With the change in seasons, color guard has transitioned to winter guard with daily rehearsals leading up to the groups first competition on Saturday

“The end goal for us is to just put on a great performance,” color guard director Eric Mills said. “We want the audience to leave feeling something and enjoy what we love to do.”

Senior color guard captain Lauren Hazzard believes that the experience in both color guard and winter guard is beneficial. 

“Since I’m captain, I’m learning a lot about leadership,” Hazzard said. “I hope to keep learning with the other leaders, and keep learning from Mills how to be a better leader, especially in a team setting.”

The biggest difference between the seasons is that winter guard doesn’t perform with the band during its season. 

“There are really positives things about both I really enjoy being able to spend time with the band during color guard and being able to perform in some of the stadiums that we get to perform in,” Mills said. “But I do like winter guard a lot as well because it is a little more guard specific and focused.”

For freshman Isabelle Raade, being a part of guard is appealing beyond the excitement of tossing the flags.

“My favorite thing about color guard is being with my friends and the thrill of catching a toss for the first time,” Raade said. “I also think of maybe doing color guard in college because it’s a great way to get exercise and meet lifelong friends.”