What’s Colorguard?

     This question gets asked often, and it’s time to clear the air. Let us begin with the very basics. Color Guard are the people in a marching band who wave the flags around. That is the very basics of what Color Guard is. Let's take a deeper look at what Color Guard is.

     What does the Color Guard do? Well, they do wave flags around, but there's more to it than that. Each movement has a purpose. They each get a count attached to it and receive a breath. Each move even has a name. Some examples are Toasters, Cones, J-Toss, and Parallels. 

     Colorguard provides a fantastic visual in every show. They draw your attention to the field with their beauty and synchronization. They have the ability to make the show a bigger experience than just music. It’s their emotions, their hard work, their progress. Every home game, the students of Eisenhower High School and the city of Yakima get to experience not just the progress of the band, but the progress of a brand-new guard. 

     The 2022-2023 marching band season only had six members on the color guard. This year, it has eighteen, four of the members returning from last year. The colorguard has put in extra days and hours of practice to improve the halftime performance. They’ve come a long way from where they first began, from being afraid of throwing the flag and being scared of it to being able to do a parallel (a move in which you throw the flag above your head) in confidence. Not only do they work hard, but they learn quickly as well. With compliments from their band and band director, Mr. Freisz, they’ve gained even more confidence and strength to work harder.

     Colorguard is so much more than just performance, though; it’s team skills and making friends. It is a shared experience with a group of people who, last year, you probably never knew. If you give it a try, you may just fall in love with it. You’ll never know if you don’t give it a try.