News from Around WGI

The WGI Board of Directors gathered for a “Board Retreat” earlier this month in Las Vegas, Nevada. Consisting of 17 members (10 members elected from the Color Guard Advisory Board, four members elected from the Percussion Advisory Board and three members-at-large), this group with a wealth of experience in color guard and indoor percussion gathered to focus on reconnecting with the WGI organizational mission. The retreat looked closely at who WGI is as an organization and as a movement, the history of the organization, and what should be the future priorities. The retreat ended with individual commitments for action from each board member with the knowledge that what can be accomplished together as a board is bolder and more robust than what any single individual can accomplish alone. The retreat focused on efforts to do with education, our international partners and allowing for more creativity in the indoor activities. An even closer look was taken on how to further enhance our use of new media and technology in our operations and to work on making all of our events more meaningful and fun for all participants. The retreat was directed by a leading strategic planning consultant, David Baum, who also works with other non-profit organizations, educational organizations, government and corporations such as Conde Nast Publications, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the International Youth Foundation, Jane Goodall, Free the Children, Johnson and Johnson, Outward Bound, Shell Oil, Staples, the University of Pennsylvania, the US Army Corps of Engineers as well many others. The Board subsequently held its Annual General Meeting and made several important decisions for the upcoming season, which will be announced in the following months as details become available. Each year, the board elects from amongst its members an Executive Committee. Those elected for a one-year term are: President Ed Devlin is currently the director of Blessed Sacrament Color Guard and resides in Massachusetts. Vice-President of Color Guard Charles Gumbert is currently the director of the Pride of Cincinnati Color Guard from Ohio. Vice-President of Percussion Caleb Rothe formerly served as Percussion Director at Ayala High School from Southern California. Secretary Richard Berthelsen – currently serving as a Director-at large resides in Toronto, Canada and a former WGI color guard judge. Treasurer Rob Jett is the director of the Rancho Bernardo High School color guard program from southern California. The next meeting of the Board is scheduled for November 14th in Indianapolis to be held in conjunction withBands of America Grand Nationals and PASIC.

If you're heading inside the Georgia Dome this Saturday for the for the DCI Atlanta Southeastern Championship, stop by the WGI booth to watch your favorite indoor color guard and percussion ensemble performances from the 2010 WGI World Championships.  It's the best way to preview the final product, and pick up your own copy without paying those pesky shipping fees.  Find us at DCI's Easter Classic in Allentown, PA on August 6-7, and the DCI World Championships in Indianapolis, IN August 12-14.

The indoor winter season has been over for more than three months, and auditions are still a couple months away. Make yourself feel a little better with this fun Winter Guard International t-shirt. The spirit of the indoor season will definitely be close to your heart! Take a look at this shirt, and other "Sport of the Arts" merchandise on our secure online shop!

Thanks to Leo Finuliar for this photo and caption. From Left To Right: Oscar De Alba, Edward Yu, Leo Finuliar, Gio De Torres, Gerald Hall It's been a while since I have been to World Championships and I happened to be going through my pictures and found this picture. To end such an amazing season with the wonderful members and staff of Northern Lights 2005 and with 4 amazing life-long friends. This brings back so many great memories of those late night practices and the roar of the audience as we emerged from the tunnel onto the arena floor. Definitely a moment that I am honored to share forever! To submit your own photo for wgi.org, email it along with your story to WGImages@wgi.org

Pepsi’s “Refresh Everything” project has added a new way for you to vote for your favorite ideas. Text it! While each month starts a new list of organizations we still have a couple more days to vote for Northview HS (currently 6th place) and Seminole HS (currently 14th place). Only the top 10 will receive $25,000, so make sure to vote every day for the rest of July! To vote for Northview HS text 100204 to Pepsi (73774) or click here To vote for Seminole HS text 100219 to Pepsi (73774) or click here  

From a Pearl Corporation Press Release If you’re looking for a bit more out of your marching percussion – find your solution with Pearl’s ground breaking Championship Carbonply Series Snares, Tenors, and Bass Drums, master-crafted for superior Volume and Projection. Take 6 plies of warm, resonant African Mahogany encapsulated in an inner and outer ply of Carbon Fiber, and you have shells that push the sonic boundaries of Marching Percussion all-together. Across the line, you can achieve Crisp, cutting projection in the upper register, without sacrificing Warmth and resonance in the low frequencies. The Carbonply shells provide extra strength but keep the drums lightweight for optimal movement and agility. Pearl Championship Carbonply Series Marching Drums blend beautifully with any wind section and can support even the largest marching bands. Available in #301 Carbon Fiber Matte finish with aluminum, chrome, or powder-coated hardware. Let technology elevate your game with Carbonply. For more information, please visit the Marching section of www.pearldrum.com.

