Trojan Guard’s season ended off with a bang! The band competed at Franklin Central High School, Indianapolis, Indiana this past weekend on Saturday, October 14th. Out of the 12 schools that competed, Chesterton placed second.
All of their hard work began back in February. The Trojan Guard has been putting in so much hard work over the course of this year. They do once-a-month meetings from February through May to discuss all of the technical parts of TG’s season and introduce the basics of marching. During that time as well, TG also started preparing for marching in the Fourth of July parade. This parade is a very notable activity TG gets to partake in, which they get paid to do to help bring in funds for the band.
Finally, at the end of June TG starts preparing for the show. Students work three days a week and definitely work themselves to the bone. “Dancing in the Dark” was a phenomenal production filled with fantastic music and visuals. Director Jon Flodder, Matt Christensen, and Vince Arizzi all put in tremendous effort in creating a magnificent show for everyone to enjoy and admire. While the Trojan Guard was working non-stop, the color guard also had an incredible season. Director Bella Habzansky and Marlene McGing with the help of choreographer Ryan O’Dell. Incredible direction to both TG and the Color Guard, the magic was truly brought onto the field with both of their performances.
Over the past two years, TG has scored a score of fourth place, while also winning the state championship back in 2015. So it was no surprise the amount of joy that the band, as well as the senior band members, got to experience on the field that day.
“The first thing that went through my mind was just joy that we improved our score,” recalls Senior Matthew Haubold. “At the time of our score being announced, I was surrounded by all of the seniors, so I got to celebrate with all of them.”
Going along with TG achieving second at state, TG also won the Grand Championship in Maumee, Ohio. The band traveled to Cedar Point, an amusement park in Ohio, to march in a parade in Sandusky. The competition included 13 bands in Ohio and TG won six of the following categories; Best Music, Best Visual, Best Effect, Best Auxiliary for the Color Guard, and Best Percussion, along with the Grand Championship. This is an incredible achievement for the band since it is very rare for bands in other states to win state championships not in their home state.
Along with all the hard work from the students and directors, many parents volunteered to help move props, bring food and beverages, as well as help with fundraising with the band, creating an even more magical show.
The Trojan Guard had a fantastic season this year and with more years to come. Their state championship performance was incredible, with outstanding choreography and music that is so gorgeous, that audiences will be thinking about it for weeks. Congratulations to the band for this incredible win and CHS wishes good luck for future competitions to come. Go Trojans!
