Eagle Pride Color Guard

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

The next six months consisted of me reluctantly training junior varsity color guard. The first drill meet came and I, single handedly, lost our team 20 points (a big deal since we are scored out of 100). Needless to say, we didn’t win. I decided to keep at it and give it one more try, but, I wasn’t feeling too good about continuing as the commander. By the time we were on the bus back from the second drill meet I had led my team to two losses. I was done, I was frustrated and tired. It didn’t help that Russell, the kid in charge of the JV military drill team had secured two first place wins, with perfect scores.

When I was in high school, I was captain of my dance team right out of middle school. I was the first freshman to ever be captain of the dance team (captain positions were for juniors and seniors). I felt amazing! I just knew I was the “boom diggity.” Every of the girls on the dance team would come to me for help and tips on their pirouettes and piques. Even outside of the dance studio, I became pretty popular for a freshman. Being the dance team captain had given me a total boost up the social latter and an instant level of acceptance. Until my sophomore year in high school when a new junior, named Kelly, decided to try out for the team. I remember watching her try out and thinking to myself, “her leaps are way higher than mine.” However,

In the land of bravery and freedom, men and women have fought for America’s freedom for decades. When thinking about a general in the service, an individual may think of the stereotypical man in a high position. In this case, it is Hazel W. Johnson-Brown, who was the first African-American woman to be a General in the U.S. Army and the first African-American Chief of the United States Army Nursing Corps. While being strong-willed, Johnson-Brown changed the perception of the Army and the nursing profession by expressing perseverance, ambition, and wisdom.

The next seven minutes could determine what my 7th grade year will look like. 11 other girls, competing for seven spots on the JAJH Cheer Team. My hands were shaking, and I was so nervous inside. What if I don’t make it? What if I make myself look like a complete fool? Falling on my face, tripping, doing the wrong cheer, all of these factors were racing through my mind. But I had to plaster that smile on my face, black shorts, white shirt, bow, tennis shoes, I was ready. Routines rushing through my head, one after the other, over and over. Five, six, seven, eight, one… Three days of practicing and learning the material for those next seven minutes.

I have exemplified leadership in a couple different ways through out my high school career. One way of this is through leading my team members in cheerleading. I look out for my new team members, especially since they are learning a lot of new material. This can be stressful and difficult at times. I know this feeling since I was once brand new to the Mason Cheerleading Program and didn’t know any of the material. If I

I started out as a student-athlete in which I depicted great leadership skills and positive role model qualities such as diligence, enthusiasm, and passion for the sport. Hence, after my first year of college, I was named the team captain. I worked closely with the coaches, helped to resolve team conflicts, established the tone for practice, and modeled responsibility, decision-making, and a strong work ethic. I also promoted a positive attitude and team interactions, and encouraged and supported all of my teammates. Throughout my experience as team captain, I showed mental toughness by remaining confident and focus, and respond to individual and team mistakes in an appropriate manner.

Only about half of the girls on the team had any kind of background relating dance or Color Guard before they joined the team. Each and every team member started with a blank canvas. They all had to pick up skills associated with Color Guard as they went. Many of the girls had to learn how to do flag tosses and spins at the Color Guard auditions.

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.

When I was 11, I saw my sister walk across the stage in the Go-Hawk Gymnasium. I remembered the tassels she wore, and how only some of graduates had them on. At the time, I didn't know what they meant or how to achieve them, but I knew that was a goal I wanted to strive for. Looking back at my life as a Go-Hawk, my leadership, my volunteer work, and my success in the classroom has culminated to the opportunity to be apart of something that I only dreamed of growing up.

Again, tryouts came for the next greuling school year. The only difference from last year, I was prepared. I knew the cheers, I knew the feeling of standing in front of crowd so ecstatic from a winning game and I knew the feeling of a crowd sitting at a loss for words in the face of defeat. I knew my goal and I was absolutely determined to reach it. I could only be described as a lioness on the prowl and the Varsity squad was my prey. Just as anxious as the year before, though this time with a hint of confidence, I made my tryout a culmination of completely everything I had learned from my wildly experienced past. That night, I reached my ultimate goal and earned the prized name of Varsity cheerleader. The next day I practically walked around with an enormous V on my forehead, honored by the position. With all this positivity, I knew there was something to come. That same summer, I hadn’t received a lucky chance to become even a contender in the

In my two year career as a Marching Patriot, I have accomplished things I never thought possible. Starting my freshman year, I was insecure about my

My freshman and sophomore year at Savanna I participated in colorguard which is something I thought I would never in a million years be a part of. The reason I thought this was because, first of all I had no interest or experience in anything that related to dancing and secondly I just couldn’t picture myself performing in front of so many people. Colorguard has thought me a lot and I don’t mean just how to toss and catch a flag, I mean life lessons but I think the most important thing that it has taught me is to have confidence in myself. One of the biggest differences between colorguard and most other sports is that you are not simply judged on if you can do something but also how well you can do something.

When I was a child, I believed that my most important goal for my young life was to one day become a varsity cheerleader for my local high school. Nine years later, the day I became a varsity cheerleader, I made a promise to myself that I would never do anything to jeopardize my personal image or the image of my team because I knew that young cheerleaders were always looking to be just like the varsity cheerleaders, and also like myself. This aspiration of mine encouraged my volunteer involvement with the the local recreation department in my county that coordinates youth cheerleaders during each fall football season.

Three hundred and forty-two Sundays of my life have been spent in a button-up khaki shirt covered with symbols, khaki colored pants, and a color coded tie, the latter of which indicates a grade level. Every tie I own indicates one of the eight years I have dedicated to being been a part of The Friend of Israeli Scouts, which has yielded some of my most valuable experiences. This organization, known as Tzofim, is a non-profit organization that provides an instructional learning environment for Israeli youth, based on core values, leadership objectives, synergistic teamwork, and Israeli culture. After 190 Sundays, I went through a transitional year where I learned to organize and lead youth in order to achieve a counselor position. My role as