Thanks to Maddie Kerns for this photo and caption I am from the Little Elm High School winter guard, and I wanted to share a story on WGI about how close the Little Elm winter guard got with Cypress Independent this year. It started back in Texas, at the Dallas WGI Regional. The Little Elm winter guard always loved being a floor crew and helping out with some of the independent guard's equipment. We decided to help carry out Cypress Independent's floor, and we got to talking with a few of the members, and before we knew it both of the guards were talking to each other. They told us they saw our show earlier that night, and they loved it. We carried out their floor, and we watched in the front row and fell in love with their show too. We continued to talk, and kept in touch through facebook. All of us would meet back up again at the World Championships. So the day we left for Dayton, the entire Little Elm Winter Guard decided to wear all white, or khaki to represent Cypress Independent's show. Our director told their director, and Cypress members were so excited. In Dayton they requested for us to help carry out their floor in prelims, so Little Elm helped once again, and afterward we took pictures outside of the Dayton arena with our brand new guard family. When The Little Elm guard made Scholastic A finals, Cypress Independent insisted on helping carry out our floor, and it was great having them there supporting us in the tunnel. We cheered them on through Independent World finals, and we were so happy for them. We love our huge new guard family Cypress Independent! In the picture Little Elm is wearing the purple shirts, and Cypress is wearing their uniforms. To submit your own photo for wgi.org, email it along with your story to WGImages@wgi.org

Thanks to Allie Carlber for this photo and caption We three girls (left to right: Allie Carlber, Sydney Acebo, and Rachel Coates) have marched together in the same guard for the past five years; from 8th grade to our senior year, and we've gone through way more than just 5 years of 10 guard shows. We have not only memorized, marched, cryed, sweat, and bled color guard shows but we've grown together through the most toughest times in our lives. Together: We have tried and failed to fix one another, we've hated and loved each other, we've accepted our flaws and achievements and praised each other even though it meant that one of us would fail. And now as we all graduate and head off to different parts of the country-Allie to Washington state, Sydney to Pennsylvania, and Rachel to Virginia-we now realize that those five years with each other shaped who we are today. We know that we will probably never ever spin together on the same team and it breaks our hearts, but we're glad to have our moments, our apsirations, our mistakes, our flaws and our abilities; together, with each other. Because now we know that we learned so much, we learned to love the team, to fight through the pain because there is a rainbow at the end of the storm, to sacrifice everything for a guard, a relationship, a friend because thats what really matters in life. To be extraordinary, and we were. It didn't end when we performed for the last time in Dayton. It will never end. Guard brought us together and now nothing can tear us apart. Thank you WGI for making this SPORT much more then just performing. You made it a life long experience for us three. To submit your own photo for wgi.org, email it along with your story to WGImages@wgi.org

From a Horizons Press Release After much debate, the staff of the FIU Performance Ensemble have decided to change the name of the guard to Horizon Independent. The university has decided to no longer fund a competitive color guard, so we felt that it was in our best interest to proceed with a different name. The staff will include Herman Rios as the Director, Dina Lopez as Assistant Director, Leon May as Drill Designer, Patty Stetson as Consultant, Devaughn Robinson- Equipment, Malcolm Baraza- Movement, Hector Fermaint- Equipment and Michael Rosales- Choreographer. We're excited to compete in the independent open class locally and nationally. Our travel plans include the Orlando Regional, Tampa Regional and WGI finals in Dayton, Oh. For more information on the guard and our upcoming clinic on July 25th, please visit our website www.horizonyouth.org

by Michael Boo When spending so much time in a color guard or a percussion ensemble, your teammates become your "second family." Jordan Wright had to learn how to combine his very own sister into his home away from home when she joined the bass line. Listen to Jordan describe the experience. Interviews were conducted as the performers reached the "Top of the Tunnel" after their 2010 World Championships performance. Stay tuned to WGI.org this summer as more interviews are posted each week!

