The drum major’s voice rings out, sharp and clear in the tense silence. We hear her call us to set, and we freeze. The band is across the field, standing a block, every member leaning forward, forming the same angle towards the ground. We are lined up from the 35 yard line to the 45, lying on the wet grass as if we are asleep. We are perfectly still, then suddenly we rise, kicking our legs in unison. The show has begun, and we are in our element, doing what we do best. We are color guard girls, and this is what we live for.
My girls are unique, there is nothing quite like our merry band of 11 and we cherish the common experiences that forged us. You can call us crazy, but we are proud of the forearms covered in bruises, strong shoulders
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In technical terms, it’s a combination of dance, performance, and equipment that creates a visual accompaniment to a marching band show. To us, it is so much more. Our flags, rifles, and sabres are more than just metal, wood, and tape. They are our prides and joys, our security blankets, our babies. We spend hours perfecting tosses, watching silks swirl over our heads, making sure that we catch with our hands in just the right places. We chant the same counts over and over again, repeating movements until we are perfectly in time. We transform from 11 guard girls into a colorguard, spinning, tossing, and dancing as one.
How do we become guard girls? It all starts at band camp. Grueling 12 hour days spent under the hot sun meld us into a family. We begin with the basics, drop spins. At first, all we hear is poles hitting the ground, but slowly we become more confident, we spin stronger and faster, until finally we are in unison. Our flags move in harmony, up, down, up, down, up down. Then we move on, beginning to learn our show, beginning to master the work that will become habit by the end of our season. After two weeks we leave band camp, marked by bruises, sunburns, and a passion for guard that lasts a