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The color guard has decided to expand its performance opportunities this winter by forming a Winter Guard team, bringing together old and new members.

The idea to create a Winter Guard came to sophomore Jennifer Wayland after she saw teams perform at a competition at Eureka High School. After figuring out the logistics of the team, Wayland and other color guard members convinced their coach to help form the Winter Guard.

“The teams at Eureka were really cool,” Wayland said. “I kept bugging the other girls about it, and they finally gave in.”

While they hope to perform at basketball games, the team is not associated with the pep band. Instead, the students created a completely separate activity, holding their own tryouts and practices to form the team. Tryouts consisted of a short training camp to teach new and old members the new flag work and dance moves.

“Winter Guard is more dance-oriented,” Wayland said. “We will still use flags and rifles but with different dance styles and music.”

After a couple of training days, the students trying out for the team were divided into different groups to perform a routine. For the audition, they performed a short dance number and flag work. However, color guard coach Ms. Liz Bryan said that skill level was not the deciding factor during the auditions.

“I’m looking for someone who simply wants to be there,” Bryan said. “If they are willing to put in the hours and to try out new things, I don’t see any reason why they shouldn’t try out.”

Many of the students trying out for Winter Guard were not involved with color guard, including sophomore Joely Skinner. Because of marching band and cheerleading, Skinner did not participate in color guard in the fall. However, she said that she has always wanted to be a part of the guard and is excited for the new season.

“I have a great feeling about this season and all of the girls,” Skinner said. “I’m looking forward to Winter Guard and spending time with some of my best friends.”

One major difference between color guard and Winter Guard is the lack of competition. Because the final decision to form the team happened after August, they missed the registration deadline for competitions. However, junior Jessie Sauerwein remains optimistic for their opportunities in the following years.

“This will be our practice year so we can build up our skills for competitions next year,”  Sauerwein said.

The main focus of the team for the first few weeks is to emphasize the basics of performing. While everyone has to work on the new dance skills, the new members must learn how to work the flags and rifles. Sauerwein said that she and the other girls will have to help teach flag movements such as drop spins, slams and carves.

“During practices, we have to focus on making our routine ready for competition,” Sauerwein said. “That means we will have to focus on every aspect of our performance, like our dance moves, facials and flag work.”

Although there is no official theme for their performances, Bryan said that the team will dance to “Caroline” by Noah Gunderson. The routine will take on a lot of dance and partner work.

As the official sponsor for the team, Bryan said she hopes to be able to prepare the students for future competitions.

“I try to take on a relaxed leadership role,” Bryan said. “I try to let them have as much fun as possible, but there’s also tons of work to do.”