This last weekend on April 7, the MCCGA (Mid Continental Color Guard Association) hosted three championships at Willard, Ozark and Nixa High School. The championships each host their own individual circuits that allow guards from all over the state and surrounding schools within the region to compete for what they have spent countless hours of practice and dedication throughout the winter in one last showcase. The Wentzville Liberty Color Guard placed 2nd and won silver medals in their placement of Region A Round 2.

The guard left school Friday, April 6, at 12:45 to make the three hour trip to Nixa, Missouri. The bus ride involved excitement from new members who had yet to experience a championship journey. “Going down there and back was just a great time to sleep and talk to each other and to Holt’s JV Guard. Overall it was an experience I won’t forget, even though it still hasn’t set in that the season is over,” freshman Allie Holtschlag said.

The guard arrived at Lambert’s Cafe to eat dinner for the night. It’s a tradition to stop at the home of the ‘throwed rolls’ before each championship. The guard then left and stayed in their hotel to get some rest before the big day the following morning.

The guard woke up at 6:30 a.m. and got into their costumes, put on makeup and met in the lobby. This was all in time to leave for Nixa High School where they would be competing in a circuit with nine other winter guards. Arriving in time to unpack their equipment, stretch, warm up, pep talk each other and recognize the hard work that every Tuesday and Thursday practice for the last five and a half months have led up to. Senior, Brianna Hill, has been a part of the team since her freshman year.

“Color guard has been a way for me to take my mind off of the stress of high school,” Hill said. “It has helped me to make friends who then became my family. My experience within guard has been wonderful. I love being able to tell a story by performing a show. What made it memorable has been the silly little jokes, chants and stories that I have made with the other team members.”

With the team ready they performed their show “Sleeping With The Television On”, a pumped up rendition of the song by Billy Joel. The show is an exciting and entertaining rendition of a 70’s-80’s style theme with costumes that were inspired by clothing colors and patterns that were made to resemble sleeping wear.

After all 10 guards performed, each team lined up for what is called ‘retreat’, where the teams go out into the gym and wait for the announcement of scores. It’s tradition to dress up for retreat in a fun and creative way that somewhat resembles the theme of your show. The guard received white sleeping robes with a television logo on the back along with blindfolds and pillows with the initials of the person it went to.

“When they announced 4th place and then 3rd place and they had yet to say our team, I was really in awe and head over heels happy,” junior Kyle Pridgeon said. “Then they started to say Wentzville and I knew all the hard work we have had this season truly paid off and I cried.”

Overall the Wentzville Liberty Color Guard received a score of 85.420, and was a great way to end a season of hard work and growth as a team.