On a noisy Friday night in October, the color guard team in their bright uniforms take center stage on the football field shining bright. Loud, colorful music takes over the noisy crowd and intricate flag and rifle tossing catches the eye. A strong beat is felt in the ground.

Participating in color guard is a great way to stay in shape. Junior, and color guard captain, Violet Wasko shared, “The physical activity is really nice.” Color guard has many physical activities that help members stay in shape, and also includes fun activities to participate in. Physical activities include rifle, saber, and flag tossing. These items have multiple different purposes that are used interchangeably and can be challenging depending on training levels. Challenging parts of color guard include the heavier items that can be hard to move without causing harm. Transitions between movements can also be very difficult, depending on what the movement is or the intensity of the movement. Movements could be a gentle toss is a sharp quick turn. 

Staying in shape by practicing color guard is very time consuming and hard to maintain. Training also has a big part to play in this topic, by having to consistently train for hours on end. This constant training also helps keep you in shape, and includes different activities than practice. Practice is condensed into a class period, while training is more at home. Training consists of many movements to the music of what will be performed. Members typically work on whatever they have been assigned to practice on during training, which could consist of, rifle, flag or saber.

Color guard is also a great way to meet new friends. “Honestly my favorite part [of color guard] is all the friends that I’ve made through doing it,” Wasko remarked. Color guard has many different kinds of people and opportunities that make the sport easy to join. This sport is also good for stress relief. Wasko commented, “It’s a great way to blow off steam… it’s a stress reliever for me. It’s my calm down place.” Color guard can also be a stress reliever by hanging out with friends. Color guard is inclusive and allows people to express themselves in different ways, not just through the music, but also through letting themselves be seen. Color guard is not a boring sport, as members present the music by their actions and staying on beat with the band.   

There are many pros and cons to joining color guard. “You have to be in the right headspace, and you have to be mentally engaged with your entire team to be able to stay together and in time,” Violet shared. Mental issues can play a lot into this sport, and could cause issues if not taken care of in the right way. Injuries can also affect the way people may play this sport, as there is always a chance to fall or drop a flag.

There is only a small amount of time that color guard has on the field, so they have one chance to impress. Having a small amount of time on the field means that people may forget what was presented, unless it was impressive or has a catchy tune. Despite this, color guard is a very intensive sport and has many different aspects that all are important in their own ways.