The Herndon High School Winter Guard took home honors on Saturday, Feb 28, placing third overall in the Scholastic Regional A2 class at South County Secondary. They moved up four spots from their first competition of the season, where they placed seventh at Mount Vernon HS.
This year’s show is called “Scarecrow” and is based on the song of the same name by the group Alex and Sierra. Coach Laura Flyte expressed enthusiasm about this year’s routine.
“Our Scarecrow show depicts a band of scarecrows coming to life and performing through the night to become scarecrows again at the finale,” Flyte said.
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“It is an upbeat, happy program, full of energy, and is getting a great response,” said parent representative Deb Eastham.
Eleven schools competed in the competition, and ten students from Herndon were able to participate. Three of the seniors on the team added their experience to the event, having worked in collaboration with Oakton’s guard members last year.
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Color guard combines dance, music, theatre, and equipment (flags, rifles, and sabers) into a show. Winter Guard is the Color guard performing on its own in a gymnasium. The sport has grown to include groups from Canada and the United Kingdom.
Flyte expressed pride in the growing program at Herndon.
“Achieving third place out of 11 at our second competition is something these kids should be incredibly proud of…The team should be recognized for their outstanding dedication to a sport that is so unknown to the general public.”
She also praised team members for their fundraising efforts for upcoming competitions.
The Winter Guard also competed on March 14 at Freedom HS, on March 21 at Broad Run HS, and the AIA Circuit Championships on March 28 at South County HS where they placed second, fifth and seventh respectively.
The Winter Guard and its leadership, students, coaches, and parents, are optimistic about future competitions, given their improvement in recent meets.
“Moving up so much in the rankings is even more impressive in those conditions. It is a real tribute to the focus and dedication of this group of young people and that of their instructor,” said Eastham.
