Variety Winter Guard place first at Bellflower High School

Varsity Winter Guard won first place at the Bellflower competition after performing its show, “Working Out,” Saturday, April 15. 

The theme of the performance is based on 1980s aerobics workouts, which featured a fast-paced routine. This stood out more compared to the slow and classic shows performed by the other schools, contributing to their victory.

 “I think our skill level is what sets us apart from the other teams,” varsity captain senior Jessica Leung said. “Our [routine] is very fun and enthusiastic overall compared to other teams, which were mostly slow and elegant, so that made our show seem to be more engaging.”

Leading up to the competition, the team went over the choreography and practiced the difficult tosses such as lateral exchanges, quadruple rifle rotations and double 45 flag tosses, where the toss goes above at a 45-degree angle, rotating twice. Many trick tosses were also incorporated to catch the attention of the judges. There were constant practice sessions and multiple rehearsals, which often resulted in practice ending as late as 9 p.m. 

“Our coaches have helped by always being straightforward with us. They don’t sugarcoat their critiques and I think that has made us a better team in general,” varsity captain senior Ryann Mc Ghee said. “They tell us what they want and how they want it without being too soft or too strict.”

Teamwork was another essential aspect that played a role in their win. Since a majority of the choreography involved duets and trios, communication was key for everyone to stay synchronized and avoid any mistakes like dropping their flag poles or rifles. 

“I think our team has also bonded significantly with each other and [it] makes us feel like a family and brings everyone together, which helped a lot for us to be successful,” Leung said.

The next tournament will be the Winter Guard Association of Southern California championships, where Walnut will be facing off against other schools in their division. The goal for the end of the season is to advance up to high school division AA. 

“I’m graduating this year, [but] for the team next year, I hope that we can keep [winning]. I hope that as a group they all become more confident in their abilities as they are all completely capable of being great,” Mc Ghee said.