Decked out in neon costumes and bright makeup, the color guard attended their first competition of the season on Saturday, Jan. 27. The Texas Color Guard Circuit (TCGC) competition was hosted at Dripping Springs High School, where the color guard placed tenth in their class.

“I’m satisfied with our performance,” Alycia Chee ‘26 said. “I personally don’t really care about what place we [got] because it’s all very subjective. The judges don’t see all the hard work that we put in behind the scenes.”

Upon arriving at Dripping Springs, the color guard proceeded to body warm-up, which emphasizes stretching and practicing dance skills, and equipment warm-up, which emphasizes practicing tosses and choreography, until 7:28 p.m. Then the show began. 

“The pre-show was entertaining. I enjoyed that a lot,” Captain Keira Humphries ‘24 said. “I was standing there, and I was very giddy. I was looking around, and my head was buzzing a little bit. It kind of all went away when the music started though.”

Following the performance, the color guard watched other color guards perform before attending the award ceremony. The color guard placed tenth in the Scholastic National A class with a score of 59.200. The score was based on three categories: equipment, movement, and show design. 

“Honestly, I was a little disappointed and surprised,” Captain Ari Coulekar ‘24 said. “But you know what? I’m proud of the product that we put out over the weekend.” 

The show, Attention Earthlings, centers around aliens and their quest to take over Earth. Neon colors and bright makeup reflect the light-hearted nature of the show. 

“It tells the story of our current-day relationship with climate change,” Color Guard Director Mr. Mark Istratie said. “Essentially, there are aliens from another planet who have come to kind of take over the world, but not in a destructive way, in a helpful way and to help us save the planet.”

After opening with a voiceover announcing the aliens’ plan to take control of the planet, the sound transitions to a cover of Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Sammy Rae & The Friends.

“The music, for me, speaks a lot because it’s multi-generational,” Mr. Istratie said. “It is performed by a younger artist, but it’s an older song from the 80s. So it has a way of connecting [the] older generation to the generation now. I love the idea of taking something older and then putting a little twist on it.”

The process of putting on the production started in November when rehearsals began and the show concept was officially revealed. Members learned the counts and their spots at different points in the show at staging camp, and then choreography was added later on. 

“We have a designer who comes in to stage the show and then from December to January and February, we’re learning our choreography,” Mr. Istratie said. “In that time, the costumes come in, and the flags come in and the floor as well.”

The color guard only performed four minutes of the five-and-a-half-minute show on Saturday, as the show is still in its early stages.

“We’re always working on something, so we’re going to continue crafting until April,” Mr. Istratie said.

The color guard will perform next at the TCGC competition at Hays High School on Saturday, Feb. 17.