Winter Guard took to the floor unshaken. Despite the unfamiliar setting, every step-turn and flag toss of their “Beginner’s Guide to Time Travel” show were locked in by muscle memory. Hours upon hours built up to this final competition of the Winter Guard season held in the Walter Pyramid arena at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), and in turn, wrapped up Westview color guard (WVCG) for the year. 

The Winter Guard Association of Southern California (WGASC) championships, April 22-33, was the last competition of the WGASC circuit. After going up against 32 schools and placing first in preliminaries held at Marina High School, they moved on to finals and placed second—a first time achievement for WVCG. The competition was separated into nine divisions with WVCG participating in the highest division, Scholastic AA.

Captains Lauren Kadlubowski (12) and Amber Canty (12),said the team made WVCG history in medaling and performance scoring. 

“WVCG made history because we [have] never gotten first at [preliminaries] and then moved on to the next day to Sunday and placed second, or even top three,” Kadlubowski said.

Canty said the entire team was thrilled at the final performance given their hours of practices, competitions and revisions.

“I think everyone was a little overwhelmed,” Canty said. “We were all happy and tons of people were crying. It really showed that our hard work had paid off.”

Canty said the Winter Guard performance is an upbeat show that requires swift and constant movement to match the carnival-like music it’s performed to, called “Breakfast Machine” by Danny Elfman.

“[It takes] a lot of endurance because most of our show is really fast-paced, so we’re running a lot of it,” Canty said. “We have to [make sure] our coordination with our feet are in time and make sure we’re spinning [the props]. We also have to catch, which involves a lot of technique, endurance, and performance, and make sure we’re smiling the whole time.”

In contrast to the WVCG field season that performs with marching band, Kadlubowski said Winter Guard, an indoor color guard sport, involves more elaborate moves with props.

“[Having] to learn the skills in time for competition is harder because it’s a lot more technical than field season is,” Kadlubowski said.

Over the course of their season, Kadlubowski said each competition was a step toward improvement of the show as a whole up until the team’s final championship performance.

“Every time we perform the show, our coach gets feedback from the judges from the previous competition, and then she would take those critiques and put them toward next week’s competition,” Kadlubowski said. “During the performance, there was a certain moment where everything just clicked, and it felt like we’re doing this as a team now.”

Canty said the team worked to uplift each other through each part of the steampunk-inspired performance.

“We count to the music, so we watch each other to make sure we’re in time,” Canty said. “If we make eye contact with the person next to [us] or when [we’re] paused we just say ‘You got this.’ It’s all about counting and breathing and that helps us all stay focused.”

Kadlubowski said that what held the team together, at its core, was the friendship and trust between each member.

“As a team, we all really get along, so we’re all on the same page about stuff,” Kadlubowski said. “We all know we’re here for the same common goal, and we all have similar interests, so it makes it a little bit easier to do things.”

Having been in WVCG since her freshman year, Canty said that every year was a new adventure with the people most familiar to her.

“Each [year] is different so each show [is a] new experience,” Canty said. “I get to stay with my closest friends so I [also] get to re-experience all these things in a new way—new costumes, new tricks to learn. Even though it’s the same sport, there’s more to it. There’s always more to offer.”

Canty said that from the beginning of marching season, she, as a captain, wanted the team to work to be their best possible selves.

“This year, I really wanted to push the guard,” Canty said. “During marching season we did really well and our team had a lot of potential. I could see everyone had that fire in them during the marching season, and I think we kept that. A lot of people pushed themselves.”

Recalling the moment in the height of placing top three in the finals, Kadlubowski said her last show was a bittersweet one.

“I cried a lot as a senior [who’s] been doing this for four whole years, and then that’s your last time ever going out with those specific people; it’s really emotional,” Kadlubowski said. “New doors will open up for all the seniors and the next year’s seniors because we can all try out for higher divisions, but [championships] was like a closing.”

Canty said championships were an unforgettable end to the season and all her previous in Guard before.

“It was the last [performance],” Canty said. “It meant the end of a chapter, which I think was a nice chapter. In a way, it’s like our legacy.”