WAKULLA COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) — The Wakulla High School winter guard has been making waves in the competition circuit, consistently bringing home hardware in a tougher division of competition.
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Wednesday night, the Wakulla High School winter guard showcased their award-winning skills for friends and family. The team placed second at their most recent Florida Federation of Colorguards Circuit competition at Oak Leaf High School this past Saturday.
This achievement is particularly impressive considering the team was recently promoted to a higher division of competition.
At their first competition, the FFCC Indoor Premiere in Orlando, they competed in Class Regional A, and not only earned second place in their division, but also placed second overall out of 42 teams competing.
"They work super hard. We are here two to three times a week. We usually practice in the evenings," said Brooke Post, Wakulla High School color guard instructor. "Basketball is great. And we come in here right after them, and they work really hard. They come in during the summertime. We've been practicing our technique, our skill sets, since July, basically. So they've been working very hard to get to this point."
Winter guard provides a way for color guards to continue practicing and competing during the non-marching season. For many students, the sport becomes transformative beyond just the physical skills.
"It's definitely been, like kind of my purpose in high school. So I feel like color guard has been everything to me," said team member Emilee Mason.
Mason, a third-year member and winter guard captain, says the sport has helped her personal growth.
"My freshman year, I was definitely very quiet and a little bit jumpy, but I've definitely grown into myself with color guard's help," Mason said. "With the competitions, having to perform in front of, like, hundreds of people, and then go out to eat everywhere and do all this stuff virtually on my own. without my parents there. I've definitely grown confidence in speaking and just being myself in front of a bunch of people."
The team's success at their first competition led to their promotion to a higher class division.
Despite the increased difficulty, team captain Summer Tanner, a fourth-year member, embraced the challenge.
"It felt great, but it was also like, really, really scary because it is a higher division," Tanner said. "But I'm really glad, and I'm really happy that we're in this division and doing it together."
The promotion didn't slow their momentum. At their most recent competition, they secured second place, missing first by less than a tenth of a point.
Post explained the comprehensive scoring system used in winter guard competitions.
"They have multiple judges who judge them. So they have a movement judge, an equipment judge, a design analysis judge, and then they have two general effects judges," Post said. "So there's lots of scores that tie into their overall final score."
Beyond the scores and trophies, the winter guard has created a tight-knit community. The countless hours of practice, with every drop spin, random bruises, and countless times hearing, "Let's run it one more time," have forged bonds that make the team feel like family.
The team's next scheduled competition is this weekend at Flagler Palm Coast.
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