Fighting to keep our stance is what we have been trying to do since we first won first place. This week our competition was at Newtown High School. There were ten other guards competing in our group fighting for that first place trophy. With our heads held high we didn’t let those 10 guards scare us. Once we warmed up and were in line for the show was when the butterflies kicked in. I don’t know why but every time we go to a show I still get butterflies in my stomach even though I have done the show so many times before. As Trumbull filed into the gym and I placed my flags on the mat I felt that sense of “can do” rush over me. The music started and my nerves began to calm down as I when through the show just like I do during practice. But all of a sudden, the music just stopped… We all kept on counting and tried to relax but the judges flagged us to stop. Due to an audio error we had to start our show all over again. Total déjà vu in the beginning of the show, doing it over again. When the show had finished the judges had smiles on their faces and were nodding. I was happy with my performance and felt like we had all done a great job.
Later that evening while sitting in the stands of THS watching my brother perform at the Percussion WGI regional show I receive the most wonderful text message….. We had won FIRST PLACE. I was so happy. Tonight Trumbull’s AA guard had won first place for the third time in a row. It was not be chance or by luck, it was because of the way we performed. To make the night complete, World Guard and my brother’s percussion ensemble won first place too. What a fantastic evening!
~Rachael, AA Guard
