Winter guard recently placed sixth in the Mid Continent Color Guard Association (MCCGA) competition that took place at Liberty on Jan. 28. Overall, the team put a lot of effort into preparing for the event in the last few months. 

The coach of the winter guard, KC Welch speaks on what makes winter guard different from other sports. 

“Winter guard is different from other sports and events because it is a four-state circuit meaning we compete against teams from four different states all at once – not just Missouri,” Welch said. “MCCGA is comprised of middle school, high school and college age teams from Missouri, Illinois, Kansas and Arkansas.” 

Junior and member of the winter guard Tessa Wilson explains how the team prepares for the competition. 

“Winter Guard starts their rehearsals at the beginning of November,” Wilson said. “We practice twice a week for three hours. We have multiple weekend camps where the guard is at school all weekend. These weekend camps are when we learn our drill for the show.”

Wilson and the rest of the winter guard team spend a lot of time practicing and rehearsing but all the hard work is worth it. 

“Sometimes it can be stressful, but it also gives you access to an immediate friend group of all ages and it’s tons of fun,” she said. “Being in a leadership position also makes guard even more important as I want to give our team the best knowledge I can and keep the guard running smoothly.”