WGI 2010 World Championships DVDs have arrived at the WGI offices in Dayton, OH. They are now being packaged up for their final red carpet trip to your home. If you haven't already ordered your copy, do so now!    brightcove.createExperiences();

WGI 2010 World Championships DVDs have arrived at the WGI offices in Dayton, OH. They are now being packaged up for their final red carpet trip to your home. If you haven't already ordered your copy, do so now!    brightcove.createExperiences();

From a Usurpation Press Release Usurpation will be holding its Second Annual Summer Clinic on Sunday, August 8, 2010! All ages and experience levels are encouraged to attend and learn at multiple levels. This is an excellent opportunity to become familiar with the color guard before auditions, or to just come out and try some new things! For more information, please visitwww.usurpationwg.org.

Time Warner Cable attended the 2010 WGI World Championships to learn more about the activity and some local area color guards and percussion ensembles. Reporter Khrys Styles Caught up with Centerville, Miamisburg, Mason and Kings HS to ask the performers and directors why the "Sport of the Arts" is so special to them. Time Warner Customers in the Dayton and Cincinnati areas can find this feature on the ON DEMAND Channel #411. Simply select Around Town from the tabs at the bottom of channel 411 and then select the Winter Guard program! Check out a clip from the video!   brightcove.createExperiences();

As we feverishly work on the 2010 DVDs, we’d like to take a moment to feature each volume separately. This summer, we've released a single cover, along with a teaser trailer, each week. Here is the final cover and preview.  Please welcome Volume 8 – Concert Percussion Class - Pre Order your copy today!   brightcove.createExperiences();

Thanks to Steven Herman, Junior Chino High School, for this photo and caption. Here is Chino Valley Unified School District on the floor after World Class awards ceremony taking 1st, 2nd, and 6th. The three schools are within ten minutes of each other, and I think it's just crazy how there is so much talent in such a concentrated area.

It's alway nice to catch event reviews to see what people think about shows and results of the season. Yamaha's "Marching Journal" helps us remember that the WGI audience extends farther than we often think about, and the international aspect of the activity continues to grow each year. Test your reading skills with these two reports. 2010年度イベント Winter Guard International 大会概要

By Michael Boo Kelsey Mason of Byrnes HS didn't start off her color guard career earning praise and gold stars. Working from an alternate spot, she proved that with hard work and confidence, anyone can become what they want to be. Listen to what she has to say about her journey with the audio player above.  Interviews were conducted as the performers reached the "Top of the Tunnel" after their 2010 World Championships performance. Stay tuned to WGI.org this summer as more interviews are posted each week!

It's that time of year again! 2011 WGI Memberships are now available by clicking here. Please remember that membership is required for all color guard and percussion ensembles to register for contest entries and participate in any WGI event (except Regional A Class - for additional Regional A Class information click here). It may take up to five business days for your membership to be processed, so make sure you've completed this step well in advance before you want to sign up for WGI Regionals and World Championships! If you have an ensemble in both color guard and percussion classifications from the same parent organization, each ensemble must purchase an individual membership. There are two types of membership: Premium memberships are $100 and allow for early access to the entry form, September 24, 2010. Standard memberships are $75 and will allow access to the entry form on September 28, 2010. Watch this video for detailed instructions on how to purchase your 2011 WGI Membership   brightcove.createExperiences();

From a Paramount Press Release In the upcoming 2011 season a new and exciting organization, Paramount Winter Guard, is please to add to a list of wonderful programs in the Atlanta area, as well as to the ranks of the Independent World Class. The guard will compete locally as a member of the Southern Association for Performance Arts (SAPA), and at WGI Regionals and World Championships. For more information about the organization, the staff, or just to share in our excitement, come visit us on Facebook or check us out at our website: www.paramountwg.org