Color guard represents the music of the marching band visually. Every fall these two teams come together to deliver remarkable performances throughout the month of October and November. The given scores up until Nov. 19 when competitions end, will be determining whether or not they will be off to championships.

 This year their show is called Träume taking on the theme of nightmares. Perfect timing for the awaited Halloween holiday.

 Oct. 1 marked the beginning of the season where they competed against both Lakewood and San Pedro High School at Torrance. 

But before any competition begins encouragement is in order, what better way to do this than following a two-hour practice at the site with the Wolverine growl?

 When seeing team members slap each other’s shoulders and helmets it is their quick encouragement to do their best. A good pep talk should always be in store for members about to perform or play to reinstate confidence.

A lot of the time joining a sport can produce great friendships and Paige Derenard (10), a captain in color guard, could not agree more saying, “Knowing I’m going out there with my friends is a positive thought I keep in mind when I’m about to perform.”

Finally, the time comes when they step on stage and give it their all. The hours upon hours of practice paid off in the end when the marching band walked out carrying first place in their division and second overall. While color guard had placed second place both in their division and overall as well. 

These scores were deserved based on their effort and adjustability to a difficult routine. With band scoring a high 273.5 points, auxiliary, which is color guard, 54 points, and percussion who also got first with a 59.5 points.

For their second competition, on Oct. 15, they competed again on rainier terms but were adaptable and came out victorious with both band and color guard winning first place in their divisions and overall with percussion following second place. 

So far, Aliso Niguel’s marching band and colorguard have succeeded in stepping forward to receive their well-earned first and second places. 

When asked if she expected any less from their high receiving scores Aundrea Florentino (10), a rifler in color guard responded saying, “No because we have been working very hard for a while now and it shows in our performances, our most recent one was a bit unexpected considering our situation  performing with distracting weather and being a bit unprepared but everything turned out great in the end.”

Combining their strong work ethic with acquired skills they were certain to secure  the top scores and will carry on with their dedicated performances six more times until their fall season comes to an end.