Winter Guard Team Spinning Into Victory

The SHS Winter Guard team won second place in its division at its most recent competition at Lemoore High School on January 12th. Despite getting second place, the team did a terrific job for being the first show of the season.
Their show, “Save Your Breath,” performed to the melody song mix of “Save Your Breath” and “This is What Falling out of Love Feels Like.” It is about the journey of falling out of love with someone you loved or were previously in a relationship with. This message is conveyed through the structure of their choreography and the way their dances are assigned to be.
Winter guard is an indoor sport based on the performing arts. Each ensemble dedicates hours and months perfecting a choreographed performance including dance, rifles, sabres, and other equipment.
“Colorguard is very difficult, it isn’t something that someone can just pick up,” instructor Ivana Matias explained. The team practices three days a week for a total of about 17 hours where they review drill, learn choreography, clean choreography, do a full run through of their show, then debrief on what they need to improve on for the next competition.
Ms. Matias has been teaching the girls rehearsal for the season, and says that they are doing great so far.
”The season is going phenomenal. We started in December and we still have some months to go! There is so much talent in the group of performers this year, and I’m so excited for the rest of their season,” informed Ms. Matias.
The start of the winter season not only allows these performers to show off what they’ve been working on for weeks, but it allows them to perfect imperfections in time for other competitions.
“This gives us more time to clean in the future instead of learning [a] new choreography,” junior teammate Macie Jordyn explains.
Junior teammate Sydney Sheehan tells us that the show is much better than last years but there are a few things to work on as a team to go for victory .
“Our competition season is going smoothly. I feel as if it’s better than how last year went, yet there are a few bumps in the road in which we as a team can perfect,” explained Sheehan.
Winter Guard isn’t just a sport. It’s a team in which they form a bond. Eventually that team is a family of their own. All those hours spent together create a bond between the teammates and their instructors.