The Bridgewater-Raritan High School Winter Guard performed its annual show, “Le Café,” for the first time competitively at West Orange High School on Saturday, January 25.
Within the MAIN (Mid-Atlantic Indoor Network) Guards circuit, the team placed 2nd with a score of 64.6800.
An extension (with many differences) of the Marching Band experience, the Winter Guard Season spans from November to April, including Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday practices from 6-9 p.m. (on Tuesday and Thursday) and 1-8 (on Saturdays). Many members of this year’s Winter Guard team have participated in Marching Band beforehand, thus giving them an upper hand in terms of the skills necessary to perform to the highest caliber.
This year the show revolves around cafe culture and features a light-mooded exhibition with coffee cup props in the background. Various fun-filled dialogue lines revolve around coffee and coffee orders. The four props in the background are four types of coffee, two of them being a pumpkin spice latte and a brown sugar shaken oat milk latte.
Apart from this, their flags hold pictures of coffee on their silks that they wave around in their routines. Certain guard members also use enlarged foam coffee beans as props. Overall, their show combines various elements of coffee to create a cohesive show that successfully showcases the global love for coffee.
Moving into this season was difficult, as the division system for the season was changed. Usually, the guards would be divided up into different divisions that would determine the caliber of teams they would compete against. This year, the divisions would be decided after the second competition. This was a difficult feat for the Bridgewater-Raritan High School Winter Guard because it meant that they would be placed against very strong teams. However, the team was able to persevere during this competition.
Performing at 7:21 p.m. among several other teams, the Winter Guard was able to put on their first competitive installation of the show, alongside teams in their division ranging from West Millord High School (who placed first in Division A) to Rosyln Valley High School and Mineola High School. Given that the Bridgewater-Raritan Color Guard team recently moved up in divisions, this immediate win for the team signifies a successful season to come.
Senior Lily Singer, Winter Guard team captain and member for the past four years, shared her thoughts on the experience.
“It has taken a lot of practice to get where we are now. I am so happy that we won second place and I feel that it is a representation of the work we have put in so far. We are determined to keep working hard and put out this amazing show about coffee!” she said.
The group looks forward to their next performances at South Brunswick High School on February 22, and, considering long-term milestones, the Bridgewater-Raritan High School Winter Guard Home Show on March 8.
