I first joined color guard this summer because I wanted to try something new. I could have tried cheerleading, soccer, band or track, but I focused on color guard. I never realized that we would be a part of the halftime shows. I incorrectly thought we were just a support team for the band. In reality, color guard is a performance-based activity that combines dance, choreography and visual elements like flags and rifles, using drills to coordinate our movements with the music played by the marching band.

     “I really like it,” sophomore color guard member Ava Gelabert said. “What I enjoy the most is performing, because it’s a way to express yourself in front of a bunch of different people.” 

     For me, the most difficult thing about color guard is perfecting my tosses and getting the height my flag needs. When I think too much about tossing it in the air, I get scared and do not even try. Despite this, getting the feel of the drill is easy for me, because you just have to memorize where to step and go next. 

     Color guard does not only attend football games; we also come to pep rallies and competitions. At the pep rallies, we do stand dances and cheer on the teams playing in the games. At the competitions, we perform three songs with our flags in front of other bands and judges. The most important thing to learn is not to move when getting set to start. If you move, you lose points for your band. Most importantly, you can not drop your flag and mess up. You have to be perfect. We go to two competitions each year, Big Bend on Oct. 11 and MPA on Oct. 25. 

     “It was ok and pretty fun. We had a lot of new choreography to learn, which was pretty stressful because we had no room,” seventh-grade color guard member Austen Dishong said.

     Although color guard can be difficult and dangerous at times, it is also an experience you can not get anywhere else.