There is no wild cheering for a tackle, no silent praying that your teammate will hit the buzzer first and answer the math question correctly, but like any other sport, competition, or make-it-or-break-it moment, there is tension. And with that tension comes a blanket of awe that settles in the atmosphere with every turn, toss, gesture, and pose that this team makes.
Of all the different teams existing in high school, the winter guard should perhaps be one of the last to escape our memory, yet it does. Maybe it’s because the audience doesn’t grasp the hours of work that goes behind each fraction of the routine, or perhaps medals and trophies often times determine which teams remain in our mental library.
Though the phrase “winter guard” brings twirling flags and sabers to mind, dig a little deeper and you’ll find that it’s much more than that. And if you don’t believe it, the winter guard girls have a gold medal to prove it.
While most students were at home, enjoying their first relaxing day of spring break on Saturday, March 22, the Bob Jones High School winter guard was preparing to perform in Nashville, Tenn., for the Southeastern Color Guard Circuit (SCGC) championship competition.
This year’s routine, called “Queen’s Quarrel,” may seem to resemble the theme and color scheme of the book cover of Stephanie Meyer’s famous novel “Breaking Dawn.” With a chessboard set and contrasting red, white, and black costumes for the girls, the routine implemented a layer of mystique and intensity simply through color choices.
Those aspects along with mood, precision, and cohesion, rewarded the Bob Jones winter guard with their first SCGC championship gold medal.
Caitlyn Kilianski, Bob Jones senior, has seen the team grow since she started winter guard during her sophomore year.
“This year, a major factor that has made a difference for our team would be our mutual ambition to perform to the best of our ability. All of our team, I believe, had the same strive to make this show the best it could be, and that helped us win.”
The level of dedication escalates when given the circumstances of the past two years, when many Bob Jones High School students transferred to James Clemens High School.
Though the division brought the guard some challenges such as different instructors and teammates, Kilianski explains that the transition actually allowed the girls to work together more.
“I believe we have learned to take responsibility for our performance and have bonded as a team.”
Shannon Walker, Bob Jones senior and team captain of the winter guard, agrees that the team had a major sense of unity in their performing this season.
“This year we felt more like a team, and that’s extremely important when it comes to performing,” Walker explains. “If we aren’t spinning as a group, it just doesn’t work. We all have to be in sync with each other mentally, which can be difficult to achieve, but it happened this year.”
Walker also credits the fact that their instructors Brooke Howe, John Howe and Leigh Thomas pushed the girls to present their best work as a team and as individuals.
“Our instructor, Brooke, who we’ve had for the past two years has pushed us and believed in us when we didn’t believe in ourselves, and that’s a really powerful gift to give a group of high school students,” Walker shares. “It’s a gift that I’m extremely thankful for. [All of] our instructors…pushed us to fulfill our potential. Winning wouldn’t have been possible had it not been for them.”
Bob Jones junior Olivia Schweikart agrees that their coach holds them to high standards because she knows what the girls are capable of.
Schweitkart also explains that amongst the guard’s several challenges this year was their moving to a high class at SCGC, which made them a bit nervous about the new competition.
Kilianski says that their class, including 19 guards originally, was so big that it split, leaving the Bob Jones winter guard to compete against 8 other guards in at the SCGC championship.
“Winning championships proved to us that we were indeed capable of the class change, and I believe it gave us the courage we needed to come back stronger than ever,” Schweitkart states.
And though the girls, their coaches, and Bob Jones are all proud of their performance, even graduates and former guard members are immensely impressed as well.
Katherine Tidwell, Bob Jones graduate and former winter guard captain, saw the girls perform and was ecstatic at their first place win.
“I remember hearing judges tapes—this season and last year too—that said the girls weren’t executing what they were given very well, that it might be over their capabilities, and we all knew that was crap,” Tidwell says. “Those girls are more talented than anyone I’ve had the privilege of working with, and their hearts are in it.”
Tidwell was captured in a sense of nostalgia and excitement from watching her former teammates harness the routine with poise and fierceness.
“…Seeing the seniors out there stole my heart. I know the nerves before a show: how all your muscles are tense and it’s all you can do to breathe, and I felt that again watching them! Those girls are my loves, and they killed it. It’s something you can’t walk away from when your hearts been in it.”
Pertaining to this year’s routine in particular, Tidwell shares that knowing about guard makes the show all the more enjoyable, whereas to an “untrained eye,” it may simply appear as spins that are sometimes in sync and sometimes not.
“I think this show had more heart. It was sexier and more powerful, and you could really tell in the way the girls performed it that their hearts were in it. The flag was much cleaner! The work was hard as always. Brooke writes challenging work, and it’s incredible.”
Most viewers wouldn’t be able to catch the precision that goes into the dance scenes and maneuvers that the winter guard executes, but the team undoubtedly knows all that goes into perfecting a routine.
Kilianski says that the girls had practice Tuesdays and Thursdays after school until 6:30 p.m. and some Fridays before competitions, along with some longer Saturday practices at the beginning of the season.
“Most people are uninformed about what winter guard really is,” Kilianski states. “It is more than simply twirling a few flags. It is a competitive and beautiful sport that requires dance, flag, weapon, and performance skills. It is as much an art as a sport and requires the dedication and practice that any art skill or sport requires.”
Along with coordination and muscle training, guard also offers lessons in finding the appreciation for perseverance and hard work.
“From my experiences in guard,” Walker explains, “I’ve learned how to motivate myself and encourage others to do the same. In high school, apathy is common, and people can struggle to find something to be passionate about. Guard has been a wonderful outlet to work hard, and I think it’s really cool to be apart of a group that cares about one another.”
Tidwell also paints a picture of some of the dedication that goes into perfecting a routine, much of which is more intense than anyone would realize.
“I remember practicing 16-counts until I could have, and often did, cry. [But] walking away from a show that was deemed “too challenging” is the greatest feeling in the world. A crying coach and screaming crowd are par-none. Nailing a show that you’ve poured blood, sweat, tears, and 12-hour Saturday’s into makes the tense, nervous feeling before a performance home.”
With a glimpse into the diligence that the winter guard puts into their craft, perhaps audiences can gather a deeper understanding for the art and skill that this performance holds.
For a chance to experience and appreciate the depth behind the guard’s hard work and talent, the winter guard will be performing their award-winning routine this coming Friday, April 4, during fourth block for students.
They will also perform for the public at the school’s annual spring art show, which is yet to be officially announced.
Nevertheless, the show is not to be missed, for riddled in its choreography is also a story that really reveals what the red queen’s quarrel is truly about.
