So tonight , instead of having a guardie of the week, A fan of the blog decided to share her article on guard.
Is The Guard Ready?
By Hannah T.
'Is the guard ready?' That single phrase makes me remember what I've worked and strived for. Hours upon hours, of hot, sweaty, tedious, practice. Going home upset about not being able to accomplish a skill and practicing more, than the pride you feel when you finally catch that toss or complete that choreography.
'What is colorguard?' 'Nope never heard of them' or 'the girls twirling the flags with the band at halftime' or 'cheerleader and dance team rejects' is the usual response. It's much more than that though. For the members involved in guard, it's not only a class credit for them, it's a love and passion.
Being part of the guard isn't an experience like I've had before. I did drill team for four years and not once has that lived up to my experience in colorguard. It's a sport unlike any other. You aren't expected to know any prerequisites going into it, unlike practically every other sport.
About a year ago, I remember going to tryouts and being terrified. I had gone to a couple of football games to watch the band's 2014 show 'Rise' and became intrigued in joining. The way they danced, used the equipment, and interpreted the visual part of the music astounded me. It was a whole story told without words. Arriving to the very first tryout, I came to the awful realization that I had gotten the time wrong and I was a whole hour late and was mortified. Here I was, with a bunch of high schoolers, at my very first practice ever, and I was late.
Coming from a small private school, I didn't know anyone. This was a fresh start for me. I was scared no one was going to like or be friends with me. But at those tryouts, people were interested in where I came from, and one girl in particular, a junior, who I eventually assigned into her squad and live near her, helped me out. I decided that this group of people were pretty okay, and that I was going to become fast friends, with family like bonds with them.
After picking up that flag, I fell in love. It was a tough summer, having weeks of seven hour camps, incredibly sore muscles, and trying to frustratingly master tosses of 45s, singles, and doubles. But I will never forget how happy I was to catch my first single. I felt like singing! After weeks of disappointment and hard work, I had done it! I look back on it, and though it was the easiest of tosses, I had done it. My passion grew from there.
Respect and acknowledgment is what I want for us members, and respect and acknowledgment is what we do not get. I want it to be something that the world has heard of and thinks something of it. It's a goal strives towards though, and would be achieved if the outside guard and band world would recognize the art of it. 'It's easy' is one of the most incorrect statements about guard. The bruises, concussions, black eyes, and broken fingers say differently. It can take weeks to get a single skill, and months to clean everyone to perfection. 'It's not a sport,' think again once you try it, going home after hours of tiring practice. It might not be the straightforward definition of a sport, but it's a sport of the arts and is no less of a sport than dance.
During marching season, it's was hot. And I mean really hot. It was disgustingly hot during band camp and after school practices. Everyone smelled terrible, we had around 30 seconds to get across a football sized practice field for water, you gained the most awesomely awkward tan lines, and it was early in the morning and late at night for seven hours, all of August. But I shined. I tried my best to put forward my interest and positivity, and it worked. I got to be the star when I was presented on the front 40 yard prop, and dancing around the brass, conjuring up their sound, then running off to grasp swing flags on the very front 50 yard line with the whole guard and band behind me. Then I was allowed on the flag line with the vets. I felt unstoppable.
'What is colorguard?' 'Nope never heard of them' or 'the girls twirling the flags with the band at halftime' or 'cheerleader and dance team rejects' is the usual response. It's much more than that though. For the members involved in guard, it's not only a class credit for them, it's a love and passion.
Being part of the guard isn't an experience like I've had before. I did drill team for four years and not once has that lived up to my experience in colorguard. It's a sport unlike any other. You aren't expected to know any prerequisites going into it, unlike practically every other sport.
About a year ago, I remember going to tryouts and being terrified. I had gone to a couple of football games to watch the band's 2014 show 'Rise' and became intrigued in joining. The way they danced, used the equipment, and interpreted the visual part of the music astounded me. It was a whole story told without words. Arriving to the very first tryout, I came to the awful realization that I had gotten the time wrong and I was a whole hour late and was mortified. Here I was, with a bunch of high schoolers, at my very first practice ever, and I was late.
Coming from a small private school, I didn't know anyone. This was a fresh start for me. I was scared no one was going to like or be friends with me. But at those tryouts, people were interested in where I came from, and one girl in particular, a junior, who I eventually assigned into her squad and live near her, helped me out. I decided that this group of people were pretty okay, and that I was going to become fast friends, with family like bonds with them.
After picking up that flag, I fell in love. It was a tough summer, having weeks of seven hour camps, incredibly sore muscles, and trying to frustratingly master tosses of 45s, singles, and doubles. But I will never forget how happy I was to catch my first single. I felt like singing! After weeks of disappointment and hard work, I had done it! I look back on it, and though it was the easiest of tosses, I had done it. My passion grew from there.
