Guard

 

What is guard? Guard is one of the pageantry arts. It is one of the fastest growing out of all the pageantry arts. There are two different seasons. Each individual has the option of participating in a fall season, colorguard, or the winter season, winterguard.

Colorguard is during the fall season. They are a section of the marching band. They provide the visual to go along with the bands music and drill. The artistic production is determined by each individual instructor. Each individual guard is unique in the way they present their show but some of the common ways is through the flag, rifle, saber, and dance.

Winterguard is like the bands concert season. It is what the guard does when there is no marching band, since they obviously can't be part of the concert season. It does take place inside. It is more of a theatrical performance put on by the guard. Each group chooses music and a theme. They use props, equipment, and dance to put on a show.

My life in guard

I first participated in guard my freshman year. I tried out for colorguard. It was one of the best activities I ever got involved with. It is also very time consuming. I was an alternate that year. The band put on the show called "A Portrait to Berstein". It was music from the movie West Side Stories. It was a tough year for me. It taught the concept of time management. As the year progressed I caught on to the concept of guard. I started off a little slow and rocky. At the end of the first season I was attached to the activity. So I decided to try out for winter guard.

I made the Lassiter A squad my freshman year. We also have a World guard. The experience was great. We put on a show called "New Vogue". It was a lot of fun. We built a car for the props. It made for an interesting season. This season was really good for me. I finally really got the hang of guard. I was progressing very quickly. At the band banquet that year I received the most improved award.

My sophomore year I made the top flag line. We performed "Out of Africa" from the movie Wind and the Lion. This year for me was a lot more fun then tough. So I really just concentrated on what I was doing and was preparing myself for the upcoming year. The next year we would go to Grand Nationals. So I kept pushing myself to my limits. This leads us into Winter Guard.

I am now a member of the Lassiter World guard. It was one of the best experiences of my life. It was really tough, but the challenge made me love it even more. We put on a show called "Polavetsian Dances". The music is from Prince Igor. The show had a water theme. The show built up my endurance, flag performance, and dance. The show was so much fun, it was meant to be a crowd pleaser. It definitely was. We went to WGI(Winter Guard International), which is the biggest competition available to the winterguard program. That was an experience of a lifetime. It was the guards first time competing in the world level class. That is the highest class. We were the first guard to place in the top ten on the first try. We placed ninth. With a great ending we proceed onward with pride to my junior year.

What a stressful year. It is the big chance. The band is going to Grand National Championships. The whole year geared toward that competition. What a year for me to decide to change pieces of equipment. I made the rifle line. It was tough starting out new on rifle when your trying to get ready for nationals. It was something I am definitely glad I did. We went to three regionals and took first place. The show was "Wind and the Lion part 2." The music is again from Wind and the Lion, but different selections. It was a fun, but definitely tough show. We took first place in Nationals competition. It was a moment I will never forget. This is a tough season to follow but winterguard definitely was a lot of fun.

The world guard performed, yes again, "Wind and the Lion." Hey, what can we say, third times the charm. It was my first year on rifle during the winter season. Barry also decided to put saber into the show, which we had not done in the fall. The experience was great. It was a lot of hard work, but it all paid off. We went to WGI again this year. We finished tenth, but we were the only one's to get a standing ovation besides the first place team.

I will let this conclude my entries for guard because we are now at my senior year. I will go ahead and tell you about upcoming plans for this year. We are performing the Mask of Zorro. We will also be going to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. See ya in New York.