Rapid heart rate. Calming breaths. Senior Rihanna Ward focuses on the counts in her head as she moves with the music. She watches her hand on the flag, repeating the motion she practiced for weeks.
“It has made an impact on my life because I never would’ve thought that I would be spinning a flag and tossing a rifle for fun, yet here I am, my senior year, nowhere near ready for it to be over,” Ward said.
Ward serves as the captain of the color guard. Her job as captain involves assisting the directors and ensuring everything runs smoothly. She makes sure anyone can come to her if they need help with anything or just want someone to talk to. Being the captain means always being the first to arrive and the last to leave, whether getting on the bus or finishing up at practice. She attends meetings, contributes ideas and helps create choreography.
“I’m happy but also beyond sad that this is my last competition season. I’ll probably cry knowing that soon high school band will just be a memory,” Ward said. “I decided to be captain because I’ve been here the longest, and with so many new coaches and teammates every year I felt like I was the right person.”
When trying out for captain position Ward wrote an essay on why she thinks she would be good for the position, made her own choreography and participated in an interview.
“My favorite part about being a leader is being able to help my teammates succeed and get stronger,” Ward said. “I help them accomplish more than they think they can, making sure everyone is always happy.”
Colorguard attended band camp from 7 a.m.- 4 p.m. from July 28 to Aug 12. From 7 a.m.-10 a.m., they did body warm-ups with the band and practiced their show and went inside around 11 a.m. to have lunch. Since then, their schedule changed to Mondays from 4-7 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 -6:30 p.m., with football games on Fridays.
“I love being in color guard so much. It’s so fun and every day we’re doing something new and different. Dancing and performing are nerve-racking but so exciting,” junior Itzel Ramirez said. “Although spinning a rifle is a little more dangerous, it is one of the best things in the activity and is a great accomplishment for anyone to be able to do.”
Their show for this year, “Borealis,” as in the northern lights, features a contemporary dance that flows with strength and grace. Throughout each act of the show, the color of the northern lights gets connected to make one whole scenery. They use their skirts on their costumes to make themselves look bigger and more natural, to add to the picture.
“My team has seen me through all the bumps in the road and applauded me for my accomplishments,” Ramirez said. “I’ve found a great sense of community with them, and I don’t know if I’d be the same without colorguard.”
In colorguard, they have something called petals and thorns, where they sit in a circle and share good things and bad things every day to strengthen the team bond.
“I feel like one of our best activities would be when we do petals and thorns,” Ward said. “It’s good to bond with the team and be able to hear the good and the bad for my teammates.”
