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focusfocusfocusfocusfocusfocusfocusPERFORMERS GET EDUCATED

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WGI FOCUS 5

INSIDE

focusthe offi cial news of wgi sport of the artswgi

34

7 ENSEMBLEPercussion groups offer sneak previews of their 2012 programs ... Video lessons from Spinfest!! now available for download ... Announcing a new strategic partnership with Crown Awards ... Retro Rewind web features hit the way-back button ... Spinfest!! and Drumfest!! on Tour clinicians report from the road ... The Blue Devils’ TJ Doucette profi led ... and much more!

14 CLOSE-UPArcadia High School climbed to the pinnacle of southern California’s highly competitive percussion scene in 2011 and brought home the ultimate honor.

16 SPOTLIGHTSome color guard performers will be taking their talents to a new venue this season: the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

20 WGI’S FIRST STEPSThirty-fi ve years ago, six visionaries met in San Francisco to found Winter Guard International. In celebration of their achievement, we asked three key players in the evolution of the Sport of the Arts to take a look back.

25 REACHING & TEACHINGBetter training means better performances, and for both the color guard and percussion branches of WGI, education is a top priority.

28 CLINICPerformance injuries are a common problem in the indoor marching world,

but careful preparation can minimize the risks.

30 SCHOLARSHIPJohana Ballesteros used to be shy and quiet. Then

she joined the Cypress Bay High School color guard and her life changed forever.

34 WHAT’S YOUR WGIQ?We picked photos from four WGI seasons. Now it’s your turn to fi gure out which ones.

WINTER 2012 Volume 26, Issue 1

Winter Guard International

Ron NankervisChief Executive Offi cer

Bart WoodleyDirector of Operations

Aaron JenkinsMarketing & Communication

Manager

Published By:In Tune Partners, LLC

Irwin KornfeldCEO

Will EdwardsPresident

Angelo BiasiPublisher

Mac RandallEditor-in-ChiefJackie Jordan

Creative DirectorRobin Garber

Production DirectorBarbara BoughtonBusiness Manager

Contributing Writers:Debbie Galante Block,

Alex Mendoza, Cathy Applefeld Olson, Michael Reed, Ken Schlager

Photography: Adam Alonzo, Jolesch Photography,

Dan Scafi di, Linda Unser, and Sid Unser

WGI FOCUS is an educational publication of WGI Sport of the Arts. Its purpose is to broaden communication within the family of color guards and percussion ensembles. FOCUS is published

three times per year.

WGI FOCUS is a free publication with a circulation of 14,000 copies and 12,000 online viewers. All members of the WGI family may

submit articles for consideration. WGI reserves the right to edit all submitted material.

If your address has changed, please notify the WGI offi ce. Failure to do this could result in the loss of your WGI FOCUS subscription. We don’t

want to lose touch with you!

For advertising information please contact Aaron Jenkins; phone: 937-247-5919;

email: aaron@wgi.org

WINTER GUARD INTERNATIONAL2405 Crosspointe Drive

Dayton, OH 45342937-247-5919

offi ce@wgi.org www.wgi.org

Greenfi eld Central High School is one of several

color guards that will perform at the Cincinnati Regional.

16

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C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

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NEWS FROM THE FLOOR AND MORE

www.wgi.org WGI FOCUS 7

The start of the 2012 indoor marching season is right around the corner, but several top percussion ensembles got into the spirit of things early. Starting in October, these groups began to publicly announce the titles and themes of their shows, whetting fans’ appetites for what lies ahead.

Six-time PIW medal winner Rhythm X is calling its 2012 pro-gram “enLIGHTened.” Inspired by a quote by Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu (“He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened”), the show explores the concept of personal enlight-enment and employs a large number of actual lights. You can get “enLIGHTened” at the Dayton Regional, Indianapolis Regional, Mid-South Championships, and World Championships.

Tates Creek celebrates its promotion to World Class this season with “Electrify.” Visual innovations and electronic sounds enhance the theme, but as always, the real elec-tricity comes from the performers. Catch this show at the Dayton Regional, Mid-South Championships, and World Championships. In Independent Open class, Genesis will present “Strings Attached”—which revolves around the physical connections between oneself, objects, and other

If you missed out on Spinfest!! in Dallas this past September, take heart: Now you can download video footage from four of the clinics that happened there. Michael Rai-ford’s “Intro to Design” examines design from an intellectual and emotional stand-point, while Rosie Queen’s “One of These Things Is Not Like the Other” discusses how to deal with individual technique issues that can hamper ensemble performance. Two

classes by Joe Sowders are also available: “Staging for the A and Open Guard” and “Stand Up and Stand Out: Programming for A and Open Guards.” To download these videos, go to wgi.thefannetwork.org/store/digital/search/year/2011/608/Spinfest. Once you’ve downloaded them, you can watch them any time you want on your comput-er—or sync them to your mobile device for color guard education on the go!

For the 35th anniversary of WGI, plans to invest in the preservation of performances with hi-defi nition cameras are in the works at the 2012 World Champion-ships. Please stay tuned for further details...

people—at the Troy and Dayton Regionals and World Championships.

