Q&A for How to Survive Your First Year in Color Guard

It takes up a lot of of time. If you want to do color guard, you have to commit to it. But just ask the coach or person in charge to see if you could do all of your activities and color guard; they might not conflict.

Take a deep breath, force yourself not to think about what could happen if you do the move wrong, and think about how amazing it will look when you get it right. Set your goal and strive for it. Color guard is all mental; its all about pushing yourself, and that is what you have to do.

I'll list out the necessities: makeup and hair materials for show (your coaches will update you on that), electrical tape (both white and black), sunscreen (preferably over 30 SPF), sunglasses, hat, workout clothes, gallon or half gallon water bottle (especially useful for band camp), band-aids, extra sanitary items (if necessary/for emergencies), gloves, your equipment (your coaches will provide you with that), tissues, and an extra pair of clothing and socks (in case of rain).

Go up to the coach and ask him/her for help during breaks and such. The returning members/older girls shouldn't glare at you, considering they were once in your position. Ignore them.

You absolutely don't need to be skinny, but you do need to be flexible. Color guard involves a lot of dance, and being flexible will make it easier for you. Stretching a few times a day will help you improve a lot.

As long as you put in your best effort and make sure to practice at home as much as possible, you will be able to learn your choreography. Don't feel bad if you can't do it perfectly every time; what matters is that you tried your best. Your effort to improve will show through.

Ask any other member to borrow his/her equipment, and practice using that. If not, contact the coaches and ask them if you may borrow one of the school's flags.

Talk about the reasons why he wants to quit and help him see the positives. Tell him that he may quit at the end of the year if he still wants to but should see the first year through to the end because he made a commitment.

Typically, you will be asked to wear any school appropriate athletic gear. If your color guard has a certain theme (ie: pink shirts and black pants) then you could wear that instead.

You don't have to be thin but you have to be healthy enough to dance for a long time while twirling a heavy and unbalanced object, so work on arm strength and endurance (my band camp now runs from 9 a.m-8 p.m). Make sure to get enough sleep.

Color guard takes up a lot of time, which takes away from homework time, but they should still be able to get it done if they practice good time management.

Just breathe. Remember that everyone around you is going through the exact same thing and everyone is nervous. Do your best and you'll be fine.

If you are not the shy person, always talk to the person and show them you care about them. If you are the shy person, try to stay involved. Join in group discussions and sit with everyone. Find a buddy, and let them help you acclimate.

You can help by going to band practice on time and practicing hard. You can also ask your coach if there is anything extra you can do.

It depends on the school, really. It can be tight, stretchy spandex with short shorts or, like my school's, long pants, long sleeves, and a hood and cape. It varies from school to school. Just be ready to sweat a lot, regardless.

Ask one of your leaders or your coach for help, that's what they are there for! There are tons of videos on YouTube as well that may help.

For me personally, my front walkover was easier to achieve. Start with front limbers. Go into a handstand and hold it for a second before leaning your hips into a backbend and stand up from there. Once you get good at those, slowly evolve it. For back walkovers I suggest starting with learning how to go into a back bend from standing, then use your dominant leg to kick over. It's helpful to have someone there to spot you.

It it's just minor pain, that's normal. Your muscles are getting stronger and that hurts sometimes. If it's really bothering you, try the RICE method - Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation, and consider talking to your instructor or your doctor about it.

Practicing your moves regularly should help strengthen your wrists fairly quickly. You could also look up arm exercises only that target your wrists.

Flag team only deals with flags, and color guard deals with batons, sabers, rifles, and dance (usually ballet).

Just try your best. Judges are looking for your charisma, dedication, and enthusiasm, not how well you can perform. Of course, it's great to know the routine, but color guard is a mental thing.

Color guard dances with the marching band. They dance to live music and usually perform on the football field during the summer. Winter guard dances with recorded music and usually perform inside in a gym or armory during the winter.

Try to recover as gracefully as you can.

Sure, if you have the money now, you should go for it. If you're still a little short, consider asking family for money for supplies for your birthday or Christmas gifts.

Just try your best and hope for the best. A positive attitude is a major key to success.

You would want to ask your coach or mentor. You could also go and ask an older member of the team to help you out, so don't be scared. The worst thing that could happen is they say no, but most likely, they won't. You are a team, so you all have to look good and complete the moves correctly. (You could also look it up on YouTube.)

Find the one person who is really good and ask her for some help with whatever you're struggling with. Stay away from the pitiful drama. There is a lot of drama, but minus that, it's an awesome thing to be part of.

During football season, this would usually cause a conflict as both groups may perform at halftime shows, sometimes at the same time, so you wouldn't want to do both. When choosing between the two, you should consider your existing skill sets and which performances you find more intriguing. I would watch YouTube videos of both dance teams and color guard teams to get an idea of what their competitions and shows are like, which may help you make your decision.

No, it is not too late. Many of the people in my color guard started their sophomore, junior, and even senior year and they tend to pick things up much faster than the freshmen. They aren’t far behind the people in their own grade who started guard earlier than them. If you are willing to work, you’ll catch up in no time.

You can ask your band director if you can do both. My friend played alto sax and she was also in guard. She played sax for 2 songs during halftime, then switched it out for her flag in between songs. Personally, I've never received much criticism for being in color guard, but at the end of the day, it's a fun experience, and if you are interested, you should go for it!