In a vibrant display of colors and motion, Color Guard is always a visual treat that complements the marching band’s lively music. 

Utilizing flags, rifles, and sabers, this talented group manages to put on a show during every football game.

“We dance around with different types of equipment, mainly flag[s] and wooden rifles, and our job is to add a visual beauty to what the marching band does with their music,” Adelaide Linser, ‘26, captain of the color guard, said.

As the captain this year, Linser’s job is to communicate with the marching band and help Color Guard grow as a team. She also corresponds with the guard’s five squad leaders, who are each responsible for three members of the guard. 

“Our leadership team really just works with people to help [members] personally grow, and then I focus more on the team aspect and getting everyone to grow together,” Linser said. 

This year, Color Guard had an influx of new members, rising from a total of nine members last year to 16 this year. Many of the rookies were apprehensive going into the color guard and marching band’s summer training, but those fears were soon quieted. 

“I’ve had a lot of worries running up to band camp, and just general anxiety about how the rest of the year was going to go, but honestly, my expectations have been blown away,” rookie Nix Dearwester, ‘26, said. “It’s been going so well, and I’m just enjoying it.”

Rookie Alexa Beaver, ‘27, seconded that response, emphasizing the guard’s supportive members and positive environment.

Despite being a fun experience that leads to cherished memories, Color Guard is also time-consuming. With only Sunday and Tuesday off, they practice for around three hours after school every day and then stay for the football games on Friday. Additionally, the guard sometimes has mini-camps on Saturday, which take up to eight hours. This large time commitment can make it difficult for members with other extracurriculars or schoolwork.

“Last year, I didn’t do any sports,” Beaver said. “As a sophomore [this year], I’ve committed myself more. I’m doing three AP classes this year, so it was a big jump to go from all the time in the world to a lot more homework and a lot less time.”

However, having this time constraint allows the color guard members to develop skills that help them increase their work efficiency in the future. 

“I’m going to be the costume designer for the One Acts this year, and I’m also in an outside school production and color guard, [and] last year really helped me with building those time management skills,” said recurring member Riley Coleman, ‘26.  

Coleman also highlighted the importance of relationships within the color guard, especially between newer members and veterans.

“Though we’re working for the majority of the time, I still feel that, because the vets are teaching the rookies, you get to have a lot of those relationships,” Coleman said. “We really work on lifting each other up, making sure that we’re the best we can be.”

Many of these relationships sprouted from pre-season bonding activities and just being there every day with fellow members and supporting them. 

“Over the summer I went bowling with some of the people [on the team], and that was really fun. [Color Guard] really does encourage team bonding a lot,” said rookie Mirabelle Demske, ‘28. “We are together a lot of the time [and] before shows we can do each other’s makeup.”

In the end, it is the memories taken away from this experience that matter, and with this wonderful community, there is no doubt that there will be some great ones. 

“I really appreciate the community that has been built within Color Guard as well as the rest of the marching band,” said Dearwester. “It’s really supportive, and I just really enjoy being here and working with everybody.”