Trumbull High School Band

Over this past weekend all of Trumbull’s band competitors won 1st place in their competition. I’ll admit that practice for the Guard was a tough and hard, but after seeing the look on everyone’s faces was worth it in the end.
We arrived at New Milford High School just as the Percussion was packing up. We started getting ready for warm-ups and headed down to the warm-up area. We began doing basic block and reviewing work. No one said anything during the time, tensions were high knowing that not only was family in the stands, but some of the world guard instructors.
We walked down to a waiting space before our performance. While waiting for Masuk to finish the cheers and screams for their shows were overpowering and nerve racking. Some of us started to question if we would be just as good or worry if we would mess up. The director overheard us talking and reassured us that we had been doing great all morning and this would be no different.
They called us out and we headed out to perform. It’s hard to really explain how it feels to do a show. Its five minutes that’s all about your team and what you can do, but during that five minutes your trying to focus on the changes, the counts, pointing feet, and smiling at the same time. The last nine counts of our show is tiring, but it’s the one we are most proud of.
Back in the classroom we start to relax and talk about how we think we did, most of the time it’s a mixed reaction, but nobody had dropped in our show making us excited for the upcoming awards.
When they started calling out awards we all were hand in hand, right over left just like the past years. They called 5th then 4th and 3rd, but they hadn’t called Trumbull. It was us vs. Masuk. We gripped each others hands and were quiet. The judge announced that 2nd place goes to Masuk. We all smiled, they called Trumbull for 1st place.
We were thrilled and excited about taking first place. I was actually very proud because it had been abut a year and a half from the last time we won first place. On the ride back to Trumbull the bus was a singing all songs from Replay to “Don’t Stop Believing”, it was a great ending to a great story.

Amber, Freshman, THS AA Guard

Thirty winter color guard units from across the Northeast will compete at Trumbull High School this Saturday as part of a regional competition sponsored by the national organization Winter Guard International (WGI). Trumbull has had the privilege of hosting this important competition for the past three years. Participation in regional events allows the winter guard units to receive feedback from WGI judges before the culmination of the season at the WGI national championships in April.

Trumbull High School’s own World Guard team, which competes at the highest level of scholastic competition, will perform its program titled “In Darkness”. The ambitious program, performed on a black and green floor adorned with images of soldiers, battlefields, and patriotic symbolism, portrays the tribulations of military battle. The group’s performance is accompanied by singer Sinéad O’Connor’s haunting rendition of “Silent Night”.

Trumbull’s World Guard is made up of 27 girls, including freshmen through seniors. The unit captured 11th place in the WGI national championships in Dayton, Ohio last year and hopes to build on its success at the 2010 championships this April. In its review of the Scholastic World finals last year, the WGI described Trumbull’s ensemble, saying “Exuding strength, confidence and glee in everything they do, don’t be surprised if Trumbull moves to the top of the pack in the Scholastic World class in years to come.”

In color guard, or its indoor version known as winter guard, dance movements are combined with the spinning and tossing of flags, sabers, and mock rifles. Performances are evaluated rigorously on a number of criteria including equipment, movement, general effect, and ensemble.

Saturday’s program begins at noon and guard units will be performing throughout the afternoon and evening. Ticket prices are $13 for the preliminary competition, $15 for finals, or $25 for both.