Exciting programs are coming together in the A classes as well. Martinsville Percussion En-

semble’s “Pandora” explores human nature through color and includes music by Sigur Rós and Elvis Costello. Foot-hill High School’s “Playback” was inspired by the movie Click, in which a universal remote control controls real-life events. And Westerville South High School makes its WGI debut with bells on in “Tintinnabulation.” For more about these and other 2012 shows, go to wgi.org.

PERCUSSION ENSEMBLES SET THE TONE FOR 2012

HI-DEFINITION COMING SOON!DOWNLOAD VIDEO LESSONS FROM SPINFEST!!

Tate’s Creek

Rhythm X:

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www.wgi.org 8 WGI FOCUS

When performers’ skill and passion lead them to the pinnacle of the Sport of the Arts, it’s only right that they receive an award. And for the 2012 season and beyond, all of WGI’s awards will be produced in Hawthorne, New York, by Crown Awards, which recently entered into a strategic partnership with WGI.

Beginning more than 30 years ago as a small trophy shop in Brooklyn, New York, Crown Awards has grown to become America’s largest awards supplier. In addition to its 100,000-square-foot central facility in Hawthorne, the company currently has 150 stores nationwide, as well as national catalog and Internet divisions. A direct manu-facturer (not a reseller) of trophies, medals, plaques,

pins, and other awards to leagues, organizations, schools, and busi-

nesses, it has helped create recognition award and trophy programs for some of the most distinguished corpora-tions in the country.

“We are very excited to enter into this strategic part-

nership with Crown Awards,” WGI Executive Director Ron

Nankervis says. “They supplied our awards last year, and their out-

standing customer service made them an obvious choice to become our offi cial awards supplier for all our events.”

For more information on Crown Awards, visit its website at crownawards.com.

WGI AND CROWN AWARDS FORM WINNING ALLIANCE

In November, WGI’s traveling educational program Spinfest!! on Tour went on its second cross-country run, and this time it brought along a friend: the inaugural Drumfest!! on Tour, which explored indoor percussion topics. Making stops in Michi-gan, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Florida, the tour drew plenty of instructors, students, and judges. Color guard clinician Carol Abohatab singled out the improv and choreog-raphy classes as highlights, while percussion clinician Caleb Rothe liked the Q&A sessions. “Overall, it exceeded expectations,” Rothe says. “We want to do more events like this with every circuit in the country, and do them as often as possible.”

SPINFEST!! HITS THE ROAD AGAIN

Adaptable Audio Recorder Likes It Loud

Thinking of creating some music or sound effects for a pre-recorded track to add depth to your pro-gram? Olympus’ new LS-100 lin-

ear PCM audio recorder could be just what you need. This portable device features two internal 90-degree directional

stereo condenser microphones, two 1/4” XLR/standard phone combination inputs, and multi-track recording capabilities (though only two channels can be recorded at any one time). The LS-100 is engineered to cap-ture sound at high decibel levels without distortion, making it an ideal recorder for loud environ-

ments, while an innovative “pre-recording” function allows you to start recording performances up to two seconds before hitting the record button. To fi nd out more, visit olympusamerica.com.

New Sabre Line Makes the Cut Directors Showcase International’s Excalibur sabres have long been a color guard favorite. Now the company has introduced a new line of Spanish-style sabres for both beginners and experi-enced guard members, with a revised blade and handle design that looks, feels, and spins like the Excalibur but keeps ensembles’ tight budgets in mind. The interchangeable, padded-tip blades come in three lengths (32”, 36”, and 39”) and three styles (zinc-coated silver, plain white, and white padded); handles are available in white only. Both handle and blade are guaranteed to be indestruc-tible. For more details, go to dshowcase.com.

Excalibur sabres have long been a color guard favorite. Now the company has introduced a new line of Spanish-style sabres for both beginners and experi-enced guard members, with a revised

feels, and spins like the Excalibur but

tip blades come in three lengths (32”,

Attendees at a Drumfest!! on

Tour class

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It’s no secret that WGI is celebrating 35 years of the Sport of the Arts this season. As part of that celebration, there’s a new daily feature on the WGI website: Retro Rewind, which takes a look back at some of the most amaz-ing performances in the history of the activity. The feature debuted on November 28 with video footage of “Disco 2001,” as performed by the Phantom Regiment in 1980. Subsequent installments have included

Thank You to Our Partners and Sponsors

Presenting Sponsors

Corporate Partners

10 WGI FOCUS

Music City Mystique from 2004, Blue Knights from 1997, Union High School from 1988, Bishop Kearny High School from 1993, Blessed Sacra-ment from 2001, and Holley Hawks from 1982. The Retro Rewind feature changes each day, and you can buy the DVD from which the featured per-formance was taken at a very special sale price—for that day only!

Retro Rewind will continue to be a major part of the WGI website through the 2012 World Championships and beyond, so check back in as often as you can. There’s no way we can possibly include every great performance from the past 35 years, but we aim to do our best.

