Winterguard will compete at the WGI World Championships in Dayton, Ohio April 11-12 after earning second place at the NTCA State Championships Sunday with the highest score in the 5A division.
Their theme for this year’s show is “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” which is inspired by the Simon and Garfunkel song.
“The lyrics of the song are very significant for where we are as a team,” head coach Caleb Hunter said. “Our team is very young, and what we’ve wanted to instill this year is how to be a bridge for each other throughout the tough times.”
When students first join Winterguard, they are considered rookies until they are inducted at the end of the year and become veterans. Sophomore and rookie Karma Cavil said being on the team has brought forth new and unique experiences.
“We have some pretty cool traditions like secret siblings and standing in a circle and praying before we go on to compete,” Karma said. “Those are things I look forward to at competitions and in general.”
Winterguard’s shows are typically five minutes and include students catching, throwing, and lifting props. To prepare for this, they must work on their stamina and core strength to do what the show demands.
“We start practicing in the beginning of the year keeping in mind what we’re planning to do for winter season,” Hunter said. “We begin training in June with the entire high school team and just keep progressing from there.”
Sophomore and veteran Annika Birkeland said Winterguard has become a space where students who have previously not felt what it’s like to be on a tight-knit team can experience sharing the same passion with others.
“I think my favorite part is I get to be really close with people and form a connection that I’ve never gotten to before because I’m not an athletic person,” Annika said. “This is my first sport ever and I never got to experience what it’s like spending hours upon hours and putting blood, sweat and tears into something that we all want to be good at.”
Coach Hunter said one of the team’s main focuses is being a family and how that can help them when competing.
“A team is a group that has goals together, a club is a group that has fun together and a family is what does both,” Hunter said. “So, we want to be a family where we draw the friendship and comradery of a club and the hard work of a team so that you can push through the tough times.”
