Color Guard Passion

On Monday May 16th, 5 girls from our very own Chino Hills High School color guard came into the Journalism room to be interviewed about their past season this school year. The five girls that came into our room were Kaitlyn Parsons, Mallory Williams, Ashley Kearns, Nina Penzo, and Hunter Adams. They placed first in the Western Open Class Champions and the Westcoast Winterguard Open Class Champions. They each told us that the World Championships take place in Dayton, Ohio which is considered to be the color guard hub of the United States of America. Hunter Adams told the journalism crew that they practiced about 16 hours a week with a competition on Saturdays. Nina Penzo is a captain as well as Jenna Quijano who is a senior captain. They

Having a dream and living with passion is very important because I believe living without passion is like being dead. Someone like Tony Hawk could agree. Tony Hawk has been a professional skateboarder for over 24 years. However, he did not receive that title overnight; Tony got his first skateboard when he was only 9 years old. Since then, Tony worked extremely hard and put a lot of his focus on skateboarding. He did it because that was his Dream. Tony’s Dream was frowned upon by many of his teachers and adults alike. One of his teachers even told him that he “would never make it in the workplace if he didn’t follow directions exactly” (Hawk), but he never gave up his Dream. He kept working hard and eventually became a pro at the young age of 15.

March 3, 2017 6:30, I woke up with the bright sun hitting my face. Sweat was already trickling down my face. The sun was ready for a brand new fresh day, I wasn’t. I knew today was the day which I strove for so long, the day I get to go to Knott's Berry Farm with my “Band Mates” as I called them. Packed my backpack all up with all sorts of snacks, Skittles, Pringles, Tangy fruit cups which I've always adored for some reason, Sour Patch Kids, and the list goes on. I’m not a glutton, I’ll be the first to say that.. I only brought all this because my mother insisted , she didn't want me to get hungry in line or get an upset stomach. I knew that if I ate all of it, I would end up with explosive diarrhea the next 5 minutes though. I had packed my deodorant because I didn't want to smell like a dirty sock basket or anything worse. I brought my eye drops so I can actually see throughout the whole day. There was one big thing that I forgot to pack, something so obvious yet forgetful, Extra Clothing. “How could I forget such a thing? Why won’t I just post sticky notes all over my room to remind me of the basic requirementsf? I said as I groaned with frustration. I packed my what felt like a 50 pound instrument into my mother's car. I introspected that I deserved the trip, 4.0, played an instrument for a full year, did extra credit, I didn't give that year my all though. I whispered to my instrument, “Where would I be without you Tenor Sax? Oh yeah, a full day of doing nothing in

Some people believe that dedication, persistence, and time people can accomplish any goal. Everyone should have goals when striving to achieve a specific task. Goal setting is used by top level athletes, successful business man, and achievers in all fields. A wise athlete once said, “Without time and effort put towards ones goal for the sport, you are nearly wasting your time and your teams time and you will never achieve ones goal for that

I have been in a few school activities. One of the main activities that I have been involved in is Color guard. Since my sophomore year, I have been on the guard and participating in all of the competitions with the band. It is a great way to get involved, make new friends, and create new experiences. I am also in my school’s National Honor Society which is an organization that consists of the top academic scholars. We do volunteer work and do activities that display integrity. We have done blood drives as well as packaged food for Kids Against Hunger. That is another organization that people can do to help package food for children across seas that don’t have any source of nourishment. I am an active thespian which is a group of sorts that is dedicated to the fine arts. I have been one since my freshmen year and have been either stage manager or assistant stage manager for two plays and three musicals. My junior year as well as this year I was involved in National

The first time I auditioned for the Elizabeth High School Color Guard, I would never have imagined it to play such a crucial role in my life. I have participated on this artistic and athletic manner for three years and it has been one of the preeminent decisions I have ever made in my life. For those who may not fully understand what color guard really is, it is a time intensive sport. Yes, a sport. Try jazz running across the football field for nine minutes while dancing and spinning a six-foot flag or a 36-inch rifle. Not only is your body physically pushed to the limits, but you need to have high levels of mental coordination. Nonetheless, color guard has shaped my character and without it, my life would not be half as phenomenal as it is today. Because of the laughs I had, the people I met, the confidence I gained, I am the person I am today.

