The Norwin Colorguard performed on April 9-11 at the University of Dayton Arena for the WGI Scholastic World Finals. The Norwin Colorguard made it through the Prelims on April 9, Semifinals on April 10, and Finals on April 11, where they placed 11th in the world and beat 15 other groups.
“The Championship went amazing,” said senior Morgan Stephan. “We placed 11th in the nation, and even the world, which is a huge accomplishment, but it is an accomplishment in and of itself to share the floor with 14 other guards in world-class finals performance.”
The theme of the Norwin Colorguard show was “A Fine Line,” while there was not a huge meaning behind it, the show was meant to be interpreted by not only the audience. As well as the Colorguard members, a lot of them took their own creative liberties.
“The show theme is called ‘A Fine Line,’ which is about a bunch of different white lines and how slowly throughout the show you see them disappear until there is one fine line at the end of the show,” Colorguard co-captain Delany Hillier said.
The Guard practiced daily leading up to these finals, practices which were from 5-9 or even earlier. The Colorguard captains describe the competition and practices as needing to be very intense and sharp, which took lots of practice.“We have spent many tireless hours, with other competitions in between, to help prepare us for this huge competition,” said junior member Maggie McCarty. “We regularly had 6-9s and 5-9s, 3-9 on Sundays, and very few 9-9 rehearsals.”
“I just take deep breaths, tell myself to use my technique, it’s just mental, and it will all be ok,” said McCarty. “If I make a mistake, I have to get out of my head and keep going on because the show won’t stop for you.”
Although the show may be stressful, the Norwin Colorguard powered through, and ultimately, it paid off. It is inspiring how much work they put into colorguard all year long.
This three day competition evoked various memories for these students. While the dedication they put into the trip was serious, they made sure to have fun and make the best of their time. On Senior Night, Coach Heather Shrump gave a speech regarding the entire Colorguard.
“My favorite memory was when my coach gave the speech that said she doesn’t think Norwin will have a guard like this ever again,” said sophomore Valoree Merkle. “She [Coach Shrump] said we are a very special group and she’s just so happy for us.”
It is also the end of some seniors’ high school Colorguard journey. The season is now over, and emotions are running high for seniors.
“Now that the season is over, I have a lot of bittersweet emotions. I wouldn’t trade the experience for the world,” said Stephan. “I got to do it with so many of my friends, but at the same time, I wish I could go back and perform just one more time to relieve it all again.”