In addition, please note that WGI is compiling a video scrapbook to commemorate its 35th season. Whether you’re a current performer, a

past performer, a fan, or all of the above, you’re invited to make a YouTube video that relates your personal favorite WGI memories and then let us know about it. These videos may eventually fi nd their way into the Retro Rewind sec-tion too, so don’t be shy!

RETRO REWIND WEB FEATURE GOES BACK A LONG WAY

You can fi nd video of Clovis

West HS 1993 on Retro Rewind.

WGI_p7_Ensemble.indd 3 1/9/12 11:13:25 AM

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TJ Doucette has marching in her blood. Her career as a drum corps perform-er started at age fi ve and continued for 17 years. After that, she taught a number of corps and guards in her native Mas-sachusetts before moving to California in 1982. Since then, she’s worked in a variety of capacities for ensembles including the Blue Devils guards, Riverside Community College, Fantasia, Diamante, James Logan High School, and Japan’s Renaissance Vanguard. She also spreads her passion for the activity around the world; when we caught up with her, she was preparing for a clinic in Malaysia. Most lasting performance memory: I marched for 16 years without making fi nals. In my 17th season, I broke my toe the night of prelims and freaked out. There was no way

I was going to miss this last chance. So I slept with my boot on, decided to ignore the pain—and fi nally made fi nals.How WGI has changed: There’s a “B.C.” and an “A.D.” in guard. The “A.D.” stands for “after dance.” In the B.C. era, you didn’t really have three-dimensional motion. The changes in movement style since then have been huge.Going to Japan: Having grown up in Catholic-

affi liated corps, working with a group that’s all Bud-dhists, and all guys, is a big change. But Renaissance

Vanguard is getting great. They’re very thorough students.What makes her proudest: Taking kids to a performing level they’ve never reached before. They just light up. It’s so powerful.

A FEW WORDS WITH TJ DOUCETTE

James Logan HS 2010

Blue Devils

1996

Fantasia 1999

Order Your Tickets Today

dayton, ohio

GET ThE BEsT sEaTs!

Thurs April 12prelims - All Classes

wgi.org/tickets

Thurs April 19A Class prelims and semi-Finalsscholastic Open Class prelims

world championshipsColor Guard April 12-14

world championshipspercussion April 19-21

Fri April 13semi-Finals - All ClassesA Class Finals

sAT April 14Open Class FinalsWorld Class Finals

Fri April 20World Class prelimsindependent Open prelimsOpen Class semi-FinalsA Class FinalsConcert Class Finals

sAT April 21Open Class FinalsWorld Class Finals

Celebrating 35 Years in 2012!

2252WGI_WCTix_FocusHlfPg_010912r.indd 1 1/9/12 2:26 PM

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www.wgi.org

Close-Up

14 WGI FOCUS

Arcadia High SchoolRises to the Occasion2011 PSW Gold Medalist Sets a New StandardBy Cathy Applefeld Olson

n the Southern California hotbed of competitive per-cussion ensembles, the bar is always sky-high. Which makes the gold medal Arcadia High School snagged

at last year’s PSW fi nals all the sweeter. Arcadia’s color guard is a perennial head-turner, and

the school marching band has graced the Rose Bowl pa-rade. But for percussion ensemble director Kevin Sherrill, nothing tops the 2011 WGI win for the production “Rise,” Arcadia’s fi rst World Class gold medal.

“It was the most emotional moment of my teaching ca-reer,” he says. “Just seeing all the kids and staff and par-ents when they were announced as gold medal winners—

it was such a highlight to see how all their hard work paid off, how they could achieve something like this.”

The ensemble’s win capped a year of outstanding lead-ership from the senior class and was a high point for show designers Tony Nunez and Kevin Shah. “We had the best fall season we ever had with those kids,” Sherrill notes, “and I could tell they were ready to really go for their in-door season and set a new standard for themselves.”

In fact, the aptly named “Rise” took its inspiration from the students themselves, and their increasingly impres-sive abilities as they rose through the program. Visually

stunning and physically challenging, the show combined drumming dexterity with a lot of up-and-down movement.

Although Arcadia counts on strong support for its percussion and band program—the groups consistently generate buzz all the way down to middle school—a ban-ner year certainly doesn’t hurt recruiting. “It will have a long-term effect on our other kids,” Sherrill says. “It sets the standard for them; they saw how to do it really well.”

Sherrill is also quick to give credit to neighboring high schools, including Ayala, Chino Hills and Mission Viejo, for their friendly competition—and the experience Arcadia gains at Southern California Percussion Alliance events.

“The feedback we get from judges and just being on the fl oor with other groups at SCPA

is amazing,” he says. “When you see Mission Viejo, Ayala, and Chino

Hills on a weekly basis, it really pushes you to maintain the utmost in performance.”

The drive to raise the bar remains a constant in Arcadia percussion, even as the students progress through high school. A general student population of 3,600 “always sets the stage for us having a ton of seniors in the group,” Sherrill says. Last year, more than half the ensemble’s members were graduating seniors.

