Anna Mills

As the school year came to an end, fall sports began recruiting. Nervous to start off the season, senior Katina Bell showed up for her first day of Color Guard.

“I was scared. I was kind of like ‘don’t pick me to join.’ When I went to the audition there were so many people in there I was like oh my gosh… and then I made it,” Bell said.

Despite initially facing challenging times on the field, older members of the guard took Bell under their wing.

“I was having to ask my older teammates [and] I had no idea what I was doing… they were really nice and would show me where to go,” Bell said. “I appreciate that because I
understand that now that I’m older, I understand how the new kids feel.”

Bell is now the one that newer members look up to, as she has taken the reins as a leader on the team.

“Being the captain of the guard, [I] was chosen to be one of the main leaders of the group. The new members and even the veterans look up to me, and there’s certain things that I have done that other people recognize and are like ‘OK, she’s really good at this,’” Bell said.

Throughout the past four years, Bell’s experience in Color Guard has transformed her into a performer.

“You need patience to be in guard,” Bell said. “Sometimes in the moment it’s like ‘God why are we out here for so long,’ just being outside and trying to make it through a hot rehearsal, we’re moving slow and then we get yelled at… in the end it’s worth it.”

Senior Valentina Arcucci has worked alongside Bell as the co-Color Guard captain. “One of the most valuable things that the Color Guard program has taught me is the importance of teamwork and collaboration,” Arcucci said. “We have to work together to create visually stunning performances… I’ve definitely learned to trust and rely on each other.”

Arcucci and Bell are under constant pressure to be the best example of a leader. Although the extra pressure is stressful, the impact they have on others is beyond emotions.