Winter Guard navigates steadily through waters of change

With preparations underway for Winter Guard’s upcoming competition season, members are currently in the process of learning choreography for their new program, “Aria of the Deep,” while building team chemistry under new coaches.

Unlike Color Guard, Winter Guard performs indoors instead of on the football field. Learning choreography for their new competition routine usually begins prior to winter break, but because the new coach Nikolas Matsamura arrived later, practice was delayed. Despite this initial setback, Winter Guard has learned to adapt to the changes. The team’s first time performing the routine was at the 2025 Preview Show on Feb. 9. 

“It feels like we’ve been taking it slower, but I’ve learned to just trust the process while getting used to this new coaching style,” captain senior Amanda Chan said. “He’s definitely shown a lot of us new types of choreography, different types of tosses and more exchanges. It’s definitely a challenge, which I think all of us are kind of welcome to. I’m really excited to kind of get that feel of transitioning to a bigger [Winter Guard group].”

Matsamura is focusing on building team connections in addition to improving the team’s performance and expanding skill sets. In a typical Winter Guard practice, the team stretches together, practices staging positions on the tarp and rehearses their individual portions, cleaning choreography as needed. The show theme of “Aria of the Deep,” is the ocean and mythical sirens which the team conveys through the flow of their moves.

“The fact that we can talk more openly with the coach and that it’s more comfortable makes practice feel more fun,” member junior Angelina Liang said. “My favorite part [of our show] is where we hold the tarp and it looks like a wave so it fits our theme of mermaids, it’s flowy and also fierce. I’m looking forward to having fun [competing], not just winning, but also how well we can present ourselves.” 

Last year, Winter Guard’s teams competed in separate divisions as the junior varsity team was in the High School A category and the varsity team was in Scholastic AAA. This year, Winter Guard is competing as one team in the Scholastic AAA division to perform “Aria of the Deep,” entailing higher difficulty in choreography, more formation changes and emphasis on technique. Winter Guard veterans are providing guidance to members who haven’t experienced the category by giving support and feedback to skills. Although each member has their own specific role in the show, their efforts come together to bring the program to life.

“With this new show, I feel like I’ve been able to do things I never thought I could do before, everything I learn feels a little bit new. I can confidently take on tosses and new choreography on equipment like rifle and flag.” leader junior Olivia Tecson said. “Sometimes it’s not easy, and I get a little confused, but the opportunity to perform this show with my teammates has made me super excited to see what the rest of the season has in store.” Ω