There is so much more to Color Guard than what meets the eye. Color Guard is a technical and challenging sport. ¨It is the visuals of a marching band,¨ Jenna Kitterman (Color Guard Captain) says. Color Guard is the visuals of marching band, which includes showy flags, dramatic rifle displays, and dances. There is a lot of time, effort, and commitment that goes into learning and perfecting those aspects. But the Color Guard is not only flags, it is also a family.
Color Guard is really difficult if certain individuals don’t have a background in dance, or with coordination with your hands and feet. ¨The hardest thing is learning new choreography- adapting it to counts and marching with it,¨ Kitterman says. Moving on the field is one aspect of Color Guard. Learning and doing choreography is another. Adding them together is very difficult.
When going to marching band performances, they move around the field. But they don’t just pick random spots to go to on the field, and pray that they don’t hit the tuba player next to them. They have coordinates, just like coordinates on a map or graph paper. In marching band, the coordinates are not (x , y), but they are more like, side 2, on 50 yard line, 12 steps in front of front hash, four steps inside 50. That might sound confusing, but it is corresponding to the drill pattern. Each person in the band plays a massive part in the drill. In other team sports, someone can substitute for another player. In marching band, they don’t have that luxury. Missing people means there is a hole in the drill. ¨One time I was out sick, and it affected the drill, there was a hole where I should have been,¨ Ej Mumma (2 years in Color Guard) states.
In Color Guard, they spin a 5ft-6ft flag (the height of the flag depends on height of the person spinning it). But this is just one piece of equipment out of the many pieces they spin. They spin swing flags. A swing flag or swings is PVC pipe (thumb width) and a flag silk, which is much longer than the silks on the 6 foots. Swings are more of an extension of the individual’s arm. Swings are also the only flag that they spin two of at the same time. “My favorite marching band show that Rocky has done was ‘Toy Shop’,¨ said Mumma. ‘Toy Shop’, which was 3 years ago, was the last show at Rocky, which spun two swing flags. Spinning two swing flags looks beautiful from far away, but is impossible to always get it always on the right counts, and is extremely heavy due, to holding both of them with one holding arm.
There also is rifle. Rifle is gun shaped, but it is made out of wood, and a little bit of plastic, and it is held together with screws. Kitterman states, ¨The hardest thing about rifle is the new coach.¨ Like other sports, the group has coaches and the rifle coach this year is new to the Rock Island Color Guard, and he has come from DCI marching bands. DCI or Drum Corps International is the highest form of marching band there is in North America. Rifle is also hard because individuals need to have more movement within their bodies, and have a looser grip with their hands when spinning. There are many other types of Color Guard equipment when advancing in the sport.
Ohana means family and the Color Guard is family. With rehearsals in class every day, as well as Monday and Wednesday nights, and sometimes having performances every Friday and Saturday night, ¨Everyone builds relationships with these people because you are constantly with them,¨ Kitterman states. Most of the Color Guard members are 2 years in the guard, or 3 years in the guard, or even 4 years in the guard. There is a reason they keep coming back- it’s because they see the other guard members as family.
Furthermore, Kitterman states, ¨My favorite memory is trying on costumes.¨ Sometimes, the Color Guard gets their costumes on time or very late. Mumma states,¨My favorite memory is getting a solo in the marching band show.¨ When someone in Color Guard gets a solo moment on the field, it’s a big deal. Just like getting a lead in a musical, getting a solo in Color Guard is having this solo singing moment, but instead of singing, they are spinning a flag or other piece of equipment by themself on the field. When someone in the Guard gets a solo, all of the other Guard members congratulate that person for getting it because they’ve most likely worked extremely hard to get it.
Color Guard is much more than just a flag, it is a sport. It requires stamina, coordination, mental focus and a strong memory. It also requires being able to spin multiple different pieces of equipment, whether that be a 6 ft flag, swing flag, or rifle. Color Guard requires individuals to just be one part of the many visual aspects in marching band. Color Guard is a place where friendships are made that last a lifetime.
