to their performances.
Nine members, ranging from freshman all the way to seniors, recently marched with the band at the state competition and won The Caption award, marking them as the most outstanding high school color guard in the state.
Color guard captains color guard senior captains Megan Miner and Tori Fry have the job of leading the team by being responsible for assisting the team, keeping the team on track, and offering any help to anyone who is struggling. They also make sure that everyone is prepared for all the games and competitions where they perform.
State gives the color guard the opportunity to show off their amazing skills. “We felt so lucky to be able to share the show and all of the hard work that the team put into this season,” said Miner.
The road to The Caption Award and the state competition began long before the event itself. “We practiced every night for at least two hours, and on Wednesdays we would stay after school until almost 9:00pm for practice. We also put in personal time and a lot of weekend practices together as well to make sure our show was perfect for state,” said Fry.
The captains also had the opportunity to add their personal touches to the routine. “We added a captains duo where we got to showcase our rifle skills, which is difficult. It was a lot of work, but that’s probably the main reason why we won state,” said Miner.
Many emotions led up to their performance but Miner and Fry stayed in the moment. “There were a lot of freshman that were very nervous, but we were surprisingly very calm,” said Fry.
The student body got to see what the color guard was capable of prior to the state competition. “We were just excited for everyone else to be able to see the performance as well,” said Miner. The support from their peers and the community mean something to the team. “Especially at our send off, the student body really showed their support for what we do.”
The week before state, the same group nearly captured the same award in Idaho but missed it by 0.5 out of 100 points. “This really excited the whole team and also pushed us really hard to get that extra point for state. No one will ever forget that,” said Fry.
Rewarding seasons also come with challenges and some of those came with cuts for the state competition where director Mr. Sand had to decide whether or not to leave some members home. “It was extremely stressful and brought a lot of tears, but the extra stress brought a lot of motivation and everyone stepped up their game so that no one got cut.”
These guys worked their butts off and achieved at the highest level possible, showing that pride in performance comes in many ways and places.
