Creativity. Expression. Uniqueness. Passion. Diligence. Those are just some of the words that can be used to describe the winter guard team. And on Saturday, March 7, our winter guard team travelled to Edwardsville High School for a consequential competition.
Abigail O’Connell (10) explained the competition process.
“The competition was between us and a lot of other schools within the Missouri and Illinois areas,” O’Connell said. “We competed in a round, which is a selection of certain schools within a class. We are in the class Scholastic AA. We won first within our round, and we were round 2. And we won against multiple schools like Wentzville Holt, Marquette, Lafayette, North Point, etc.”
Kay Cooper (10) expounded on what it was like to perform at Edwardsville High School and what exactly this competition entailed.
“At the competition we performed in front of an audience as well as a panel of judges,” Cooper said. “Before performing we warmed up our bodies in the hallway and then in the gym on equipment.”
This competition was also nerve racking for winter guard students because it means a lot to have worked so hard for something and then to actually see it pay off. Furthermore, you would have felt the anticipation of this moment and how much weight it carried because it was evident in the silence. And so students waited with bated breath to see if their dreams were actually going to come to fruition. But when they won, shock and happiness could have been seen among the students.
“I wasn’t expecting to win,” Cooper said. “I was confident in our run but we had only scored fourth at our last competition. When announcing scores they started from the bottom up, and they kept going without announcing us, and when they announced first place I was still genuinely shocked.”
Kassandra Welch, the coach of winter guard, also conveyed how she felt about her students winning first place.
“I felt extremely proud,” Welch said. “Our team this year is composed of one junior, seven sophomores and two freshmen and I have been coaching most of them since middle school, so it’s been really cool to see their growth.”
Additionally, a lot of effort goes into even preparing for this competition and while the days might sometimes feel grueling, their hard work and dedication does ultimately pay off. And their passion and love for the arts can be obviously seen throughout their performances.
“Leading to the competition we will practice two times a week for three hours, and on comp weeks we practice three times,” Cooper said. “The season started in November but our first competition was in January and we’ve practiced every week. This was our last competition before championships which gave me a lot of hope that we will do well.”
O’Connell added how the winter guard team mentally prepares for competitions.
“We have extra rehearsals during the week leading up to the competition and before we perform on the competition day, we do a stretch and body warm ups, and we have equipment warm ups right before the competition,” O’Connell said. “Other than physical warm ups, we have to mentally prepare for the competition, and that varies from person to person. For me, I mostly forget about it and the day before and I really focus on what I’m doing and focus on what will help the performance be better, instead of every little detail.”
Coach Welch also demonstrated how she prepares her students physically, mentally and logistically for competitions.
“Training, technique and high standards. The staff and I harp on the team about good technique, using their training and doing their best every time,” Welch said. “We also talk a lot about mindset; we make sure they know they are capable and that we wouldn’t ask them to do something unless we knew they could.”
What’s more is that it’s not easy for students to stay motivated and sometimes they might want to give up. But Coach Welch stated that it’s her job to keep reminding students why they chose this sport and why they love it, and to just keep on persevering, especially when times are tough.
In addition, Coach Welch articulated how she encourages her students and helps keep them motivated.
Passion and discipline is how I motivate my students,” Welch said. “You don’t always love your sport. There are hard days, long days, boring days, sick days, etc., but you have to remind yourself why you started and why you love it. That passion is always in there somewhere. In guard specifically, I feel like watching videos of other shows and performances can really keep that passion alive.”
Moreover, winter guard students were able to take a lot of lessons away from their most recent competition. But one of the most valuable lessons that they learned was that they needed to focus more on the small details and techniques that would have otherwise been overlooked because those were things that were going to add great value to their overall performance.
O’Connell indicated what she learned from her last winter guard competition.
“I learned that the more you focus on perfecting the little techniques, the easier the bigger performance will be,” O’Connell said. “By continuously working on these small bits of technique, the show becomes easier because the little things become muscle memory, which leads to a mastery over the skills you are performing.”
Cooper left us with some final words about his team.
“I am so proud of myself and my team and how far we have all come,” Cooper said. “I’ve been spinning with a lot of these people since middle school and seeing the growth over the years is amazing.”
Lastly, Coach Welch revealed when and how students can audition to be in fall guard.
“Fall auditions are coming up April 27 and 28. You can find more details and signup at the link in our Instagram bio @wentzvillelibertyguard,” Welch said. “We have a lot of fun; bring a friend and come join us.”
