Every color guard kid has felt the same struggles and emotions at one point or another. I know that this sport has personally changed my life for the better, and I am incredibly grateful for the experiences I have had, and the people I have met.

1. Bruises

If you ask any guard kid how they feel about bruises, they will give the same answer. They suck, but we are used to them. All of us have felt the struggle of bumps, cuts and bruises. Every morning, I would wake up and admire my new black and blue splotches. Some people might think they are just nasty looking bruises. But to me, they represent the hard work and time that I out into something I love.

2. Family

Color guard kids have a strong appreciation for family and groups. We spend more time with our director and teammates than we do with our real families. After four years of high school color guard, I formed a deep appreciation for my team and my family.

3. Sunscreen and turf

You either love the smell of sunscreen or completely hate it. Personally, I love the smell. It makes me think of summer band and spending long days out in the sun. Speaking of summer band, do not get me started of turf pieces. I have not had a marching performance since last November, and I still find turf pieces. We all have felt the struggle of finding turf pieces weird places, such as makeup bags or even duffle bags (how the heck does it get in there?).

4. Constantly getting asked what instrument do you play?

This is such a frustrating thing for color guard kids because you have to explain to people that you do not actually play an instrument. They then go on to ask questions like "So you're one of those flag girls?" or "Is that like ROTC?" It hurts my heart every time I have to answer this question

5. You spin everything in sight

Sometimes you do not have access to your equipment, so you have to improvise. You'll see us spinning brooms, pencils, etc. I've hurt myself, broken things, and even been asked to leave a Dollar Tree before.

6. You write choreography for everything

Every time I hear music, I think of work that would fit with the song. Places where flag features, big tosses, and exciting moments would fit. I've thought of choreography for songs from music by Taylor Swift, to songs written by Elvis.

7. You have a love/hate relationship with your director

There were many times in high school that I would get super frustrated with my director. I now understand that everything he did for us, was so that we could be successful and become the best people that we could be. Yeah, he was teaching us to do crazy things like toss a six on rifle, turn around underneath it, and catch it at port. But he was also making us into a great group of young adults. He was always the best at giving advice and pep talks. To this day I still think to myself "Breath in. Breath out" when I am having a bad day. He taught me a lot, and I am so grateful that I had him as a mentor for four years.

8. Makeup

If you have never seen color guard show makeup, lucky you. Color guard make up is always ridiculous and eccentric. One night after returning home from a contest, my mom and I stopped at Walgreens on the way home. Everyone kept staring at me, and I forgot it was because of all of the show makeup I had on. Also, you become the best at putting your makeup on in weird situations. Most game/contest days we had to put makeup on while on a moving bus.

9. "One more time"

We all understand the phrase "one more time" really means 20 more times. There were days we would rehearse the same part of our show for the entire two and a half hour rehearsal till we got it right.

10. You're comfortable changing anywhere

You get really comfortable changing in weird places when you're in color guard, because you are constantly on the go. Moving bus? No problem. Empty hallway? Perfect.

11. Working on a deadline

Color guard helped me in high school and even now in college because it helped me learn to work on a deadline. We have all felt the struggle of being stuck in your rehearsal space on a Friday night until midnight, sometimes even one trying to perfect the show the night before a big competition.

12. You can sleep anywhere

Being in color guard, we always have late rehearsals, and early morning contests. Which means we do not get a lot of sleep. So, when nap times presents itself, you take full advantage of it. I have seen people asleep in stairwells, on bus floors, and even my good friend sleep on a chair rack.