GVHS Winter Guard teams take 5th at WGI World Championships

Grain Valley High School Junior Varsity and Varsity Winter Guard teams recently traveled to Dayton, Ohio, to compete for the first time at the WGI (Winter Guard International) World Championships. The varsity team had a successful first showing with a 5th place finish in the Scholastic A Class, competing against over 130 teams.

Color Guard/Winter Guard Director Araya Penfield said the teams surpassed the goals they had set for themselves this season.

"This was a huge accomplishment for our program, as our goal for the season was only to make semifinals. Finals are held in the University of Dayton Arena, where the best of the best get to perform and compete for World Championships. You walk into the arena, and it is just a magical feeling. It was their time to shine in finals competition and Varsity brought the crowd to their feet by the end of their performance. The energy was unbelievable, students were crying tears of happiness," Penfield said.

"Later that evening awards began, they called 11th place and Grain Valley Varsity was not announced, then 10th, and 9th, and so on... It wasn't until the 5th place scores were announced that Grain Valley Varsity was called. Seeing the faces of the students was the most rewarding experience a coach could go through. I am so proud of their determination, compassion for the activity, and their drive to succeed no matter what is thrown their way."

The trip to WGI capped off a season that began in November. 

"The season kicks off in early to mid-November with auditions, and right from the start, we hit the ground running. We focus on training and building the teams' skills, setting the stage for what promises to be an exciting season ahead. By mid-December, we dive into the creative process, beginning the design of our shows. This is when we start staging the pathways on the tarp, and then gradually layer in the choreography to bring the whole vision to life," Penfield said.

"This year was a bit of a wild ride! We rewrote the JV show several times before finally landing on a final version in early January. We weren't willing to settle for anything less than the best, so while it was mentally challenging for both the students and the staff to relearn nearly four minutes of choreography, it paid off in the long run."

Penfield said the Varsity team had some challenges to overcome this season, with a rewrite of their show to perfect early this year.

"We had a clear idea of the story we wanted to tell, but we weren't done yet. In late January, we made the decision to rewrite parts of the show to make it even stronger. This meant pulling the team from their first competition in early February, which was tough. To make it all work, we held a 12-hour camp to perfect the changes and enhance the overall production. The students are incredibly passionate about competing, so it was a rough start, but by the end of the camp, they completely understood the reasoning behind the adjustments."

The teams competed locally within their circuit, MCCGA, which oversees over 100 teams from the Midwest. The team traveled throughout Missouri and to Tulsa for competitions. Varsity went undefeated throughout the season, while the junior varsity team stayed in the top half of the Scholastic A division all year.

The teams then competed at the end of March at the MCCGA Championships, where Varsity took home the gold medal and JV earned the bronze, setting the teams up for the successful run at the national competition in Dayton. 

The varsity Winter Guard team (middle photo in blue uniforms) placed 5th at the WGI World Championships in Dayton, OH. The Junior Varsity team (bottom photo in purple uniforms) also traveled to the competition, performing in the preliminary round. Photo credit: Grain Valley Bands/Winter Guard
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