Like me, you can probably look back on your years in color guard and smile, knowing that you wouldn’t be the same person today without those memories, lessons, and experiences. Color guard was an activity that pushed you physically, mentally, and emotionally, testing your ability to learn choreography quickly and precisely and execute it in a beautiful manner. Color guard will always have a special place in your heart, and it instilled powerful things in your mind that you may never forget.
1. You can perfect almost anything with just “one more time.”
Now, as most band and guard kids know, “one more time” never actually means one more time. That “one more time” more often than not turns into 13 and a half more times, and by that point you’ve basically perfected whatever toss or combination you were struggling with. Since this has been a habit for four years of your life, now you can’t do anything just once.
2. It is possible to get dressed and look cute in less time than it takes to watch and episode on Netflix.
Whether you were on a bus or in the bathroom of some school in the middle of nowhere, you mastered the art of getting ready in less than 20 minutes. Bobby pins littered the floor, the smell of hairspray was tangible, and you made a game out of who could put their tights on the quickest. Now, in no time you can wake up from your mid-afternoon nap, turn on the latest episode of “New Girl,” and look like you own the town.
3. Failure is inevitable.
Accepting this simple fact made life so much easier. Instead of being afraid to release that daunting 45 toss or attempt that split leap, you just went for it. You knew that you wouldn’t get it right the first time. And that’s okay. What matters is that you tried, and you knew you’d do better next time. And while accepting failure’s mocking glance is hard, learning from your mistakes and persevering taught you much more than you could’ve ever imagined.
4. Smiling can change your perspective.
You hear “Chins up! Smiles on!” countless times before a performance. You remember that through the sweat, mistakes, and equipment changes that the only thing the audience really sees is your smile. Your enthusiasm and energy for the performance. Life isn’t much different. You might be having a bad run or a bad day, but how you present yourself and view the day determines how you feel at the end of it. No matter how many times you dropped your rifle or got off count, if you were smiling at the end and gave it everything you had, you probably thought it was a good run.
5. You are stronger than you give yourself credit for.
There isn’t really a type of weather that you haven’t spun in, right? Humid heat, frigid winter air, rain, maybe even snow. You’ve suffered through early morning rehearsals and late night band camps. And you’ve survived. Even the morning workouts that tested you and the 15 minute run-throughs that pushed you to your breaking point. You survived them all, and you got stronger. You’re going to go through similarly difficult situations for the rest of your life. And you’ll conquer those too, growing stronger with each one.
6. Your instructors actually do know best.
You’ve rolled your eyes at their odd and seemingly random techniques, like making you stand on your knees so you wouldn’t jump under your rifle tosses. They made you repeat phrases to scrutinize your free hand, they made you learn dance sequences on the left side to increase your versatility. And yet, all of these strange and extreme techniques worked. They made you a better performer and a better person, teaching you to be flexible and appreciative of the people that chose to give you their time.
7. Laughter is the best camera.
This may sound like a weird thing to have learned. But think back to your favorite memories from guard. Weren’t they usually accompanied by laughter? You didn’t always need to take a picture to remember the frigid fall nights sitting on the bleachers, waiting for awards to begin. You remember the laughter that would resonate on buses and during stretch block and while eating dinner. You valued those little moments of laughter that characterized your time in guard, and value the moments that have yet to happen. Expect them, and appreciate them.
8. You hold yourself back more than anything else ever could.
You’ve gone through several phases where there was one specific toss you just couldn’t get. You tried and tried, and if you’re like me, you probably gave it up for a while in order to focus on another fancy new toss. I normally gave up on myself before I could fully grasp that toss. But maybe that next attempt at nailing it would have been the one. You can’t give up on yourself before you get the chance to fully embrace your skill. Because, after all, you were good. And you knew it. So embrace life with the expectation that you can do anything if you try hard enough.
9. Discipline is one of the greatest traits to have.
You mastered the art of freezing under your tosses and standing at attention during awards block. You managed to remain in set while that menacing drip of sweat was sliding down your back. And now, you can probably withstand much more stress than you thought possible. Guard taught you discipline and, like me, you probably didn’t realize it until you saw that discipline in action either at work or in school.
10. Believe it or not, exercise can be fun.
After two weeks of band camp each summer for four years, you were used to morning workouts. Yes, you’d complain about it. But when it came time to do lunges and burpees, you managed to be okay. Probably because your best friends were there suffering with you. Even now, exercise can still be fun if you tolerate the pain with those that can push and encourage you.
11. There aren’t many mistakes that can’t be fixed.
Whether it was a bad run, a broken finger, or a ruined relationship, you moved on and survived each awkward encounter or mistake. Maybe you made a friend mad, royally screwed up your solo, or even forgot a piece of your uniform. But it ended up okay, didn’t it? This taught you that you’re allowed to mess up, and forgiveness is possible if you ask for it.
12. Friends are forever.
This is the most important lesson you learned in guard. Through the ups and downs, the tears and bruises, the wins and losses, your friends always had your back. They were there when you had a fight with that cute boy in the drumline, and they were there each time you managed to lose all of your bobby pins. They are there now, too. Wherever you are in life, those friends will have your back if you call them. They’ll be ready to talk about life, relive the “good times,” and maybe even do an impromptu practice session to make sure you don’t lose your skills. Through it all, they are with you.