Respect and acknowledgment is what I want for us members, and respect and acknowledgment is what we do not get. I want it to be something that the world has heard of and thinks something of it. It's a goal strives towards though, and would be achieved if the outside guard and band world would recognize the art of it. 'It's easy' is one of the most incorrect statements about guard. The bruises, concussions, black eyes, and broken fingers say differently. It can take weeks to get a single skill, and months to clean everyone to perfection. 'It's not a sport,' think again once you try it, going home after hours of tiring practice. It might not be the straightforward definition of a sport, but it's a sport of the arts and is no less of a sport than dance.
During marching season, it's was hot. And I mean really hot. It was disgustingly hot during band camp and after school practices. Everyone smelled terrible, we had around 30 seconds to get across a football sized practice field for water, you gained the most awesomely awkward tan lines, and it was early in the morning and late at night for seven hours, all of August. But I shined. I tried my best to put forward my interest and positivity, and it worked. I got to be the star when I was presented on the front 40 yard prop, and dancing around the brass, conjuring up their sound, then running off to grasp swing flags on the very front 50 yard line with the whole guard and band behind me. Then I was allowed on the flag line with the vets. I felt unstoppable.
I was told that guard is 20% physical, and 80% mental. While I strongly disagree with the physical aspect, the mental part is true. The hardest moments aren't first learning choreography. It's when it's late and you have to push on cleaning work to perfection over, and over, and over. It's easy a lot of times to become discouraged, but if you can mentally push yourself, you can achieve your goals. After hours of practice, you will have times where you want to scream and burst into tears and just swear until your heart is content because you can't get something done. I admit, I've felt like that and have done my fair share of that before when I'm in my front yard practicing. But remember, you're not in this alone, the rest of your team is pushing through the too.
Guard is my safe haven, what I turn to when I'm upset or need reassurance. My coach gave us a short routine to the song 'let it be' by the Beatles. He told us that guard is a safe place, you can try what you want, and that when you're there, be in that moment and let all other issues of school, family, or whatever it is slip out of our mind and 'let them be, so to speak. So whenever I'm frustrated, angry, or sad, I channel that energy into my work.
Another part of guard that's hidden is something called Winterguard. Winterguard isn't as commonly know, and is solely the guard competing at events with their own routine filled with sabres, rifles, flag, and dance. It's more complex work than marching season, and is an advancement of skills.
Our winter show theme was 'England's Ross,' a tribute to princess Diana. Though I began training in rifle for winter season, I didn't spin it in the show. Instead I was allowed to partake in the flag line. I was given a solo or two, and it goes to show that if you put your best face on, try your hardest, and stay motivated, it will pay off in the end.
You must strive for and want perfection. It's not going to happen overnight. If you're lazy and put 50% into it, you will get 50% out of it. It's also not just your effort, it's team work. The trust it takes to know that everyone is going to push their hardest. The trust it takes to know that they know what they're doing and where they're going so as not to run into or hit anyone with equipment.
Guard is its own community. An accepting one at that. I was once in Pink with a couple of friends, and we were sporting Coppell guard attire. An employee came up to us, completely random, and said that when he was in high school, he participated in guard as well! We discussed with him which guard he was a part of, and what other groups he was in. Another time, on the way back from San Antonio on a band trip, we were eating at Chili's. As we left, the waiter told us that he's in college and that he does guard too! It reinforces the fact that guard is its own little community, and that even though we might be rivals with other guard, we support and encourage everyone.
As I'm walking around in my show theme attire and shirts that show my support for other non school, independent high level guards, people ask what my shirt is. I stop and try to think of a way to explain, and I can't. I try to say how it's a little world of its own, with world championships and big competition. But it's something you have to experience. From hearing the snap of a hard rifle trick bap to a sabre blade quiver when caught, to the pleasing aesthetic of flags initiating on time in a flag feature, it something you only know the challenge of. Because not only is there high school level, people dedicate their lives after school age to independent groups that compete at different levels that millions of people worldwide fan girl over.
I have never felt so passionate about something as guard. It's a place for people who don't always know what they want to do or feel like they have a place to belong to fit in. Often the people in guard split off into pairs of friends, but I've managed to connect with everyone and take a bit of every person’s identity and change it into my own. I feel comfortable talking to everyone and confiding things in them that I wouldn't normally share. After hours and many more hours, these people become your family.
As I enter another year of guard, my enthusiasm continues. Vets get to do things like learn weapons to be on rifle line and sabre. Being enthusiastic and hardworking is rewarded with solos and leadership opportunity. Continuing on in my endeavor, I hope that I improve my skills.
I hope that when those new people join, they will have just as good an experience as I've had and gain confidence from colorguard. I hope that when they catch their first single, bap a triple for the first time, get a 45 or some other trick toss, and have their very first show or a good show, they get as excited about it as I did. I can only wish that they gain the passion and continue on to find where they belong and become part of this family and traditions.
Colorguard is my sport, my family, my passion, and no one can take that away from me.
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