Sports can completely change a person. Color guard is the sport that changed me without my knowledge. Color guard has made me not only physically change but mentally too. I have learned so much from the three years I have been in color guard. I learned how to rely on my team members and trust that they will help make the performance perfect. The responsibility that comes with being part of the color guard shaped my mind to accept having many responsibilities, not to fear them.

At times practice is absolutely horrible, and on other days I just dread the constant critique from my instructors. I may abhor practicing but I know that I am responsible for keeping my skills up with the flag. If I mess up,I am at fault. Being responsible in color guard means I must practice on my own. At six in the morning, the rifle line is outside running through the show. I have to take on the responsibility of not only working with five other girls on the line but also keeping up with my performance on the field and my grades in school. I have to remember that failing to fulfill each responsibility not only affects me it affects the whole team.

Teamwork is something every sport teaches. In color guard, teamwork is one of the major lessons learned. The performance will never win if each guard member is doing something different. I learned that the smallest thing like counting is a huge team effort. I have to rely on the girl beside me just as much as she has to rely on me. That type of teamwork has showed me that leaving others to fend for themselves hurts me as well as them. With the encouragement of my team, I know for sure that I will make it through a color guard show.

Color guard like many other sports take long hours of practice and nitpicky instructors. To have the energy to keep pushing forward, a guard member must have endurance. This endurance comes from mentally believing that I can run the entire show one more time. The strength to accept mistakes is difficult, but the strength to keep trying and practicing until that mistake is never made again feels nearly impossible. Color guard has given me this strength. I know how to try until I reach perfection.

Perfection is what every guard member strives for. It’s what make the tiring responsibility of practicing for hours worth it. The color guard showed me how amazing a show could be with teamwork. The encouragement to keep trying shouted at practice makes me want to run the whole show again even though I’m exhausted both mentally and physically.

Looking back on the past three years, I don’t remember the pain in my feet and the tiring practice. I remember the wonderful feeling of performing and being with some of my best friends. I remember the day I first started color guard. It feels as if  just last week my small body attempted to be as perfect as the upperclassmen. Now I understand that the upperclassmen are far from perfect, but they try hard to be. Thinking about my senior year pulls at my heat. I know to enjoy and treasure every show because soon that feeling will only be a memory. That memory will forever be cherished along with my mind wondering back to those hard practices I miss dearly.