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Marjory Stoneman Douglas Winter Guard Works Towards World Guard Championships

by Jill Fox March 7, 2019

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Marjory Stoneman Douglas Winter Guard Works Towards World Guard Championships 2

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Color Guard

By Jill Fox

After marching band season is over, members of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Color Guard don’t stop their work. They continue to perform in not only the South Florida Winter Guard Association and Winter Guard International events, but are preparing for the World Guard Championships in April.

On March 2, along with other South Florida middle and high school teams, the MSD Color Guard took part in a competition presented by the South Florida Winter Guard Association. At the annual competition, held at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, over 30 teams competed in eight different classes, from beginning novice to highly advanced world-class.

Manny Miranda, MSD Director of Color Guards said the team had their best show of the season, and it was nice that it happened at home.

The teams full-time color guard director since 2011, Miranda said they needed that performance for themselves after a freak accident the previous week during the finals of a regional competition in Tampa.

He said they modified a few things so they knew they were safe, rehearsed four days a week, and had lots of preparation.

“We had to come back this week and make sure the girls were comfortable with their props,” said Miranda, “and, it was worth it because they had a great show.”

The SFWGA Championship Prelims will take place on March 16 at Park Vista High School in Lake Worth. Next, the team will continue to prepare for the World Guard Championship on April 3, in Dayton, Ohio.

Miranda said the competitions are his favorite part of color guard, and that the coaches of the school teams all support each other.

“We’re all good friends. Sure it’s competitive, but at the end of the day, we do it because we love what we do, and that’s the fun part for me,” he said.

Anyone interested in attending a competition or being a corporate sponsor for the team and helping with their trip to Ohio should visit www.sfwga.org or contact Georgia Garnecki at georgiagarnecki@yahoo.com.

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Jill Fox

Jill Fox is an Emmy Award-winning writer and producer. She has worked in public relations and television for over 20 years. Fox lives in Parkland with her husband and their two children.