Not one to look back, Sherrill is already ensconced in the current season. “This is a totally different group of kids, so this year will bring something totally different,” he says. “They’ve done a great job this fall fi lling the shoes of the kids who went before them.”

I

“We had the best fall season ever with those kids, and I could tell they were ready to really go for their indoor season.”

2011 PSW Gold Medalist

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400KFans attending DCI shows

over the 60-day summer tour

7All-Yamaha corps, playingYamaha percussion and

brass and using Yamaha ProAudio

24Different Division I / WorldClass Drum Corps Yamahahas supported in 27 years

with DCI

135DCI events each year

250KActive DCI alumni

122,700Average number of hours

each corps spends in rehearsals

DCI Championships

High Percussion Awards

High Brass Awards

Competitions Won by Yamaha Corps

1985First year of Yamaha

instruments in DCI

1990Yamaha

introduces Corps-Custom

snare drum

1993Yamaha

introduces SFZ marchingsnare drum

2000Yamaha presents

MTS marching snare

2007Cavaliers & Yamaha:20 Year Anniversary

201025 years

of Yamaha drum corps involvement

2003Yamaha presents

8200 Series Field-Corps Marching

Toms & Bass drum

2005Colts, Bluecoats

begin using Yamaha brass

1988Madison Scouts win

DCI with Yamaha

$27MMoney supplied by Yamaha

to support corps

50+Yamaha products born out of the company’s extensive

involvement with DCI

20%Percentage of Yamaha

Percussion artists with aMarching Arts background

MillionsMiles travelled by Yamaha

staff in support of drum corps

11DCI Hall-of-Fame members

with Yamaha affiliation

Timeline of Landmark Yamaha Marching Products & Events

40+Number of states in the DCI

summer tour, with each corpstraveling an average of

10,000 miles

Madison Scouts, who wonthe 1988 DCI championship,

selected Yamaha as their instrument partner in 1985

The Cavaliers have been DCI champions seventimes during their 25-year

Yamaha bond

The Cadets have earnedthree DCI championships and three High Percussion

awards with Yamaha

In their 37th straight year (11with Yamaha), The Crossmen

are 22-time DCI finalists

The Colts, seven-time DCI finalists, are seven years with

Yamaha

After selecting Yamaha in 2005,the BlueCoats soon reached

their highest DCI finish

The newest All-Yamahacorps, Carolina Crownplaced 2nd in DCI 2009

1999Yamaha debuts

Multi-Frame I forpit

percussion

Yamaha and DCI Support of Music Education by the Numbers

©2012 Yamaha Corporation of America. All rights reserved. www.yamaha.com/usa www.dci.org

Sources: Yamaha, DCI, DCW

1.2MNumber of meals the corpsfeed their 5,000 performers

and staff each summer

www.4wrd.it/ypfocus

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www.wgi.org

Spotlight

16 WGI FOCUS

A New Venue for Color GuardCincinnati’s Cintas Center Hosts Two Events in 2012By Alex Mendoza

or its 35th season, WGI is making exciting changes to the Color Guard Regionals and World Champi-onships. Perhaps the biggest change is its deci-

sion to make use of an additional facility for the last hurrah—a facility located just outside the organization’s longtime home of Dayton, Ohio. Preliminary rounds of the World Championships this April will take place at an arena housed within the Cintas Center on the campus of Xavier University in Cincinnati. The new choice of venue promises to offer performers an ideal competitive atmosphere and amplify the positive feelings generated by this signifi cant event.

“The Cintas Center provides an intimate experience. It will be a great place for fans, instructors, and judges to view the performances,” WGI Director of Operations Bart Woodley explains. “The warm-up facilities are excellent and just steps from performance. The prop unloading zone also fi ts into the fl ow with great ease. I anticipate everyone will have a great experience.”

The Cintas Center, which opened in 2000, will play host not only to the World Championships but also to a new Cincinnati Regional event that is expected to be one of the largest of the season. And no wonder: The venue boasts a capacity of 10,250, along with a recent multimillion-dollar technology upgrade. The arena also features a large auxiliary gym that will allow for units to warm up right next to the competition fl oor.

“The desire to have an ‘arena experience’ at World Championships is an objective of the WGI Board of Directors,” Woodley says. “Finding more than two arenas the size we need for World Championships in any city is a challenge. The James Trent Arena is not available due to the Kettering School District spring break session not lining up with Championship dates this year. Therefore we started to open up the radius of the search around the Dayton arena, and the Cintas Center came shining through as a great facility to serve our needs.”

The addition of another facility during such a high-pro-fi le event is also a testament to the continuing growth of the WGI community. Every season brings about a new set of

performers, and incorpo-rating the Cintas Center should alleviate any potential issues in terms of

accommodating ensembles. Best of all, groups traveling to Dayton for the World Championships face minimal disruption to their travel plans; the Cintas Center is located only 47 miles from the University of Dayton Arena.

“We are holding the regional in that facility to make sure we have worked out any minor kinks in the fl ow and process before World Championships,” Woodley says. “The Cincinnati Regional has quite an impressive lineup of World Class guards, as well as great competition in all classes. I think all those involved will fi nd that the facility is worth the trip.”

