South Brunswick Winter Guard Continues Tradition of Excellence

On a Tuesday evening at , most of the winter sports teams have finished practice and headed home for the night. But for one of the most successful teams at SBHS, the evening is just getting started.

The SBHS Winter Guard teams are busy putting in the work that has led them to the top of the rankings in New Jersey for the last several years, and that propelled them last season to a top ten finish at the Winter Guard International Championship.

Winter guard, also known as "the sport of the arts," is a combination of the use of flags, sabers, mock rifles, and other equipment, in addition to dance and other interpretive movement. Due to the abundance of winter sports teams needing to use school facilities, the SBHS Winter Guard teams practice from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays, and most of the day on Saturdays.

"(Winter Guard) is the ultimate discipline moment for these students," said Coach Ginny Kraft. "We don't rehearse directly afterschool because the gyms are all taken here. So these girls have to have passion and discipline with our practice schedule. Teamwork is so crucial because there are so many moves, along with lifting and catching. I'm not sure you can find this kind of teamwork any other place."

The Winter Guard is split into two teams, the Visual Ensemble (varsity team) and Performance Company (junior varsity team). Competing in both the Mid-Atlantic Indoor Network and in the Winter Guard International, the SBHS squads have achieved unmatched success.

Ranked number one in New Jersey, the SBHS squad finished 9th overall at the Winter Guard International Championships, held in Dayton, Ohio last year. SBHS earned a top ten finish competing against teams from all over the U.S., England, Holland, Japan, and other countries.

As the indoor version of the color guard that is part of the SBHS Marching Band, there is some carryover from the girls who also perform with the band outdoors.

"In the fall with the marching band, you have all the elements like wind and rain to deal with," Kraft said. "While it's basically the same animal inside, there's more of an emphasis on dance and the tosses are higher.

"It's a training ground for sure, outside the work has to be bigger visually because they're performing on a football field."

Evaluated by five different judges on varying aspects such as movement, dance, use of equipment and general effect, the girls of the Winter Guard must drill continually on multiple disciplines to tie the performance together into a complete package.

"Dance is the most important aspect, as it centers the body and is the foundation to do anything else," Kraft said. "I like to call them visual musicians, because when you look at them you should be able to actually see the music that you're listening to."

The squads perform one routine throughout each season, with a different theme chose each year. Kraft said this year's theme, "A Brand New Day," was chosen to combine the performance aspect with current events. The music combines tracks of news reports from recent events across the world, before turning to a song of hope using quotes from notable influential women throughout history, such as Helen Keller, Mother Teresa and Anne Frank.

"It has the message that the world we live in is not always a happy place," Kraft said. "But it also shows how we can make decisions to help change the world."

While holding together the balance between an extensive practice and competitive schedule with maintaining their academics, Kraft joked that the grades of her athletes are typically higher during the season because the girls know they must keep up with their schoolwork to compete.

"So many graduates have come back to tell me what a difference this made for them developing responsibility and discipline after they moved on to college," Kraft said.

For the girls on the squad, the work they put in with the Winter Guard has also helped them develop in other areas.

"It's definitely taught me discipline and confidence," said senior Lauren Braconi. "As a freshman I was one of the quietest ones on the team, but now I'm pretty loud and a lot more confident."

For other students on the team, the work they put in to compete is all worthwhile once they get in front of an audience.

"My favorite part is the competitions when everybody applauds for us and the adrenaline rush you get when performing," said sophomore Debbie Medina. "When you perform it touches into your inner self and teaches you not to get nervous or freak yourself out."

The Winter Guard will kick off a season that runs through April on Saturday with a competition at West Orange. There will also be a "Friends and Family Show" on Friday night at , beginning at 9:15 p.m.

The bonds built through shared dedication have brought many alums of the Winter Guard back for competitions, with former squad members from as far back as the 1980's coming out to support the team, Kraft said.

Because the Winter Guard requires discipline and sacrifice typically seen on the collegiate level, Kraft said the work is great preparation to set the girls up for success later in life.

"A lot of the girls even end up going on to teach and work with Winter Guards at other schools, in fact I had two emails this week for recommendations from former students who are moving on to teach," she said. "So I've ended up competing against many of my former students, which is really nice to see."