Flags Flying Solo
Winter Guard talks about their competition season.
You hear the sound of flags slice through the air as the Winter Guard starts practice.
The team accepts about 15 people to be in Winter Guard every year. You don’t have to be in Color Guard to be in Winter Guard, and anyone can tryout for the team.
Senior Mia Shelton made the Winter Guard team and her excitement to work with the team grows as competition season approaches. This is Shelton’s fourth year doing Winter Guard.
“I’m most excited to watch the show and come together over the next couple of months and I definitely look forward to the competitions,” Shelton said.
There are five competitions Winter Guard competitions this year that they travel to.
Winter Guard and Color Guard have many similarities, but the Color Guard marches and does competitions and rehearsals with the band. The Winter Guard is not connected with the band.
“Competition days usually start very early and we get home late. They are a lot of fun though we usually get to the school where it’s hosted, get ready to perform and after our performance we watch other guards and then go to awards,” Shelton said.
There are girls from all grades on the Winter Guard team. Freshman Desiree Odum tried out for her first year and made the team. Odum got interested in Winter Guard because she was also in Color Guard, so she decided to try Winter Guard. She also hopes she can continue to do Winter Guard in the future.
“Competition days can be very long and takes a lot of work but we all get through it,” Odum said.
This is Coach Jennifer Cannon’s first year coaching Winter Guard and she is excited to get the new year started. She was in Winter Guard at Missouri State University and fell in love with it. She also hopes that she can share the love of Color Guard and Winter Guard with her two twin daughters.
“I love LHS and I’m so fortunate to be a part of this program,” Cannon said. “I am enjoying getting to know the students and building on what was here prior. I see big things in the future of this program,” Cannon said.
Cannon began coaching at St. Clair high school, and has coached at numerous other schools including Staley, Kearney and Park Hill South high school.
“I love the idea of creating something and having people make a connection to it,” Cannon said. “I’ve seen a lot of really amazing pieces over the past few years.”
