SHOWSTOPPING: Winter Guard prepares for higher division competitions with an inspiring performance.
By Guadalupe Meza, Staff Writer
Poly High School’s Winter Guard team is currently experiencing the thrill of competing in the Winter Guard Association of Southern California (WGASC) Scholastic AA division. The division they are competing in this year is higher than last years division, the WGASC Scholastic AAA division where they triumphed as gold medalists.
Winter Guard season began at the end of November, just a week after they finished field season. The team is performing a show called “Undertow” for their competition, which focuses on the dangers of toxic relationships. The performance demonstrates how difficult it is for a person to leave a toxic relationship because they are constantly pulled back into it by their partner and into their ‘undertow.’
The team is working persistently to ensure that their performance has reached its optimal level, “Guard is the most time consuming and dedicated thing I have ever done. It takes a lot to keep up and be on top, but in the end the hard work pays off. Knowing that you put everything into something and creating a beautiful, complex, and captivating show that pulls the audience and makes them feel like they are part of it,” Jenna Johnston (12) said. They had their first competition on Saturday, February 23 where they earned third place, less than three points behind first place. Their performance missed certain elements like the correct flags and mat, but are confident their score is going to improve in the next competition now that they have attained the necessary elements of their routine. The team continues to practice assiduously in hopes to please the judges with their emotional performance.