Color guard competed on home turf for the second time in four years
Time is fleeting. And every routine performed on stage lives for the length of that routine before it becomes a flitting memory. On March 27, Winter guard had its California Color Guard Circuit competition in the MVHS gym. The routine for the competition was based on the theme "Time" and one of the most technically difficult routine they have had.
The Color guard team entered the stage dressed in gray and positioned themselves on a large gray mat while a large blue hourglass was placed in the front. The team began the routine with sabres. A small group used sabres while the rest of the team danced around the edges of the mat. In one of their most difficult execution, they performed a ripple with sabres consisting of triple rotation tosses in the air, ending with a quadruple rotation toss by sophomore Caitlyn Sullivan.
Those who showed up to cheer them on were mostly friends, family and alumni. The sparse cheers and shouts were louder than the polite clapping for the visiting schools when a difficult maneuver was executed.
The accompanying instrumental music was punctuated twice by the recording of senior Samantha Chen and Sullivan reciting poems about time, complementing the medium tempo of the accompaniment. Light blue flags reflected the evanescent fluidity of time as well as the mellow tones of the accompaniment. Rifles were used to show off toss work and complemented the lyricality of the routine. The session ended with Chen holding the hourglass with the rest of the team behind her.
Overall, the Color Guard team’s performance was admirable. Despite some shaky catches and four uncaught weapons on the mat, the team did fairly well, placing second in their division. The tosses weren’t quite as uniform as some of the other competing schools, but the Color guard team still managed to capture the fleeting moment of the performance with the quick passing of time.
Their next competition will be the California Color guard Circuit Championships at Independence High on April 3.
