BY MELISSA TRIOL
SC Staff Writer

With a score of 60.90, East Stroudsburg University’s winter guard won fourth place in competition at South Brunswick High School in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey on March 2.

The winter guard competed in the Independent Novice division against four other color guards after moving up from the Performing Class division.  Prior to last year, the guard performed solely in exhibition, and, last year, the guard performed in the Performing Class division and was judged on a scale of ‘good, excellent, or superior’.  This is the first year that the ESU winter guard has competed and earned a numerical score against other groups.

The guard performed to the song “Alice” by Avril Lavigne to express the show’s theme of anti-bullying.  Prior to the competition, each member of the color guard was asked to pick a quality about themselves for which they were bullied or about which they are self-conscious.  The words describing these qualities were painted on the large Styrofoam backdrop used during the show.  The song of choice was meant to put emphasis on remaining strong and picking up one’s self after being bullied or otherwise met with discouraging challenges.

The day of the competition began with practice at seven o’clock in the morning.  The guard left the ESU campus by about eleven o’clock and arrived at South Brunswick High School with no time to warm up or otherwise prepare for the performance.

The color guard, with help from a number of brothers from the Mu Epsilon chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi (the University’s chapter of the national honorary band fraternity), unloaded the equipment and props, went straight to the gym where the competition was held, and performed with only a moment spared for a calming deep breath.

In spite of the rushed performance and the less than ideal events that occurred throughout the day, the color guard leaders were pleased with the score, and they encourage a sense of pride in the group’s accomplishment.

“The day was a mess,” stated color guard lieutenant, Brittney Clark.  She added that, “after everything that happened, I’m happy with the score.”

Color guard coordinator, Brittany Moloughney, said that the competition went “very well” and stated that it was “a huge achievement for the university, the program, and for the individual members.”

The winter guard was scheduled to compete in two more competitions during the semester; however, due to a number of issues, the remainder of the season was cancelled.

Email Melissa at:
mtriol@live.esu.edu