Sports teams are an important part of any high school; when a team does well, the school rallies behind and supports them.
However, one team that is not recognized enough is the color guard.
This activity originally started in the military when people went into battle alongside the soldiers to keep them in step as they marched. Now, Color Guard has become a recognized sport across the country.
“Color Guard is recognized across the nation as a sport of the arts, but most people brush it off as nothing,” said senior Anna Lees. “It’s actually extremely difficult.”
The Color Guard works hard to express music visually through flag spinning. Though they perform with the marching band during halftime at football games, not many students pay them much attention.
“I dislike how under appreciated we are,” said senior Brittany Beim. “The crowd usually cheers as we come on the field, but as we start everyone just starts chatting.”
The Color Guard team takes part in many competitions throughout the year. These are frequently overlooked by most students, but require a lot of preparation and dedication from the team.
“Just like sports teams, we have that competitive aspect; it’s just not as well known and therefore doesn’t get mentioned as much to the rest of the school,” said Color Guard coach Karilee Schmitt. “We won our last show that was held at Navy Stadium in Annapolis.”
This was a big win for the team, propelling them on the trail to future victories. If they do well enough in their upcoming competitions, they may be invited to participate in the National Championships on November 6 in Maryland. There is also an Atlantic Indoor Association (AIA) Championship at the end of March.
Color Guard deserves some support for all the hard work that they do. They are not only a halftime show at sports games but a dedicated team with a shot at big success.
“My goals for this year would definitely be to win as many of the Color Guard competitions as we can this fall,” said Lees. “Hopefully we go on to win AIA Championship for winter guard in March.”
