Winter Guard competed in their first competition, the CIPA (Connecting Individuals Through the Performing Arts) competition, on Saturday, Feb. 23, placing third out of eight teams.

The team practices on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., as well as weekend practices on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Occasionally, the team practices on Sundays as well.

“It’s really fun and it is still really, really rewarding when you get a good toss in, or when you’re able to do something that you haven’t been able to do before,” junior Jessica Archis said.

Junior Chloe Eidt has served as both the team’s captain and instructor, since guard has no adult leader.

“You have to really distinguish from being team captain Chloe right now, or being friend Chloe,” Eidt said. “Some people will try to come up and talk to me while I’m leading. The worst part is a lot of other guards have an instructor, and the captain can still be part of the guard, but I am the instructor so I can’t really be talking to people.”

With two other competitions coming up in March, the team has high hopes for what they can accomplish in the future.

“We already went to one competition and won third place so I’m very happy about that,” freshman Taylor Frangesh said. “It feels good to have your progress and your hard work recognized. You’ve put in all this blood, sweat and tears, and people think that you’re worth a title.”

The team will be performing their show, “Hypnotized,” at Clear Creek Elementary School on March 16 at 5 p.m. for friends and family to support them. Admission is free.

By: Ashley Rich, Staff Writer