Due to an increased interest in Color Guard and Winter Guard, tryouts for varsity were much more difficult, especially for the freshmen who have been spinning equipment, which include flags, rifles, sabers, for less than a year.

With the Color Guard season coming to an end, Winter Guard has begun. Auditions for the Winter Guard took place on November 12-15.

The difference between the two is that Color Guard performs with the marching band, while Winter Guard performs alone.

During Color Guard, Guard members spin their equipment to the band’s music and marches on football fields with the band throughout the show.

In contrast, during Winter Guard season the Guard performs to recorded music. Also, the performances are done indoors, usually in a gym. The Guard paints a tarp to lay on the floor to help express all of the emotions of a show, or to help tell the show’s story.

“I like Winter Guard better than Color Guard because it’s really fun, and there is no wind,” sophomore Ariel Eason said.

    Flower Mound High School has two Winter Guards, unlike Color Guard which only has one team. Open Guard is the varsity team, whereas A Guard is junior varsity.
FMHS has always had two Winter Guard teams so that everyone can participate in the sport. With two teams, all interested students have the opportunity to perform on stage and in front of admiring fans.
Tryouts this year for Winter Guard were different than any other year, because the students who tried out for JV did not actually audition. These students were automatically placed on the A Guard and they will be evaluated throughout the remainder of the season to see if they will have a permanent spot in the junior varsity show, or if they will be alternates.

“To me there is no competition since I know the vets are better than me and I can only hope that one day I can be as good as them,” freshman A Guard member Veronica Gornick said.

The Open Guard’s director will be Eric Babula and the A Guard’s director will be Amanda Rosso.

Although the judges for Open Guard tryouts were more critical of hopeful candidates for the Open Guard, there were more chances available to freshmen who wanted to be on varsity.

“I tried out because I wanted the experience, whether I made it or not,” said freshman Dani Baker, who made the team.

The Open Guard team this year is made of 27 girls, and the varsity show will be created to highlight these girls’ talents.

The varsity show this year will be about soldiers who have died and are passing into the afterlife.

“We are soldiers and we are accepting that we are crossing into another life,” varsity freshman Kate Stafford said.

This will be a serious show with the purpose to make the audience feel connected to the soldiers who have lost their lives.

“I feel really connected to this show because my dad was an Army Ranger,” varsity freshman Tess Hendry said. “I feel like I’m doing it for my dad’s friends and all the other military people who lost their lives.”

The A Guard this year is an all freshman team comprised of 13 girls.

The A Guard’s show will be called “The Circle of Life” and it will be based on the Broadway musical “The Lion King.”

The opportunity to try out for the varsity team was only available to students who were a part of the Color Guard team during the marching season.