Winter Guard is tossing aside their competition this year as it travels to Dayton, Ohio on April 3 to compete in the Winter Guard International (WGI).

The Image talks to soloist Hannah Farrell and her preparation for the upcoming weekend: http://lhsimage.com/features/2014/04/01/take-5-winter-guard-soloist-hannah-farrell-prepares-for-competition/

The WGI is a competition among all winter guard circuits across the nation as well as some international groups. The WGI is the culminating event of a long season for the Lafayette Winter Guard, whose auditions were held in November.  The contest is divided into different classes based on the skill level of each guard.

“They compete in the class that they’ve been in all year. That class is determined based on scores and experience in the group, so as they reach certain scores, they can get shifted into higher levels, which our guard has the last three years as they’ve moved up over four different classes,” Brad Balog, Director of Bands at Lafayette, said.

The Winter Guard will compete in the Scholastic A class, which is the third highest class. The goal of the WGI is to be able to enter into the final round, but simply making it to semi-finals is considered a feat given the large number of participants.

“Ultimately, you want to get into the finals and compete there, but that’s tough when you consider the number of prelim rounds. There’s probably 80-100 groups easily that choose to come to the international show and then only 12 make finals out of that, maybe 15,” Balog said.

In order to have the best show possible, Winter Guard has a lengthy season to allow extended amounts of time to prepare its performances. As a result, the Winter Guard holds its auditions in late October-early November and practices twice a week from 5:30-8:00 pm in addition to attending weekend camps.

“It just takes that long to put a show together. What they do is they choreograph the movement on the floor and the guard work, but it’s like a skeleton choreography; then they start filling in gaps. It’s constantly changing and the level of difficulty that they’re doing takes months and months of practices to get to the performance level they’re aiming for,” Balog said.

Success at the WGI could boost participation in the Winter Guard at Lafayette, while also providing invaluable performance experience for its current members.

“For them right now being they’re first year to go to WGI-this is the first time we’ve sent our Winter Guard- I think even making semi-finals would be a huge step forward for the program; the success helps feed the recruiting for the ensemble. It’s always about trying to find that next level and keep moving,” Balog said.

The Winter Guard has been growing and improving for years, a trend that no one knows better than senior Leah Gornet, the guard’s oldest senior and longest-standing member of the Winter Guard at Lafayette. Gornet will be competing at WGI, allowing her to have a strong finish to her last year in the Winter Guard.

“To be a senior and to be one of the first guards here to go to [WGI] is an honor, and to be the oldest and to be able to do this is so exciting,” Gornet said.

Gornet is the first person to participate in Winter Guard throughout all four years of high school, and as a result, she has earned a spot as the “unofficial leader” of the guard.

“I am not a ‘quote on quote’ captain or leader; I’m just kind of there to guide, because sooner or later-hopefully later rather than sooner- I will get replaced by somebody for captain next year,” Gornet said.

Gornet’s passion for Winter Guard will end with high school; Gornet is trying out for the guard at the University of Central Missouri on May 3.

Regardless of the Winter Guard’s performance at the WGI, goals for the future of the Winter Guard are already in the works.

“They’re always working toward improving the performance level and improving that level of achievement for the kids in the group. Each year you try and build on that to make it better and better. It’s kind of a two way street: It’s a byproduct of the success they’ve been having that we feel we’re at a point where we can start introducing them to the show. At the same time, by going to the show, they can grow a lot by seeing a lot of what’s out there and the even bigger picture. So it kind of goes both ways,” Balog said.

A more specific goal is to earn a spot in the next highest class, which is called Scholastic Open. The Scholastic Open class is the only division separating the Winter Guard from a place in the highest class, called Scholastic World.

“There isn’t a Scholastic World group in St. Louis. There’s only one Scholastic Open group in the St. Louis area right now and that’s Francis Howell North, so that’s a pretty lofty level to keep trying to achieve,” Balog said.

Although the guard has goals, the Winter Guard is focused on WGI at the moment and the excitement for the competition is growing.

“It’s really cool; all the guards, their stunts, their props, the tosses they do are just outstanding and amazing,” Gornet said.

Whatever the results of the WGI may be, the hard work and dedication of the Lafayette Winter Guard is sure continue to bring success for years to come.