Homewood High School’s Winter color guard takes on their second year of competition with stern leadership and hard work.

In the fall, the band and color guard work on the same field, producing a halftime show for football games. But, when Friday night lights end, the winter guard competition season begins.

Unlike the fall guard, winter guard competes against other groups from all over the state, meaning the focus is on their flag work and choreography.

Practice during the season takes place two to three times a week outside of school, plus an additional fifty minutes in seventh period every day, which is new for the program this year. 

When it comes time for competition, it is quite an elaborate experience. “We are in the novice classification,” said senior captain Lorelai Bland. 

She noted that any winter guard who has only been formed for one to two years usually is in a category competing with other groups of similar skill and experience level. 

The Homewood Winter Guard can move up and compete against other skilled color guards as they continue to grow and gain experience. 

After settling into the host school at competitions, the team will warm up and watch other groups until it is their performance time; with only six minutes to set up, enter and perform, it is quite hectic. 

Getting scored is a very intricate process. The scoring ranges from dance technique to choreography and is out of a 100-point score. 

” There are usually three or four judges that all sit at different perspectives while scoring, ” Bland said. “These judges are looking at the smallest details, from toes being pointed to thumbs being in the wrong placement.”

Homewoods show this year is called, ” Becoming Stardust, ” as Senior Captain Christian Garcia explained. The team starts off wearing astronaut suits while standing in a rocket formation, then everyone slowly morphs off and unzips the suits, revealing a yellow costume. 

Garcia speaks more on the detail of Homewood’s show. ” Your face is choreographed, ” noting that at the show’s beginning, their smiles are professional, but as they morph off and unzip the costume, the smile becomes more natural. 

One critical factor to this program is Homewood Middle School English teacher and winter guard Coach Abigail Aho. 

Aho attended high school at Hoover and participated in the Color Guard there. She continued her passion and kick-started the color guard program at Samford University. “I always knew it was something I wanted to teach to others,” Aho said.

In 2020 Aho started working with the Homewood High School Color Guard and helped spark the idea to form a winter guard team. 

Last summer, she sat with a friend thinking about what to do for this year’s show. The two shared the love of the song “Rocket Man,” but after having the idea of going to space, they had to devise a deeper meaning. 

“On the outside, it is about going to space and enjoying being part of the universe, but the deeper part is exploring who you truly are with the risk of sacrificing comfort, ” Aho said.

The passion and diligence of this team have been very apparent. ” Everyone on the team wants to be successful, which is shown through their hard work, ” Aho said. 

After placing 3rd at a previous competition within a one-point difference between first and second placers, Homewood has the power to win. 

They will take on their next competition on February 25th at Bob Jones High School. With unlimited potential, the future of Homewood’s winter guard is bright.