F

Norwin High School will be one of the groups

performing in the Cincinnati Regional

at the Cintas Center (inset).

“The Cintas Center will be a great place to view the performances.”

CIN

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WGI_p16_Spotlight.indd 1 1/5/12 3:05:13 PM

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AWCT’s 2012 performance collection guarantees to be our most extensive and innovative endeavor to date. Options to outfit your group range from custom couture to budget conscious chic, plus, explore our newly expanded line of accessories and equipment. From trendy tunics and flags to durable shoes and sabers, AWCT has you covered.

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D R U M C O R P S I N T E R N A T I O N A L P R E S E N T S

For tickets, group rates & additional info, visit www.DCI.org2012 DRUM CORPS INTERNATIONAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS • AUGUST 6–11, 2012

DCI 2012 Map Focus Half Page (Dec 9).qxp 12/9/11 7:25 PM Page 1

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©2012 Avedis Zildjian C

ompany. Photo by: David M

exicotte & Nate M

ara

COMEreally

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cymbals aren’t

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Alex Burgan, Avon High School (Avon, Indiana)

WGI_Temp.indd 1 1/5/12 11:25:22 AM

20 WGI FOCUS

activity, provide uniform rules and scoring for guards from coast to coast, and hold a national championship event in the season in which the groups competed.

In the pre-WGI era, the only true national event for color guards occurred in conjunction with the Drum Corps In-ternational Championships in August. The guards typically competed in fi eld houses or basements. At the 1977 DCI Championship event in Denver, the venue had columns that the units had to maneuver around. “There were big pillars throughout the fl oor,” Shirlee Whitcomb recalls. “I remem-ber Bryan Johnston and I both saying to the guards, ‘This is the last time you’ll have to compete in situations like this.’”

The six individuals mentioned above spent two days in San Francisco’s Sheraton Palace Hotel to compare the rules of the major regional guard associations and come up with a set of guidelines that would be used for all WGI events. The minutes of that original 1977 meeting, provided to WGI Focus by Marie Czapinski, reveal that compromises

Thirty-fi ve years ago, a small group of visionaries armed with a bright idea met to dis-cuss their collective brainchild. In May of 1977, WGI

founding members Don Angelica, Linda Chambers, Marie Czapinski, Bryan Johnston, Stanley Knaub, and Shirlee Whitcomb gathered in California to develop an outline for an organization that would govern the indoor color guard

WGI’s FIRST STEPSWGI’WGI’WGI’WGI’WGI’WGI’WGI’WGI’WGI’WGI’WGI’WGI’WGI’WGI’WGI’WGI’WGI’WGI’sssWGI’sWGI’WGI’sWGI’ FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPSs FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS

WGI_p20_Start.indd 1 1/5/12 3:24:19 PM

www.wgi.org 21

were made on everything from the minimum number of members in a guard to the size of the competition fl oor (two fl oor sizes were allowed: 40x60 and 50x70).

The moniker “Winter Guard International” was cho-sen to refl ect the time of year when the units competed, with a championship event to be held in April. At that time, smaller local circuits sponsored indoor guard shows, with the most prominent being Massachusetts and New York in the east, Illinois in the midwest, and California in the west. Lynn Lindstrom, the head of the Midwest Color Guard Circuit, accepted the role of WGI’s fi rst Executive Direc-tor, running the organization out of her house for the fi rst dozen years of its existence.

Twenty-nine groups from coast to coast converged at Crown High School in suburban Chicago in the spring of 1978 for the fi rst WGI Olympics (as the event was known then), with Quasar from Massachusetts winning the inau-gural championship event. By the time Lindstrom retired

24 years later, not only had the number of competing guards at Championships exploded to over 300, but the percussion side of the activity had already been es-tablished for nearly a decade, with ap-proximately 80 drumlines in attendance. Administratively, the organization had expanded as well, although not quite so dramatically. In year eight, Lindstrom hired an offi ce assis-tant, with another person added in year 10. Today, the WGI staff includes marketing, merchandise, computer, educa-tion, event, participant, and sponsor relations personnel.

Meeting the ChallengesAs with any fl edgling venture, there were challenges to managing WGI’s growth while keeping the organization solvent—and to leading an activity fi lled with creative minds who were trying their best to maximize the efforts of their own individual guards. According to Lindstrom, the

WGI’s FIRST STEPS The sun fi rst rose on Winter Guard International in 1977—thanks to the tireless efforts of a few individuals who dared to dream big. BY MICHAEL REED FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS FIRST STEPS

Clockwise from bottom left: Lynn Lindstrom makes an announcement in 1979; a vintage scene from the tabulation table; the grand fi nale of the 1981 World Champion-ships; Lynn Lindstrom (left) gives a medal to a Miamisburg High School member in 1991.

WGI_p20_Start.indd 2 1/5/12 3:25:36 PM

www.wgi.org 22 WGI FOCUS

three biggest diffi culties in the early days were hav-ing money to fund obligations, lack of trust from re-gion to region, and getting more people from across the country involved in administrative roles.

