The LASA color guard season ended a few weeks earlier, giving way to the winter guard season which begins after break. After the color guard’s season performing on the field with the band, winter guard participates in their own competitive season.

LASA’s guard is divided into two different seasons: color guard and winter guard. Color guard’s season takes place during the fall and performs as a part of the marching dance show with the band. Winter guard performs their own show without the band. Both color and winter guard are dance forms performed with pieces of equipment including flags, rifles, and sabers. 

Color guard director Landy Robertson is proud of their success after finishing the season first in their division. Many of their members had never performed in a fall marching season before, and he was especially impressed by their progress. 

“They had a fantastic fall season. We did our show, The Forest for the Trees,” Robertson said. “We started working on it in July, and it’s really amazing to see how far, especially the freshman and sophomores who had never done a marching season before, really grew to a high level of excellence throughout the fall season. We ended up getting first place Color Guard in our division at the last show that we went to, U.S. Bands Round Rock, which was really awesome. I’m super proud of them and how far they’ve come.”

Robertson has new goals that he wants to achieve with guard every year. Although he is proud of them for winning first place color guard, he doesn’t want to base the season around medals. 

“Right now they’re all getting something out of it, that’s what’s important to me,” Robertson. “What I want to continue seeing for the next several years is them enjoying what they’re doing and continually getting better and better every season.”

At the beginning of the color guard season this year, captain and senior Michael Lane was scared to face all the work ahead. According to him, the number of new members they had to teach seemed daunting, but the team made incredible progress despite this.

“We only had six people returning,” Lane said. “I think our progression shows how much better and stronger we are collectively as a group. It started off a bit rocky, but I think it’s pretty solid now.”

Lane’s job as a captain is to manage the team and introduce new members to the dynamics of performing on the guard. He enjoys the benefits his position as a leader gives him.

“I mainly help others do better in guard,” Lane said. “And I learned a whole bunch from my instructor to hopefully pass down to the newer members of our guard. All around, I just want to help everybody get better.”

As a captain, Lane takes on the responsibility of helping guide the returning and new members of guard and passing down the skills he learned from his instructor. According to Lane, many qualities are required to show one’s dedication to the sport to be able to have a position of leadership like his.

“For color guard leadership, you need to have at least one year of experience,” Lane said. “You have to show determination, good time management, cooperation, meaning that you aren’t troublesome, and overall, an interest for the sport.” 

Lane is positive the team will see even more success and progress in the winter guard season. Despite starting the season with limited experienced members, according to him, everyone has progressed quickly and if they continue to keep that mindset, the team will have success in winter guard as well.

“I see them going to be pretty successful,” Lane said. “We made it so far within the fall season, and we’ve done so much. I’m really impressed by the new members and how quickly they obtain information and apply it and use their skills in new ways. I think we’re going to have a really great winter season. We’re going to be even stronger as a guard before I leave.”

For Lane, doing guard at LASA was exceptionally important to him and motivated him to keep his grades up. He’s glad he was able to participate in LASA’s color guard community.

“Color guard made me actually stay in LASA,” Lane said. “I wasn’t really motivated to do any class or to be really good at LASA, and color guard gave me the push because I knew that I wanted to continue color guard throughout all my years here. I knew the only way that I’d be able to continue with guard is if I have good grades. Color gives you a new sense of purpose. It gives you something else to look forward to when coming to school every day.”