Despite the obstacle of a 16-school division, the campus winter guard team placed 2nd in the Regional ?A’ Class Winter Guard competition at Hoover High on Jan. 30.

“Even though we had to perform first, lost a team member, did not have all of our show done and competed against 15 other schools, we got second place at our first Winter Guard competition of the season,” coach Lisa Stallings Workman said. “I am so proud of the team; they worked really hard.”

The guard competed against Division I schools such as Roosevelt and Clovis West.

“We beat Sunnyside, Clovis East, Madera and Central along with many others,” Workman said. “The girls performed really well and the crowd loved their performance.”

While many think color guard is just a bunch of girls who throw flags in the air, the team feels they compete in a legitimate competition and sport.

During first semester, color guard marches with the marching band, and then switches to winter guard during second semester. Their routine includes choreographed dance music and movement and flag twirling.

“Winter guard is color guard,” Krystal Stallings, ’04, said. “Winter guard is just us doing dance routines in competitions without the marching band.”

The team starts to practice with incoming freshmen before school begins to prepare them for the pressure of color guard and winter guard competitions.

“We have been practicing since last year with our new freshmen,” Stallings said. “I am really excited about competition because I think we are a strong team this year.”

Since the beginning of the year, the team has been traveling with the campus marching band working to perfect their competition routine. Now as competition season has arrived, they hope their efforts will pay off.

“I am really excited to perform our routine for all the upcoming competitions,” Alisha Waters, ’07, said. “I’m not worried though because we have the routines drilled into our heads.”

Even though half of this years’ team will be leaving next year, coach Workman ensures the remaining team members that there will be color guard next year because of the promising eighth graders.

“I am worried about the future of the team,” Nichole Bos, ’07, said. “Most of team is made up of seniors; and they are all leaving next year. Hopefully enough eighth graders will try out and make up the difference.”

Winter guard will next compete at Clovis East on Feb. 27, at Clovis High on March 5, and at Clovis West on March 19.
From all around the nation, winter guard teams will be traveling to Fresno to compete for the Winter Guard International Regional Competiton on Feb. 28-29 at Sellend Arena.

For more information about color guard or winter guard, students and parents can contact the high school office at 297-9464, ext. 5.