A fi nancial boost was provided when fi ve local cir-cuits contributed $250 each to, as Lindstrom puts it, “get WGI off the ground.” In addition, the Mid-west Circuit contributed money to help with bills that fi rst year, and was reimbursed in full after the fi rst Championships. Many people volunteered their efforts in those early years, never expecting to be

compensated. They did it purely out of a passion for the activity and a healthy sense of hope for what it could become.

The trust factor between regions became less of an issue when a Board of Directors

was formed, consist-ing of representatives of the top 15 placing groups. “I think the fact that our fi rst champion, Quasar, was not from the Midwest helped in the trust factor,” Lind-strom observes. The third challenge—more involvement across the country—was tackled with the help of local circuit administrators who became involved fi rst with WGI Regional events, and later as Re-gion Directors. Through a combination of sound fi scal leadership, inclu-sion of the leading units in the rule-making pro-cess, and wise delega-tion of responsibility to involve more people,

the organization quickly began to grow.The fi rst two Championships had all the guards grouped

into a single class. In year three, an Independent A class was added. The 1984 event saw the addition of a Scholas-tic class, with a second Scholastic class added the follow-ing year. 1993 was a watershed year in WGI history. The current classifi cation setup debuted for the 1993 Finals, with both Independent and Scholastic divisions divided into World, Open, and A classes. That same season, the orga-nization leadership took a leap of faith by adding a Percus-sion category. Fast forward to the millennium season in 2000, when the percussion side of the activity mirrored the guards for the fi rst time by having the same three class offerings in both Independent and Scholastic divisions, in addition to continuing to offer Concert classes for non-movement ensembles.

From Then to NowAlthough several important people from those fi rst few years have passed on, others remain involved in pageantry to this day. Shirlee Whitcomb served as WGI’s Director of Education for many years, bringing together judges and

instructors to discuss the direction of the activity and es-tablishing regional clinics for the guards. She continues to act as Director of Color Guard Development, serving as a valuable resource for the guards by “helping them in-dividually with their design choices and a myriad of other issues that they encounter. It’s the most fun thing I’ve been privileged to do within WGI.”

Lynn and George Lindstrom currently assist the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps (the parent organization of perennial PIW fi nalist Blue Knights Drumline) in running the Drums Along the Rockies DCI event. They are also involved in organizing several other drum corps and band competitions in neighboring states—and there’s no question you’ll see them at fi nals. “We still enjoy com-ing to WGI to see the many friends we made during our tenure there and watch the color guard and percussion events,” Lynn says.

What do these founders think of the state of the indoor activity today? Lindstrom is impressed with the execution displayed in today’s drumlines: “The percussion activity seems to be more precision-oriented and the skill devel-opment is getting stronger.” Whitcomb says she is most impressed “with the fact that WGI has constantly evolved to accommodate the needs of the activity. Most of all, I

respect the fact that the color guards absolutely have the dominant voice in guiding their activity. So long as WGI remains in a mode of progress, dis-covery, and adaptability to the needs of the guards, it will remain great. This is a tough time in our coun-try and my greatest hope is that parents and sup-port groups realize the value their children get in the community of color guard, the opportunity to push themselves to their

highest potential and have a place where they can ‘be-long.’ I am as de-voted today as I was 35 years ago to the principles that WGI represents.”

“I am as devoted today as I was 35 years ago to the principles that WGI represents.” –Shirlee Whitcomb

Shirlee Whitcomb

Marie Czapinski (right)

Lynn Lindstrom

Don Angelica

Stanley Knaub

WGI_p20_Start.indd 3 1/5/12 3:26:44 PM

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www.wgi.org 25

If you want to have great performers, you’ve got to have great teachers—and so WGI has begun a two-pronged initiative to boost color guard and percussion education across the country and around the world.

One of the organization’s top priorities is to be the best resource for those who are either already running guards and percussion ensembles or just starting them up. The color guard educational initiative is now in its fourth year, while the percussion initiative got started in 2011.

“We are offering consultation and counsel, advice and educational material to every color guard so they may grow their programs without having to hire a consultant,” says Shirlee Whitcomb, Director of Color Guard Development. The ultimate goal is the same for percussion as well, al-though the level of school involvement in percussion pro-grams tends to be different (more on that later). WGI is

also working to gain program consistency nationwide.The information that WGI is now offering starts online

with the basics, from “How do I start a booster club?” to “What do I do to get the principal to allow us to have a pro-gram in our school?” Once programs are in place, WGI also helps to answer questions that will aid in their expansion.

“For color guard, we translate our programs for the judges as well, so they are kept abreast of what we are telling the instructors,” says Color Guard Education Co-ordinator Karl Lowe. “We want to ensure that all compe-titions, no matter where they are, have the same type of relevance. Our fi rst obligation is to make sure that there is enough consistency on both the part of the judges and instructors to ensure continuity.”

Another type of outreach is provided by the Spinfest!!events. In addition to the biennial Spinfest!!—held this year

WGI’s educational

initiatives are helping

to raise the caliber

of color guard and

percussion training.

