Unk! I used to find her on the floor like this after a big meet when she did Winterguard in Middle School. Homework still had to get done, after all. Even if there was sleep -induced drool all over it.
Barely 58lbs, she was almost the smallest kid on the team.
And I used to cringe when she threw the sabre in the air, because it was almost half her size, and I was so afraid it would come down on top of her. But I never said anything because she seemed to be enjoying it so much. And I knew her height would come.
She would flinch when she spun the rifle high into the air and catch it with a smile, even though it stings when it hits the palm of your hands. Because that is what they were taught to do. You don't say "OW!" in front of the judges. You smile as if it's effortless.
And I would be all: "WOW!" Because I was the dorky mom on the stands cheering them on. And because I was seriously amazed. Rick would grin and shake his head right along with me. He was always hooting and cheering the loudest.
They went #1 in the state for 3 years running. And then she wanted to do it in High School, but that's a bigger league. With No Excuses.
No sitting out for PMS. No sitting out for pain. I would see the girls show up for practice with nasty welts on their legs and arms, bandages across their ankles, sometimes stitches here and there.
I wasn't so sure she could handle the rigors of winterguard, or, worse, colorguard, with the workouts on the school asphalt parking lot in 100' temperatures in the summer. She seemed to be too small, too tiny. She did it anyway and came home sweating, sore, visibly drained. She drank a lot of Gatorade. Took a lot of Motrin.
She never once asked to quit.
Many summer workouts go from 9 a.m to 9 p.m. Spread out across the campus in the gym, auditorium and the parking lot. They do pushups, crunches, pilates, yoga. They run laps, and spin the rifle, sometimes 500 times in succession. If you drop it, they do it all over again. They work till they drop and then they work some more.
The Booster parents cook and chaperone and try not to hover. They sew the flags, paint the floors, arrange the travel, the fundraising, the ... well, the list is endless.
Five days a week in the school year, the team meets at 7 a.m. for practice and then they go to class. Two days a week they meet from 5p.m to 9p.m. Sometimes, they go from 9-9 on Saturdays.
I couldn't fathom it in the beginning.
But again, I didn't say anything; it was up to her.
Her height shot up, her braces came off. Her grades, already high, moved up. A maturity set in that surprised both Rick and I. Always self motivated, she became even more well-disciplined
. I would hear other band and guard parents say the same thing about their kids.
A 5 p.m practice meant being at the school by 4:45, because If you show up at 5, you're late.
She would grill me to make sure I was on the road by 4:30. She is often packed and ready by 4:20.
She took over her instruments, controlling the rifle so that she was it's boss instead of the other way around. Here, she blesses the rifle before the performance. ;)
She would slice the sabre through the air and dance in tandem.
And no longer the smallest on the team she has grown up in more ways than one.
The Reality: I am tired. A lot of the guard parents are, too. We spend weekends on the road in meets all around the Tampa Bay area, Orlando, Tampa, Orlando again, Orlando a third time. I have bleacher butt from sitting so long. Getting up at 3 a.m? No surprise there!
I get tired of the fund-raising, the long hours working at the stadium to raise money to help pay for this, the long drives, the endless weekends where we get home after midnight. I get tired of filling the gas tank, of watching the bank account get smaller and smaller. Guard is expensive. Very expensive.
But I never, ever get tired of watching them perform. I would do it all again for this:
I'm only talking about the negatives here because if your son or daughter wants to do guard, know what you're getting into. Personally, I feel that sports or band is the best investment you can make for them.
Today Brittany and her teams are in Ohio for their National Championships, and Rick and I will fly in tonight to cheer them on for the 3 day event.
I love watching these girls. I'm impressed with what they have put themselves through to get to this point.
And I'll be the dork in the stands with my guard mom tshirt, fighting with my camera because we can't use flash in the arena.
*I'll be taking my computer with us, and hopefully will be able to blog from there. Wish her team much luck!!!
What exactly are Winterguard and Colorguard? Here's a good explanation.
World Guard International link is here also.
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