Whether it’s a flag being swung around with grace or a saber being tossed high in the air and caught by one hand, the color guard is so much more than just people dancing and equipment twirling around. Color guard is a physically and mentally demanding sport that takes years of practice.
Now what is color guard? Color guards, or flag corps are teams of performers who perform choreographed dances and routines with various equipment to enhance and interpret the music of a marching band or drum and bugle corps show. They are beautiful performances full of emotion that require immense skill to pull off. Color guard performers have to be able to throw flags and rifles in the air without injuring themselves or someone else.
Blackfoot, Idaho’s color guard tryouts were Monday, April 28 and Tuesday, April 29. The first day of tryouts were for just learning the basics and the second day is the actual day when you make or break your audition.
There are many camps for color guard and marching band but the main one guard does is band camp, where everyone in band and guard meet each other and get to start working together on the field.
“Color Guard, especially our Blackfoot guard, is super meaningful to me. I might be biased in saying the band is cooler and you should totally join the band, but in reality, we are nothing without them. They are our visual storytellers – and their choreography and flag and rifle technique is really beautiful and impressive,” said Elena Huchinson, one of two head directors. Color guard is very important to her.
“Color guard is incredibly difficult. Many of us have permanent knee and back injuries,” said Kassidee McCully (11) the color guard captain. She has dedicated years to this sport, and no matter how much it hurts, she continues to work and practice.
While color guard is a beautiful art, it is also an extremely dedicated sport. The season starts in August. Get ready for an amazing new show called “It’s not so black and white” from our band and guard.
