Winter Guard had their first competition of the 2017-2018 season this past Saturday at Plant City High School. The varsity team placed 2nd in the A class and the junior varsity team placed 9th in the AA class. The junior varsity team was actually bumped up from the AAA class due to their success last season.

Winter Guard is a color guard sport that is performed completely indoors. They use items like flags and rifles, in their performances and move in unison to show a particular theme.

The theme of the competition was “Secrets Don’t Make Friends,” which is about the gossiping that happens at school and the varsity Winter Guard theme was “Bystander,” which is about not taking action when you see someone is being bullied.

Sophomore Jenna Kearns, junior varsity team captain explains the preparation that has gone into this competition.

“The season started two months ago and the team has been practicing almost everyday since then,” Kearns commented.

Wiregrass has 27 students participating in Winter Guard this year; 15 students on the JV team and 12 students on the Varsity team.

Gallery • 5 Photos

Winter Guard competition.

New band instructor, Mr. Hobbs is proud of the team’s first performance.

“They are off to a great start and I can’t wait to watch their shows continue to progress throughout the rest of the season,” Hobbs explains.

Sophomore Samantha Hoffman, second year Winter Guard member, loves performing at competitions.

“I think everything went really well. The competitions are always my favorite part of the season; I enjoy watching the other Winter Guard teams perform and it’s very beautiful,” Hoffman said.

The Winter Guard teams are still preparing for more competitions later on in the season, specifically Championships in April. The next competition will be held at Freedom High School on Saturday, February 10.