NC winter guard taking another step
![To sustain focus, a core element in all activities, and to perform a show and maintain that balance of concentration and performance can prove difficult. NC’s winter guard team demonstrated this aspect of winter guard last Saturday, by knowing what they do, and also showing it to the audience.
“[I’m] looking forward to more fun experiences and great dancing. There is always a struggle in every problem we face but as a team, we are able to make it through and become very good leaders and companions towards each other,” junior Natalie Romero said.](https://nchschant.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Cover-photo-1-1-900x589.jpg)
To sustain focus, a core element in all activities, and to perform a show and maintain that balance of concentration and performance can prove difficult. NC’s winter guard team demonstrated this aspect of winter guard last Saturday, by knowing what they do, and also showing it to the audience. “[I’m] looking forward to more fun experiences and great dancing. There is always a struggle in every problem we face but as a team, we are able to make it through and become very good leaders and companions towards each other,” junior Natalie Romero said.
March 14, 2022
The NC winter guard overcame an obstacle at the Southeastern Association for Performance Arts (SAPA) competition held at Kell High School on March fifth. They competed at a previous event held at Kennesaw Mountain High School, where both cadet and varsity teams placed third.
With eight different performance blocks, the cadets went on first at 10 in the morning. The score depends on the performance level of the team, and how well they executed their show. For example, if someone dropped a toss, the judges deducted a certain amount of points. It relies on how well they do with the choreography and knowing where to move at what time. The varsity team went on at 2:20 in the afternoon, during the block after lunchtime. With a score of 70.1303, the NC Cadet team, composed of 16 middle schoolers from Barber, Awtrey, and Palmer middle schools, placed third in their class, Cadet A.
The cadet show, titled “Here Comes The Sun,” comes accompanied by a bright floor, and colorful flags. The cadets start with their dance portion and later go on to add flags and rifles.
The team maintained professionalism by keeping up with the difficult choreography that being on the team demands, all while having fun and enjoying their time as part of the team. Their next competition will take place against a higher class and they can, with luck, endure the higher standards that come with the new title of a Scholastic A team.
(Reggie Dill )
The Varsity team, with 21 members, placed first in their class out of 14 schools in total. They won with a score of 80.610. They were also promoted to Scholastic A, the class directly above. That leaves three classes (Scholastic A, Scholastic National A, and Scholastic Open) for the team to promote.
The program is affiliated with NC’s Band Program, and numerous of the students who perform in winter guard march in the fall season too. The varsity team’s show name, “The Next Step”, contains a “Wizard of Oz” theme, but with a touch of modernity. The show floor contains a grid-like pattern that burns away to the classic white and blue plaid. The flags keep to the theme with a yellow brick (road) scheme and the iconic red shoe at the bottom, while the feature flag adds that modernity with a spray-painted arrow on top of a rainbow scheme.
The team worked hard every week, adding drills, perfecting the choreography and adding tiny details that refined the show to greatness.
“We did great Saturday. I noticed that a couple [of] people messed up but quickly fixed it which in my opinion gave extra points. I think in the future we will be even better and as long as we all continue to work together and believe in ourselves, we could win [the] next competition too,” freshman Ella McClure said.
The teams will compete in two more competitions this season, along with the championships SAPA hosts in Chattanooga, TN. At both of these events, the varsity team will compete in the Scholastic A class.
The performance wasn’t perfect, which leaves room for improvement in the guard team’s next competition at Etowah High School, not only because of the class promotion but because they will perform the finished show. Both teams look forward to making their shows better and impressing the crowd this upcoming Saturday.
“I am so incredibly proud of this team and all that we have accomplished together. The show is coming together really beautifully, and we’re all working hard to ensure that. Yesterday’s performance was awesome! I’m so proud of it and also the fact that we won and moved up a class! It’s incredibly exciting and I can’t wait to see how the rest of the season goes,” Wimbush said.
