S-C color guard captains help squad add flair to band performances

As the notes of several orchestral instruments sounded across the Smith-Cotton Junior High School campus during the band’s summer practices, senior Susan Bell stood at the top of a small staircase in the wrestling room directing one the band’s most visual elements.

“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight,” she counted in time with the rhythm of music playing from a boombox on the floor as a blur of 10 yellow-and-black flags swirled in front of her.

Bell, a senior, and junior Stephanie Boggs are the co-captains of the Smith-Cotton color guard team. Boggs stood near the back of the formation to guide students at a practice on Thursday as Bell counted from the front. Both said they had been involved in the color guard since they began high school.

“One of my friends did it in middle school, and she said the high school was giving tryouts,” Bell said. “The show freshman year was really cool. It was ‘Phantom of the Opera,’ so I thought that was really cool. It was either do this or be a cheerleader.”

Boggs said she joined because the color guard works closely with the band in its performances and competitions.

“I have a lot of friends in the band, so it just worked out,” she said.

The pair have been working through the past week of summer to prepare the nine other girls who make up the color guard team to prepare for school year performances. In addition to competitions, the group is getting ready for a performance in front of thousands at the Missouri State Fair. Bell said she thought the team was making good progress so far.

“We’re doing really well I think because most of the people we have are returning students,” she said. “We’re having a lot of fun.”

Having fun is one of several goals the two captains have for their team this year. Bell said the group helps keep its practices — which lasted five hours on Thursday — fun with a variety of music.

“Having fun warm-up songs helps a lot because you get loose and you’re having fun, and then you can go in and do your performance and have fun with it,” she said.

They also want to help the team stay happy and motivated through the long season. They said they try to help the girls have fun and bond as a team by occasionally going out for ice cream or having sleepovers.

The get-togethers help the girls stay together as a team in spite of the hard work they will have to do this year. The girls will practice together every day when the school year starts, and Bell said this helps balance out the stress of the first few weeks back in competition.

“We’re working all the time those first few weeks,” she said. “The goal is to keep close as a team, because we have fun and we don’t want that to dissipate at the end of the year.”

Bell also said the team will work on fundraising to support the cost of buying new equipment and uniforms, which team members took measurements for on Thursday.

“Color guard is really expensive,” she said. “Silks, poles and uniforms all cost money, so we want to raise enough money to where we can afford to buy that.“

And while Bell will be graduating at  year’s end, Boggs hopes to continue the leadership into next school year and is using this year’s lessons to get ready.

“I want to prepare for my senior year, because hopefully I’ll be captain again next year, so I’m just working up to that,” she said.

Class acts
Each Monday, the Democrat will tell the story of a student in the area who performs exceptionally well, in and out of the classroom. If you know a student, in kindergarten through college, who has made a difference or does something unique, let us know about it. E-mail your suggestion to tfennell@sedaliademocrat.com or awalther@sedaliademocrat.com or call 660-826-1000, ext. 211.