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Taylor High color guard ranked top in state

Color guard can often be overlooked in the excitement of high school football games and marching bands, but there’s no overlooking Taylor High School Color Guard.

They’re among the topranked Class 4A Color Guards in the state with the junior varsity team bringing home a first-place trophy and Grand Champion banner from the Marching Auxiliaries National Championship.

Taylor participates in the Texas Educational Colorguard Association circuit.

Marcia Svatek, THS color guard director, said, “Currently, there are 117 schools in our circuit, and only 13 are ranked higher (than we are).”

Those 13 schools are 5A and 6A. Taylor is the highest ranking 4A school in its circuit and among the highest ranked in the state.

THS color guard competes with the band at various pre-UIL and UIL competitions.

“We provide the dance and color elements that help to tell the story of the music being presented,” Svatek said.

In the fall, color guard competes as a unit, but in the spring they split into two groups, the JV and varsity winterguard, which are indoor sport and performance art teams. Students are then divided upon predetermined skill levels where they must achieve a certain performance score to be promoted to a higher competition level.

The Marching Auxiliaries contest is a two-day event held at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Svatek said, “It features twirlers, dance and color guards and is the icing on the cake to our circuit competitions.”

Three THS students, sophomore Diana Beckman and freshmen Ivy Chapter and Crista Cedillo, received letterman jacket pins for their high scores in duet and solo competitions.

“Our soloists and small ensembles must choreograph their own presentation with minimal help from outside sources,” Svatek said.

The students then perform their pieces at the Texas Hall auditorium on the UTA campus.

Taylor has an average of 30 members participating in both varsity and junior varsity color guard. They combine dance elements, intricate choreography, theatrics and color guard skills – flag, rifle and saber – to create a four-and-a-half-minute thematic performance.

General effect is a big part of color guard’s performance and overall score in competitions.

Both THS JV and varsity color guard teams have had an incredible spring season and earned multiple trophies.

Svatek said, “Trophies are nice, but the development of a strong work ethic, commitment to something bigger than yourself and the lifelong memories are more important than the medals and trophies.”