Photo Courtesy Of CCHS Winterguard
BY CHERINA EUDOVIQUE
The Cooper City High School Color Guard placed 15th in the world at the Color Guard World Finals the weekend of April 10th in Dayton, Ohio.
Every year hundreds of schools go to compete at the Worlds Finals and the Cowboys Color Guard performed in a division composed of 44 other schools.
“There were a lot of school from this area,” senior captain Rachael McDowell said. “Stoneman, Cypress Bay, Miami Springs, John A. Ferguson, Archbishop McCarthy, West Broward, Flanagan and maybe a few more.
This year they had to perform without their mentor and Creative Director, former CCHS teacher David Rhodes. Despite Rhodes’ mid season departure the team pulled themselves together to create a performance that would do justice to the legacy he left at CCHS.
“When Rhodes left it was very upsetting,” senior Elizabeth Colburn said. “He was someone I looked up to since my freshman year. But I didn’t let it affect my performance when he left. I tried to have the best shows I could to make him proud.”
The girls were motivated to give their best perform because they knew that Rhodes would be watching. For most of the girls of the Color Guard the exhilaration of seeing the large crowds and hearing the thunderous applause made all the hard work worth it. The girls performed to various types of music putting their dance technique on display. Their competition routine included modern dance, spinning rifles, sabers and flags.
The two senior captains McDowell and Colburn feel that this season has truly been bittersweet. They accomplished a major feat of ranking in the top 15 in the world all while losing an influential leader.
“My competition experience this year has been amazing,” Colburn said. “It’s sad it’s my senior year, but I loved performing such a great show that our instructors put together this year.”
The impact the Color Guard has made on their high school experience is something that they will never forget. The girls feel more like sisters than just friends and share a bond that will supersede CCHS.
“To all my underclassmen, I’d like to leave them all the good times and memories we’ve had together, McDowell said. “These girls are my family and I appreciate every single one of them. They’ve made all these years special and I hope to have inspired them to be amazing; just I like I know they will be.”
