* Disclaimer: The 42Fifty News Editor Gianna King is a part of the ’23-24 OH Color Guard. She was not involved in the writing or editing process of the article.
The OH color guard is typically known for performing with the marching band at football games and parades, but they also compete at contests. During their most recent season, for the first time in OH history, the team competed in finals and placed 7th at their state competition. These student performers will receive more opportunities to showcase their talent as they compete with the new ’24-’25 winter guard program.
“I’ve coached for other programs that were highly skilled and did not make finals, which really speaks to the effort that the students put into creating the production and the dedication they put into their training,” said Color Guard Director Lauren Rogers.
All color guard members start with spinning flags, but after a year of working with flags, students may audition to work with mock rifles and sabres. The group of selected students, labeled weapon line, must dedicate extra time to practice with the mock weapons.
“To be on rifle and sabre, you have to spend so much of your day practicing for rifle and sabre,” said OH senior and Color Guard Captain Natalia Valdez. “Especially in weapon line, the coaches constantly critique you to make sure that you’re doing the right movement with the right technique.”
Despite the devotion it takes to excel in weapon line, students treasure the experience, often finding ways to express themselves in ways unique to weapon line.
“Working with sabre has been one of my favorite things ever,” said Valdez. “With sabre I feel like I can really be myself: I get to use more dance and expressiveness.”
Each year, the color guard is greatly impacted by its student leadership team. During the ’23-’24 school year, three students took on a captain position, each with a unique role on the team.
“The coaches give us separate duties like making sure everyone has their equipment or setting up warm-ups, but we really just check on everything,” said Valdez. “Also, if anyone ever missed a practice or is falling behind, me and other captains would meet up to work on stuff they missed.”
While OH senior Grace Gabaldon took charge of managing the team’s equipment, Valdez and OH sophomore Morgan Pawlisz worked more with structuring practices and perfecting the team’s overall performance.
“I had a few major roles: leading practices, teaching and writing choreography, and even helping team members with homework,” said Pawlisz. “It was a truly humbling experience with great moments I thought I didn’t deserve and some rough patches here and there, but in the end, I could never be more thankful for that role.”
Adding a winter color guard will give students a larger opportunity to showcase their hard work and talent. In past years, winter was an off-season for the OH color guard, despite nearby school teams such as the OE color guard competing at winter competitions.
“Winter guard is just us with a soundtrack and a stage and equipment, performing a really creative piece of work,” said Rogers. “We have the opportunity to make it what we want it to be, which is really exciting and also a little daunting.”
In the past, the OH color guard has been recognized as a visual addition to the marching band. Winter guard will allow the team to prove themselves and gain recognition for their dedication.
“I’m hoping that more students and staff will recognize that color guard is not just a hobby, it is a highly skilled activity, and the kids train really hard and are getting extremely good,” said Rogers.
My name is Jessica VanVooren, and this is my second year on the 42Fifty publication staff. I am a senior in high school. I am a part of the OH National Honors Society (NHS), the National Art Honors Society (NAHS), and the Quill & Scroll (Journalism) Honors Society.