BY DEBBIE GALANTE BLOCK

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& REACHINGREACHINGREACHINGREACHINGREACHINGREACHING

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in Texas and previously in Florida—there is also Spinfest!! on Tour, an annual traveling clinic that allows for interac-tion among instructors, designers, directors, and judges. It is specifically meant to help instructors with all aspects of designing and managing a successful winter guard pro-gram. Sessions are offered on basic to intermediate equip-ment and movement techniques, along with roundtable discussions and dialogue on WGI classification and adjudi-cation topics. “It’s a chance to meet with seasoned instruc-tors that have marked success in the activities that the lo-cal circuits would not be able to secure on their own,” Lowe says. “Here, the new groups can attain more advanced in-formation so that they can establish long-term goals.”

Improving communication and infor-mation flow among the color guards “has been one of the most satisfying things I’ve ever done,” Whitcomb says. “When I send out the weekly memo or Karl sends out a video, the response is really im-pressive. The feedback has been a reas-surance that what we’re doing is helping people. Whatever needs we find to be the greatest are the ones we focus on for the following season through articles and videos. Karl is great at putting together educational videos…you are entertained while you are learning.”

Every day, instructors are encouraged to go on the WGI website and see what

has been updated. If a new video is posted, Whitcomb sug-gests that instructors look at it more than once. “Study it, take it to heart, and really apply it,” she says. “Videos pro-vide the visual illustration of what needs to be done. Then I follow up with written memos.”

Although color guard is not generally a part of school district curricula, percussion ensemble performances can be—and they’re certainly less foreign to administrators. To some degree, this makes it easier for WGI Percussion Edu-cation Coordinator Caleb Rothe to get a broader percussion education program in place. However, he acknowledges that getting basic information out to groups has been an area of need for some time, “and I’m glad the board has prioritized

that goal. We are trying to supplement cur-ricula that are already out there by providing customized information specifically for indoor percussion. A lot of our groups have already started and we want to provide additional re-sources so they can become better teachers, show designers, and performers.”

In addition to offering information re-sources on the WGI website, Rothe says that “we want to create interactive clinics and seminars and things of that nature.” The percussion group has already learned some important lessons from the color guard ini-tiative in this regard. For example, in the fall of 2011 they offered their first Drumfest!! on Tour, which ran in conjunction with the sec-ond Spinfest!! on Tour (see news item, pg. 8).

“I collaborated with Karl to find out what he has learned in the last few years about how to deliver information efficiently,” Rothe says. “These were completely uncharted waters on the percussion side. Most of our sessions were lecture-based, but some clinicians also tried some cool things, like showing excerpts of their score or playing live piano in front of a group to demonstrate how dif-ferent chord progressions can change a mood.

“WGI’s goal is to enable more and more kids to get involved in activities that are truly beneficial and help them to become better human beings,” Rothe adds. Whether they choose to be color guard or percussion ensemble members, “stu-dents learn about teamwork and communication, and at the same time they are being taught the art of performance and the love of music.”

“wgi’s goal is to enable more and more kids to get involved in activities that are truly beneficial and help them to become better human beings.” —Caleb Rothe

26 WGI FoCuS

WGI_p25_Classroom.indd 2 1/5/12 3:29:34 PM

Dedication is what got us here.

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Clinic

28 WGI FOCUS

Taking the HealthyRoadPerformer and Physical Therapist Counsels How to Avoid Performance InjuriesBy Ken Schlager

t’s a fear shared by everyone in indoor marching activities: A performance injury that forces you to sit out an event—or even a season. Edmer Lazaro knows

the feeling well. In his years as a performer with the San Jose Raiders and the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum Corps, he suffered sprained ankles, strained muscles, a jammed fi nger, back pain, and wrist pain. “There were a lot [of injuries],” says Lazaro, now a professional dancer and physical therapist with a doctoral degree from Samuel Merritt University in Oakland, Calif.

At events like Spinfest!! 2011, Lazaro is called on to advise young performers how to avoid such trouble. “The common types of injuries I see among performers are back spasms, muscle pulls, wrist pain, shoulder pain, ankle sprains, and shin splints,” he says. “Wrist and shoulder pain seem to be more common in color guard dancers. There’s a lot of spinning and tossing that causes overuse injuries in these joints.”

The key to staying healthy, says Lazaro, is getting the body “ready for the demands of the season.” That means pre- and post-season training, as well as adherence to certain training principles: “adequate rest breaks, appropri-ate progression of activities, and development of motor control for specifi c demands.” A proper training regimen should continue even after the season has begun, as performers focus more on the specifi c physical demands of the activity.

This doesn’t have to be diffi cult. “I think it can be easy or hard,” says Lazaro. “It’s harder if you haven’t done it as part of your approach and you’re new to the activities, but I think it gets easier as it becomes routine.”

It’s also important to let your instructors know if you’ve suffered an injury. “Don’t think it’s something that will ‘just go away,’” Lazaro says. “Some injuries, even the minimal ones, can become chronic and a bigger problem in the future if you don’t address them when they fi rst happen.”

