The winter guard team left their first competition of the season with a first place trophy to their name. The team performed before five judges at the Regional A-Class Silver Competition at Clovis East High School, Jan. 23.
Each of the judges graded a specific category for the performances, including movement, general effect, equipment and others. The winter guard team scored 63.6 points out of 100.
The competition divided schools into one of three classes: gold, silver and bronze. The campus winter guard team competed in the silver class among schools such as Sunnyside High and Edison High.
After one warm-up, each of the 10 teams at the event executed its routine to the rhythm of a selected song.
Following their performance, the campus guard members huddled together in the Reyburg Gymnasium to await the judges’ announcement. After the names of several other schools resounded throughout the gym, captain Sarah Barnett struggled to maintain composure.
“It was so nerve-racking,” Barnett, ’10, said. “I do not think that any of us expected to win, so it was really hard to stand there and look like we were not nervous.”
The rules of the competition alloted each team seven minutes to set up the floor, place props, perform the show and then pack it all away for the next group. Rather than stress the time limit, however, several campus guard members worried about their incomplete routine.
“I was afraid that the judges would be really hard on us because of the fact that our show was not finished when most of the other schools were,” Dolly Mizner, ’12, said. “We only had about half of our show finished, so I didn’t really worry about the time limit.”
Although the team placed first at this competition, freshman Austen Houts looks toward future events and recognizes the need for continued practice.
“None of us expected to get first,” Houts said. “We are all happy, but we cannot slack off now just because we did well. We still need to work hard.”
In preparation for the upcoming San Joaquin Valley Color Guard and Percussion Review competition, coach Lacey Miranda plans to rework the guard’s routine in order to keep up with the other schools in the same division.
“I am really proud of the girls, but we still have a lot of work to do,” Miranda said. “We have to finish writing our show and clean up the part we already have. I hope we do as well in the next show.”
The next competition will be held at Buchanan High School, Feb. 13.
For more information on winter guard, e-mail Lacey Miranda or visit the April 9, 2008, article, Winter guard team choreographs success.
