Gallery • 5 Photos

Kathryn Wiener

If you have ever been to a high school or college football game, you have seen the band play their show during halftime, and you probably noticed girls waving around colorful, silk flags.

Those girls are called the color guard, and generally, they do not get as much recognition as they should. Many people just call them flag girls instead of the actual name, and would joke about what colors they are guarding and what they were guarding them from.

Winter guard is the sport of indoor color guard; their concepts are the same, but winter guard is more artistic. Color guard nowadays is a combination of the use of flags, sabers, rifles and other equipment for dance performance.

The Coppell High School winter guard has been working on its performance titled ”Remembering England’s Rose,” which tells a story about Princess Diana and her tragedy.

The girls practice from 4 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, as well as on Saturdays from 9:45 a.m to 4:30 p.m. Though the practices are long and sometimes strenuous, it pays off in the end.

As the winter guard gets ready, they braid and curl their hair, giving themselves a princess-like touch, and pin real flowers into their braids. They spin around to test how well the flowers are pinned in, ensuring that they will not fall out during their show.

The bus ride to Lamar High School in Arlington is filled with nerves and excitement as the girls prepare themselves for their first run in front of a large audience. With their performance beginning at 9:12‬ p.m., the guard spends the day with an ever-present anticipation for the night performance.

The butterflies were busting through every girl during their final practice session minutes before “circling up” and reciting Oh, The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss to motivate them to do well. During “circling up,” their directors share words of encouragement, reminding the girls how far they have come and how prepared they are for their first competition. They waited for Flower Mound to finish its performance as they stood behind the gym entrance.

Once the floor crew was told to go, the guard followed behind them, as the crew got the mat off their cart. As the CHS winter guard stood in line, two by two, their floor crew reveals the pale pink mat, decorated with a giant pink rose, pink rose petals scattered along the bottom.

Once the floor crew flattened out the mat, they quietly set up their equipment of flags, rifles and fake roses, then assumed position in their opening form.

The music starts off with soft, classical instruments and a reporter telling about how much Princess Diana means to the world. Unlike past winter guard music, CHS has taken a new approach that adds to the aesthetic of the performance.

The guard performed with all they had, and successfully completed the performance with no dropped flags or rifles. They carried CHS freshman Hannah Tucker who portrayed Princess Diana during her time being lifted. This was the first time the girls had attempted carrying a girl this season because in marching band, everyone is moving at such a fast tempo.

Many girls portrayed Princess Diana through various segments of the show, though they all seemed as if they were royalty with how elegant and graceful they moved. During marching band, no one is able to see the emotion in the guard’s movements or faces, but with winter guard, that is one of the things the judges want to see the most.

Once the performance was over, the pale pink mat was rolled up and carried into another gym for refolding. The guard set their equipment down and excitedly talked about their performance, congratulating each other and gushing about how no one dropped a flag or gun.
Even with a near flawless performance, the CHS winter guard received third place. There were many things the judges did not like about it, but despite that, the girls hopes remain high for next year’s season of winter guard.