Color Guard new at CAC
Written by Luke Ketcher
Flags are waving in the CAC Band this year. The new addition of the Color Guard brought a whole new look to the band’s halftime performance. Color Guards are teams who perform choreographed dances and routines with various equipment to enhance and interpret the music of a marching band.
The members of CAC’s new Color Guard are junior Hope Harvey, junior Micah Hovater, and freshman Autumn Pearson. Hovater, also the Color Guard captain, said she’s excited to be a part of something historic.
“I chose to be in the color guard because I have done it before and it would be easy for me,” she said. She practices in the back of the band room during study hall, and during band practice, she practices outside. She found out she was going to participate in the color guard in January of 2023. She said that people should try color guard because it is a lot of fun and you can make new friends. “It is hard, but it is a fun thing to learn.”
The group first started practicing together at summer band camp right before the start of school. They had to learn the basics on how to twirl, and then they learned the routine with the guidance of Mrs. Laura Pollard. They picked out the flags according to the theme and the music, which this year features music from “Pirates of the Caribbean.”
Band Director Emily Gaines said starting a color guard was the obvious next step for the band program, but it had actually been a part of the band’s five-year plan presented to administration in 2020.
“Most marching bands have a guard because it adds to the overall effect of a halftime show,” Mrs. Gaines said. “It also gives band students an additional opportunity for musical engagement. Color guard is something I knew we needed to add, but I initially didn’t plan to add it until 2024.”
Because of Mrs. Pollard’s experience working with guards of all ages, Mrs. Gaines said she was willing to help.
“We also have a student with guard experience (Micah) and another with extensive dance/ballet experience (Hope),” Mrs. Gaines said. It could’ve waited another year, but we had the talent to start, so why wait? Next year, we’ll hold auditions, and the guard will expand from 3 to 5 members. Depending on how large the band is each year, we’ll have 5-8 guard members per year.”
Catch the Color Guard and the CAC marching band, named “The Spirit of the Mountain,” at halftime of our next football home game on Sept. 22.