He offers these additional tips:■ Wear good shoes. “We don’t get to warm up on wood fl oors all the time. If you have to warm up on concrete, then wear athletic shoes for better shock absorption.”

■ Avoid alignment errors. “Mir-rors are a great way to increase awareness about your body. Take a look at your leg alignment as you perform a landing from a jump, for example, and make cor-rections. Are your knees ‘falling in’? Returning from a jump with poor alignment over and over can

make you prone to shin splints or tendinitis.” Lazaro has advice for instructors, too. “For some inju-

ries, you can get by with good wrapping and ice and your dancer is ready to go,” he says. “Others may need more attention, even a referral to a physician or physical thera-pist. As instructors, it’s our responsibility to keep all our performers safe. As a performer, getting immediate help is a sure way to get you back on stage sooner.”

I

“Don’t think it’s something that will ‘just go away.’ Some injuries, even the minimal ones, can become chronic.”

Edmer Lazaro (right)at Spinfest!! 2011

WGI_p28_Clinic.indd 1 1/5/12 3:06:15 PM

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Scholarship

30 WGI FOCUS

Putting Fear in Past the

Guard Life Helps Turn Shyness to Confi denceBy Johana BallesterosCypress Bay High SchoolWeston, Florida

rying out for my school’s JV winter guard in ninth grade was one of the scariest moments of my life. Going into high school, I was a shy and quiet

girl who always tried to avoid putting herself “out there.” When my family and I had fi rst arrived in this country in 2002, the kids in my fourth-grade class would laugh and tease me because I neither spoke their language nor understood what any of them said. This fi lled me with a constant fear of being ridiculed.

You can imagine my surprise when I realized that auditioning for the JV team that hot December afternoon was nothing like what I expected. These people, who just minutes before were total strangers, would soon become my mentors, my friends, my heroes, and my second fam-ily. It took but a couple rehearsals for me to realize that this sport had completely taken over my life, and it was the most incredible feeling I had ever felt.

Joining the sport, and the art, that is color guard shaped me into the person I am today: determined, responsible, passionate, and confi dent. Being in guard also taught me many important life lessons. I’ve learned over these past

four years that life shouldn’t be about going day to day with the fear of rejection. It’s about exploring one’s opportuni-ties and realizing that not everything in this world will hurt you. The friendships I’ve made through being part of the Cypress Bay color guard and the indescribable memories I’ve shared with my teammates and instructors make guard the most amazing experience of my 18 years of life.

I would like to thank WGI for the incredible oppor-tunity it has given me. Because of its scholarship, I am now pursuing the major of my dreams at the University of Florida. Additionally, I am already part of the Florida Visual Ensemble, the color guard here at UF, as well as a member of Paradigm Winterguard for the 2012 season. I am not quite done with letting guard take over my life! I would also like to thank all of my instructors: Mr. Ariel Cardenas, Mr. Tramaine Weatherspoon, Mr. Alexander Perez, Ms. Abigail Malloy, Mr. Jeff Bridges, Mr. Tim Lee, Ms. Sandie Rosenblatt, Cypress Bay High School’s band director Mr. Michael Friedman, and all the other people that made the 2011 winter guard season so wonderful. Finally, none of my success would have been possible

without the support of my teammates and my incredible family.

Not a single day goes by when I don’t think about guard; I’ve never had so much passion for something. I could not be any happier that I gave myself the chance to join such an incredible sport that December afternoon in ninth grade.

Johana Ballesteros is one of 10 performers who received WGI Scholarships in 2011.

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THE WGI SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMSince its inception, the WGI Scholarship Program has provided over $395,000 to young people who participate in color guard and percussion activities. The money for these scholarships comes from the 50/50 raffl e at the World Championships and individual donations. If you are interested in donating to the WGI Scholarship Fund, send your donation to WGI Scholarship Donation, 2405 Crosspointe Drive, Dayton, OH 45342. For more information about the WGI Scholarship Program, visit wgi.org/about/scholarship.php.

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www.wgi.org 34 WGI FOCUS

WGiQ?Below are four groups of four photos. Each group comes from a single WGI season. Can you guess the years—and the groups?

AB

C

D

A:

B:

C:

D:

A:

B:

C:

D:

A

BC

D

A:

B:

C:

D:

A

B

C

D

A:

B:

C:

D:

A BC

D

YEAR

YEAR

YEAR

YEAR

ANSWERS FROM TOP: 1982 (A: BUCCANEERS, B: CICERO NORTH STARS, C: ELIZABETH HS, D: SKYLARKS); 2000 (A: NORTHVIEW HS, B: NORTH PENN, C: CROWN, D: MUSIC CITY MYSTIQUE); 2006 (A: ORACLE, B: NORTH COAST ACADEMY, C: FLANAGAN HS, D: MISSION VIEJO HS); 1990 (A: EMERALD MARQUIS, B: THUNDERBOLTS, C: SUBURBANETTES, D: BLUE DEVILS)

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