Wrestling and your general life might seem to not have anything in common but if you implement skills like hard work and perseverance you can learn to find success in both. Perseverance is one thing that can tie together the worlds of wrestling and life. In wrestling you have to work hard and have a thick skin, you cannot let anyone tell you what you can or cannot do because you know different. If you have a dream shoot for it and don’t stop until you make it a reality. Sometimes you might hit an impasse, but you have to keep going and break that barrier no matter how much you feel like quitting. The video states, “ If you want something, go get it. Period.” This explains that no matter how crazy your dream or goal in life is go get it and

I was first introduced to colorguard the summer before my freshman year. Being put under pressure to make a rapid decision between band and colorguard, I decided to stay in my comfort zone and join the marching band. Since I already had prior experience playing flute in the band, it was the easy choice, but not necessarily the right one for me. After the marching season ended, I decided to face the fear of trying something new. I joined the colorguard team at Manor High School for the winter guard season.

"When you have a passion for something then you tend not only to be better at it, but you work harder at it too.” -Vera Wang1

When I went to Pike High School I participated in an activity called color guard for four years. Color guard is a performing arts activity that incorporates dance while using flags, rifles, and sabers. When I began this activity I barely understood what I was getting myself into. Our team got abandoned by our coach for most of the winter season my freshman year, so our show was pretty awful. We went to competitions with expectations of losing and embarrassment among our peers. At this point everyone was discouraged about how our winter season ended. It was not far to the seniors who gave their whole high school years for this activity. Something had to be changed to in order for our team to progress in the future. Second semester our guard Director, Mr. Emmert, hired Nick Bledsoe as our new coach. Though he was a skinny short white guy with blond hair something about him was intimidating. He walked into the guard room like he owned the place. He sat up with such a great posture that I straightened up from my usual slouch. The seniors did not like Nick too much, but their only wish for him was to not give up on us. From that day forward Nick dedicated his work towards our team regardless of how challenging it was to manage. My guard coach Nick was amazing because of how passionate he was about his profession at my high school.

Despite the daunting challenge of being in charge of sixty teenage girls, one of the extremely humbling parts of being a Captain of the Eagle Pride Color Guard is the ability to show girls that regardless of their background they can reach their full potential. As I transitioned from my freshman year on Color Guard into my veteran years, I began to realize that I was among a group of girls that had experienced obstacles and had found ways to overcome them. During my second year on guard everything began to come into focus: I observed girls who were struggling with the experience of learning a new skill the way I had the year before. Every year from then on, when I began teaching a new concept to a rookie, such as tossing a flag, I reiterated

Once I found out when the color guard captain auditions were I signed up immediately. I first had to sign a few papers to guarantee I wanted to try out and I wasn't going to back out. Secondly, I had to send surveys out to my teachers and there were a series of questions and they had to rate me on a scale 1-5 on how much I fit the criteria and then send them back to my band

However, although it may seem like a lot of work, each member of the varsity team have been in color guard for years, whether it be tossing rifles, throwing flags, or turning sabers, they each have had prior experience, some more than others. Both Kaitlyn and Mallory have started their freshman year, while Hunter and Ashley started as early as their Junior High School years, so as a result, these hardworking hours are nothing but the “norm”. Nevertheless, members of Color guard have a, “…close relationship and tight bond,” as stated by Kaitlyn Parsons who further exclaimed that they have multiple parties for holidays such as Christmas, Halloween, and end of the year bashes that allow for each of the members to form that nostalgic feeling of family and happiness. Whether it be performing on the floor or hanging out outside of school and practice, members of the Color guard team have a bond that can never be broken and that is revealed in their phenomenal performances, Good job Color

From freshman to senior year, I spend thousands of hours perfecting my craft and in return made longtime friends. As captain of the color guard my junior and senior year, I was able to guide others, give them confidence, and teach them a new skill set. As captain, I enjoyed helping those less experienced than I and ensured they had a positive environment. Additionally, my marching band and I faithfully attended nearby parades to liven spirits and to represent our area. The biggest events were football games, where the marching band and I entertained the crowd during halftime, promoting our high school and helping others enjoy the

As a teacher there are many responsibilities. Not only do teachers have to deal with grading papers and making sure that students understand the material, but they also have to make sure that the students are behaving and doing what they should. If students aren’t learning what they should, then it is usually blamed on the teacher. If the teacher isn’t constantly evaluating and making sure that the students understand the work, then the student might not comprehend something that you originally thought that they did. In one typical work period of an elementary school teacher, presenting the lesson and making sure that the students understand is the main concern. When teaching, things should always be tried to make memorable. In color guard