Fall is over and that means our color guard makes their way indoor to form the Bob Jones Winter Guard. Taking Second Place at SCGC (Southeastern Color Guard Circuit) last year with their show “The Plan” the girls start out their season on a high note taking first in Lawrence Tennessee at the Color of Winter competition. Their program Balancing Act where they tell of the struggles everyone deals with concerning battling the stability of school versus extracurricular activities. Ms. Thomas speaks on the subject further explaining the theme, “It’s all about balance.  Throughout the show, the performers do choreography on 6 balance beams, all differing in height.  There also are underlying themes of balance.  There balance between the flags and weapons, and at the end of the show, half the flags have a “heart” on them and half have a “brain” on them, to hint at the balance between the heart and mind in life.  Some of the symbolism is obvious, like the balance beams, and some are more underlying.”

Through strenuous practice and run after run the group of 13 girls depicts this by tossing weaponry, flags, and dance, all the while remaining on their limited mat space and using their prop, multiple balance beams.

The Bob Jones Winter Guard has medals dating back from 2008 with the director Brooke Howe in coordination with the director of bands Leigh Thomas training the girls to medal in SCGC every year since 2013. Working on this show dates all the way back to summer. “Brooke spends a lot of time in the fall designing and planning for the winter.  She usually has a rough concept during the summer and spends the fall fleshing out ideas and making a concrete plan.  Once auditions take place and she has her finite number of performing, she designs the drill, which can take several weeks”.

Junior Lauren Davidson describes the group as “Very much a team sport. If you notice somebody has dropped then we start counting loud enough for them to get back in. We all do our own part as perfectly as possible or you’ll hurt someone else. You have to know your strengths, but more importantly, know your weaknesses. A rule we follow is Practice doesn’t make perfect, Perfect practice makes perfect”

The group aims to go to 7 competitions in their 2017 circuit. Madtown Throwdown, the event where winter guards from all over come to Bob Jones to compete is March 4th, so mark your calendars and represent your school as they spin their way to first place.