By Jessica Marshall

All the weeks of hard work and dedication pay off at this one performance. As the band takes their place on the worn football field, members reflect on how they got there. Their main goal for show is to entertain and pump the crowd.

Seniors Chelsea Gifford and Shay Vandevander are two members of the ten-team Color Guard.

“We are the ones with the flags, ribbon, rifle, and saber. This is my first year being a part of the color guard,” Gifford said. “It takes a lot of hard work.”

Along with being in Color Guard, Vandevander takes on various roles.

“I am the color guard captain. But I’m also choreographer and teacher. I wrote most of the show this year, and taught the nine other girls how to do the routines,” Vandevander said. “Now only three out of the ten of us had done this before so it was definitely a challenge.”

Senior Megan Greenwell is an assistant drum majors.

“Our job is to conduct the band with the head drum major, who is Maria Siltz,” Greenwell said.

Before the band can make their way onto the field to perform the halftime show, they undergo a series of practices to perfect the performance.

“Previous years, we were still learning drill by the 2nd or 3rd football game. We were focused mainly on making it performable, let alone prefect. But once again, this year is different,” Vandevander said. “We had the whole show on the field by the first football game. Granted, it wasn’t beautiful, but instead of having to worry about learning drill and all that, we got to focus of perfecting the show.”

In order to practice, the band needs to be assigned music. There is one person in particular who gets a say in what song is performed.

“Mr. Warnock picks the music based on numerous things. Whether or not he has the budget for it, what instrumentation he will have for the year,” Vandevander said. “Example: He won’t pick a show that is heavy on brass (trumpets, trombones, horn, baritone) when he has an army of woodwinds and maybe 8 brass total.”

With the song chosen, the band begins to practice every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

“During practice we go over all of our sets, and if there are a few sets that need more practice than others we do them over and over again. Or as Mr. Warnock would say ‘Take it back, do it again’,” Gifford said. “After working on a few sets we will do a run threw of the show. “

When game day arrives, mixed feelings and emotions arise from the hard-working band members. They wish to show all of their heart and dedication.

“The first few performances were filled with a bit of nervousness,” Vandevander said. “Then they got a bit more comfortable. So to really describe the atmosphere, it’s a little bit of nervousness but a whole lot of excitement. Because in the end, we are performers and when we perform, it’s a high you can’t get anywhere else.”

As the second quarter comes to a close, the band gets ready to put on their show. Each band member has his or her own way of coping with the adrenaline.

“I prepare for our half time shows by high-fiving all the band members and stretching out with the color guard and my other fellow drum majors so our arms don’t cramp up,” Greenwell said. “I also do this dance thing with the guard when I’m feeling good. Go bananas!”

Looking back on previous performances, Vandevander sees a clear difference in performances.

“This year is different than other years. We really performed as a whole, everyone covering their parts. We didn’t have individuals try to carry the band…that’s always been the case, but not this year,” Vandevander said. “It’s truly amazing how much we have come together to become this family that actually loves performing together. There are no intense feuds between sections because is actually carrying their own weight. It’s made this year amazing.”

Hard work and dedication result in shows worthy of applaud. Once the first game jitters have worn off, Greenwell believes the performances will improve.

“Our first game that we perform at, we’re all nervous but after that it’s just fun and exciting. At the end when we know we’ve done well, we have the greatest feel of accomplishment,” Greenwell said. “We like having fun but we love to succeed.”