Melanie Maurad & Giselle Tlatelpa
November 21, 2023
Color guard, a group of young students often overlooked amongst other athletic teams and in the grandeur of the PCHS Marching Band. The color guard has accumulated vast accomplishments over the years and developed a great reputation as its own team.
This group of high school students not only represents an athletic team in which they devote a substantial amount of physical exertion and skill, but also portrays a form of art as they make use of dance, visual color, and theatrical steps.
Initiating with a pre-season of band camp in the early days of August, the color guard team immediately got to work. While they had to adjust to their former instructor no longer leading them, each girl still managed through the heat and dedicated great energy into re-establishing their skills of dance, weaponry, and flag work.
With each of the ladies’ devotion, the team was able to assemble a proudful routine this fall season. Like each year, the color guard works together to create a routine centered around a specific theme which consists of prominent color, beautiful costumes, and remarkable skill. Whether it be a weapon tossed in the air, a flag doing a 360° turn, or feet prancing across the field, their routines always portray such dynamic shows that just makes you wish you could perform alongside them.
The color guard practices with the band three times a week, typically Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. On weekdays, rehearsals extend from 6 to 9 pm and on weekends, timing varies as they tend to practice in the morning and then transition into competition mode. Nevertheless, each practice is treated as if the judges were right in front of them. Our girls leave any sort of negativity behind as they enter the field ready to learn and grow. Even with a difficult practice of drills and new skill work, the girls ensure to maintain an optimistic attitude and help one another when possible.
Insight into what practices look like comes from Junior Captain Gabby Lopez. She revealed that, “Practices can be tough at times because we’re trying to learn and dedicate time to new work, which can be demanding. However, they also reflect a fun experience since we’re all together and are able to help each other out.” Lopez’s comment on the guard’s internal environment provides us a positive sense that the team has developed a sisterhood bond and thus why they are able to produce such amazing shows.
In the entirety of their season, the color guard and band faced five competitions, each more competitive than the last. The guard team is scored on their overall completion of the routine, as well as their skill difficulty and duration of weaponry work. Even with strict categories, the team has been able to improve their results each competition, helping the band finish off its season with an 87.5 score!
Now all that awaits is for the team to carry on the same consistency and confident energy into their winter season. They hope the dynamics of their routine to maintain their astonishing reputation and bring home even greater successes.