Taylor Green, 11, performs at the homecoming game.

Junior Taylor Green straps on her gloves as she, and twenty four other girls, get into warm up block to prepare themselves for the night’s halftime show against McKinney. They toss their flags and spin their wooden rifles one last time before walking to their one hundred yard stage. As the crowd cheers for the football team making yet another score, Hakeem, the guard instructor orders the girls to get in line and stay focused.

“I’m just focusing on getting my makeup on and making sure I have all the right undergarments and whatnot for the show,” Green said. “When I’m actually there on the field; that’s probably the best part.”

The snare drum begins a tap-off, a signal for the band and guard to begin walking on the field and setting their equipment up. Green wears a smile on her face to go along with the still, light blue flag resting in her hands. When the head drum major looks around the field to see that everyone and everything looks in place, the show begins with a cymbal crash and a harmonic melody coming from the band.

“Please welcome your very own Legacy High School marching band,” the announcer said as a roar of cheers came from the crowd of football fans.

In every set, jump, spin and toss, Green keeps the same smile on her face as she counts the structure for the guard’s dance movements. The show lasts eight minutes, and by the time the show finishes, everyone breathes heavy, but it appears to be quite obvious by the looks on the girls’ faces that everyone in the guard seems happy with their individual performances. As the band walks off of the field, the color guard members gather up their  flags and walk off into their own section under the scoreboard to discuss how they did as a team.

“We get an outstanding performance by giving the vets a chance to tell the new people that we are good enough, so good that people cheer us on and want to see more,” Green said. “I think that makes all of us want to be better and try harder just to get that taste of being amazing and impressing hundreds of people once more.”