Every sport is a place were people meet new friends, develop new talents, and get to be part of a team and guard is no different.  The question is why do the girls join guard?  Sophomore Anayeli Miranda explains how she got involved in winter guard ” I first was forced by Rinda Scott to do color guard, and then I loved it so I did winter guard.”  Regardless of the reason why the girls joined Winter Guard the fact of the matter is that these girls practice hard to be the best they can be.  The first step to success in any sport is to practice and develop a routine.  

In order for the winter guard to be successful in competitions the team must first develop a routine.  ” We start off by finding a theme for the show and then we will write our routine based on the theme,” explains sophomore Rinda Scott about how routines are developed for winter guard.  With the routines all set the next thing for the winter guard to do is begin practicing these routines.  

The elaborate routines the guard comes up with must be carefully practiced by the girls in order for the routines to be right.  The routines must be flawless and the girls need to get every step memorized.  These elaborate routines are practiced ” at the high school,” states Scott.  Once all the girls have assembled at the high school the practices begin.  “We usually stretch, do the basics, then we work on things that need to be improved,” explains Miranda about what a typical practice is like.  The girls practice hard to get ready for the competitions that come up during the season.  

Every team lives for competitions and winter guard is no different because  the moment where the hard work pays off comes.  Everyone who has a specific role in the routine is ready for action.  When asked if there were specific roles each person had to do Scott explained, ” during a performance everyone has a role that has to be completed.”  The moment of truth begins when the girls pile on to the gym ready to perform with all they’ve got.  Competitions are  the moment where the whole team is ready to perform.  The question is what is a winter guard competition like?  The girls competitions begin with the girls getting into their performance attire and jumping on a bus to get to the performance location.  When the girls get to their performance place they watch other schools perform while they patiently wait for their turn to perform.  Then the girls perform the routine that they have been practicing for a long time.  ” We get to see different groups perform.  There are amazing dance parties when we are waiting for the judges to decide,” explains Miranda about a winter guard competition.  While the girls and audience dance the judges deliberate on the score of the teams and what team placed in what position.    When competitions are done and over with when the judges make their final choice and announce the points on the teams. Once the girls hear the judges final decisions  the girls are ready to come home.  All the girls pile onto the bus and head home.  

The Winter Guard works hard to be the best.  The winter guard is an amazing team that puts a lot of effort into practices and performances.  Good luck with your season winter guard