Color guard is so much more than throwing rifles and flags around. They have practices more than some sports around campus, and they never fail to look incredible on the field or in the gym. Mckenna Smith, a junior, was asked about the practice schedule and she said, “During field season we have practice Tuesday-Friday and during winter season we have practice Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.” Which might not seem like a lot, but most of those practices are four hours long. It’s a lot to ask considering a lot of them are in difficult classes and have lives outside of this sport.
This team is so much more athletic than people think, as Smith stated, “We are actually super athletic and we don’t just ‘flip the guns.’” Marie Tiangco, a sophmore, also described it perfectly when she said, “I think a lot of people think color guard is only just flipping the flag, rifles, and sabers around. And that it’s all light work but really, it takes so much patience, energy, and understanding of handling equipment. Plus, color guard is a combination of many dance genres such as ballet, jazz, gymnastics, and many more, and sometimes applying dances while handling equipment can be challenging.”
They aren’t just a team; they consider each other to be family, and you can see that through practices and before they go out to compete. Before they compete, they huddle together in a group and hype each other up, and it is the sweetest thing to watch. You can tell they truly are a family and love each other dearly. Smith had described the team dynamic when she said, “I love our team dynamic. Color guard is such a fun group of the funniest people you can find.” And as someone who is friends with most of the color guard, they truly are the funniest and kindest people you’ll ever meet.
Color guard truly is so mesmerizing to watch, in practice or on the field. They are some of the most talented people I know. They work so incredibly hard to look good out on the field or in the gym, and it can be exhausting. With learning two shows each year, adding up to eight shows in four years, that they can do during their time at Mission.
There is bound to be a favorite. Tiango said, ”Star-Crossed Lovers, our recent field show, is my favorite show that I’ve done so far because the choreography was more challenging for me and I loved it. I really love the music in the show too and how we execute the musicality into our choreography from the soft romantic parts to chaos and tragedy throughout the show. I liked the show theme as well as watching the band waltz on the field during the show.” Smith also said her favorite show was Star-Crossed Lovers.
Star-Crossed Lovers was the 2023 marching band and color guard show based on the tragic Shakespeare play “Romeo and Juliet.” It shows how the two fall in love, and how they are then are faced with tragedy and heartbreak at the end of the show. The music along with the choreography from color guard matched it perfectly and it was beautiful to watch and be a part of.
Overall color guard is so beautiful to watch on the field, as well as how they are as a team when no one else is around. They act like family and have the kindest hearts. They are truly talented people and they love performing and working together as a team. Even if it sometimes gets tough, they are always there for one another. They are much more than just a team that throws flags and rifles around, they are each other’s second family.
