by Kelly Conlin

Spintronix is a local first year winter guard that has members from Houston, Mtn. View, Mtn. Grove, and Willow Springs. On Tuesday, February 8, Spintronix will be performing at the Willow Springs basketball game.

Color guard is an activity that can combine dance, flag work, and weapon choreography all in a single event. There are 3 different types of color guards. There is a military color guard, a marching band color guard, and a winter guard.

In the military color guard, their job is to show the symbols of their unit and the flag of the United States. The color guard usually consists of two flag bearers in the middle and a rifle on each end. One normally sees them at important ceremonies and parades.

Marching bands have their own color guard to perform with them in shows and competitions. This color guard wears uniforms that match either the show theme or the band uniforms. They perform at football games during half time and march onto the field with the band. Sometimes they do tricks with the band like tossing flags over them or they all join in a dance. But mostly they make the band pretty.

The winter guard is like the marching color guard, but they do not perform with a marching band and they perform indoors. Winter guards perform at basketball games and have competitions of their own. They choose any type of song they would like to do and base their show on it. They only have seven minutes in total to set up, perform, and get all their stuff off the floor. Winter guards can either be made of a school guard or it can be a community guard like Spintronix.

Although color guards have their differences, there is at least one similarity. All color guards love what they are doing and are proud of the piece of art they helped create. Color guard is like a giant piece of moving artwork that has a lot of talented athletes in it!