Valentine’s Day may be long gone, but the GHS guard tosses and spreads love in the air with their seasonal show.

“Our winter show was called ‘Will You Be Mine.’ It was about a love story. The song goes back and forth between a narrator writing a book, and then you switch to acting as if you were the character yourself. The love story was about these two people, and then eventually the female role dies, and then the man grieves that part of her. It was bittersweet,” senior Kayla Rice, captain, said.

The Winter Guard is an indoor branch of the Color Guard.

Clark differentiates between the different types of guards at Greenwood. The Irish Guard is the creation from a long history.

“Irish Guard is a name that we got because of our long history. It was created because of Pamela Wishmeyer, who founded the guard,” she said. “Winter Guard is the winter version of color guard, and color guard is the version of guard with the band.”

Being a captain entails supporting teammates and keeping traditions alive.

“Being a captain of the guard entails a lot of things. One of the most important things of the Irish Guard are the traditions,” Rice said. “The Irish Guard has been around for a very long time, so being a captain means keeping the Irish spirit alive as new generations come into it, so that is one way that I step up, and just leading others, even if it is not verbally, just setting a good example for younger members, so when they step into a leadership position they can have someone to guide them,” she said.

Junior Annabelle Clark, co-captain, tries her best to keep the team motivated.

“Self-motivation is key,  and helping everybody figure out what their goals in the season help the team to perform better. We practiced that during one of the practices, and it helped everyone feel more motivated and wanting to do better,” she said.

In any performative art, there are season highlights, and Irish Guard is no different.

“One of our season highlights was our show at Warren Central when we had a ripple of tosses, and everybody caught their toss, and the crowd was going crazy,” she said.

When dealing with loss, positivity is the main way to persevere.

“The season has been a mixture of both wins and losses. As a team, there were some losses, but we fought together to keep a positive attitude, and overall, the team did a great job of being an actual team and supporting each other like a family,” Clark said.

Rice and Clark are on the same page when trying to help the team grow and flourish.

“My favorite part about being a captain this season is watching people grow under my wing. It is very fun and heartwarming to see people look up to you,” Rice said. “This season, we have gotten a lot of new members who haven’t spun at all or been a part of varsity before. There was a lot of growth this season, and it was exciting to watch.”

Senior Carter Ericson talked about the highs and lows of his season.

“For me, the best part of the season was understanding more advanced skills and tricks. A low point of the season was after long days, I would shut down towards the end, especially if I dropped in the middle of the run, I would just shut down,” Ericson said.

Ericson began guard at the start of his freshman year and has advanced his skills since then.

“This season for me has been very good. It was my first season on the varsity team, so it was a great experience overall,” Ericson said. “I started guard in the winter season of my freshman year, and then I did it again my sophomore year. I did it both seasons my junior year, and now I am finally varsity.”

The community and support helps Ericson become more active in guard.

“My favorite part about guard is the collaborations I make as well as doing an activity I enjoy, so being around people that do the things I do helps me want to be more active in guard,” he said.

In guard, members bond over their shared passion, prompting members to enjoy competition days.

“I really love going outside of guard together. Competition days are always super fun; it takes all the hard work we put in and puts it all together. I love being with the team and bonding,” Rice said.