Independence High School Winter guard is currently learning pieces for their upcoming show. Winter guard had their first competition on Feb.8. They fought a hard fight with coming in a close 2nd place. They came in first place at their last competition at Woodgrove High School.
Independence High School has a winter color guard program that practices twice a week with occasional scattered practices. Winter guard is an activity where people dance and use equipment such as flags and fake rifles to form a routine. There are currently 20 people in the program.
“l like color guard since you learn a lot,” said one student in color guard, freshman Swara Kaoray. “And if there is a good group of people, you make memories that last forever.”
During the practices, they will usually start with a warm-up. Then they will practice across the floors or learn a new type of toss. During the main part of practice, they will run their routines in order to prepare for the competitions.
Competitions are every other weekend starting in February and ending in March. At the competitions, many guards from other schools come to compete. At the end of the competition, the judges will rate the guard on a point system out of 100. “At the end of the competition, there is usually a dance party,” Kaoray said.
Winter guard can be a little different from color guard with the band during the fall. Some even prefer winter guard because it is indoors. During guard in the fall, “all of the guard members would constantly be worried that their flag would fly away because of the strong winds,” Kaoray said. During the season with the band, they will spend a lot of time practicing with the band to make sure they have all of the steps right and they have the timing down as well. During the winter, they can focus more on themselves and their own routine.
“It’s nice to spend time with my friends and learn more every practice. It is time-consuming but the end result is always so pretty,” said Kaoray.
Independence winter guard is in the cafeteria working on their routines for their upcoming competitions.