Amador Valley’s Winter Guard made school history over spring break, traveling to Dayton, Ohio and placing 8th in Open Class at the Winter Guard International Championships (WGI). Competing against top groups from across the country, the team advanced through prelims and semifinals to perform in finals.
Increased Level of Competition
The team previously went to WGI Championships back in 2024, placing 4th in A-class. However, this year’s performance and achievement is significant, especially because the team recently moved up into a more competitive division.
“From an outside perspective, if anybody were to say, ‘Oh, the team finished 4th in 2024, they finished 8th this year. How is that improvement?’ I think what people might miss is understanding what an accomplishment it was for the team to be moving up to a much higher and more competitive division. And to have been the only team from California to make finals and to have placed eighth and broken a 90. Those all are incredible achievements for a team who’s only doing their 2nd year in this division,” said Director of Bands, Jon Grantham.
Growth Beyond Scores
The accomplishment reflects not just competitive success, but the growth and resilience of the team throughout the season.
“At the beginning of the season, we were really stressed out about how everything is going to go, because we were going to Ohio. Towards the end of the season, we had more of a motivation to just have fun and live every moment to its fullest. Even for 4th year members, like myself, the season was super challenging in terms of technicality, but at the end of the day, during our last performance, everyone really stepped up and was able to meet that standard,” said Senior Captain of the Varsity team Malvika Nagaraj (‘26).
Pushing Through Challenges
The trip itself came with its own challenges. With long days, little sleep, and rehearsals everyday, the schedule pushed the team both physically and mentally.
“One of the biggest challenges I personally went through is the crazy sleep schedule. It made me and a couple of my friends really grumpy. And as a team, I think, that was a big thing, like being able to push through. Our coach was talking about how Dayton is a marathon, not a sprint. Also, I know a lot of people started to get sentimental or towards the last, but keeping in perspective to manipulate yourself to think that ‘no this isn’t any different than other competitions, this is just another day’ was a huge thing,” said Varsity member Varnika Duggirala (‘28).
Even with those challenges, performing in the UD Arena and at WGI Championships was a memorable experience. Being in the same space as top performers and others equally or more passionate about Guard made the experience feel beyond just a competition.
“To think that our coach, when he made finals, performed in the same arena, and icons that I look up to, my role models, when they made finals with their guards, they performed in that arena. Just to be able to stand in the same place as they are, to be able to stand in the same shoes I was two years ago when we were A-class finalists. It’s just a huge, again, dream come true,” Duggirala (‘28) added.
Looking at the Future
This experience left a lasting impact on the team and the program as a whole. The team was able to build a strong path for the future of this program and inspire the underclassmen.
“It’s huge momentum for the students that are currently on the team, because both our JV and varsity teams understand that hard work really results in a lot of great successes. And I don’t just mean competitive success, but the success of feeling like a job has been well done. And I think for people who aren’t currently on the team, it’s a reminder on our campus that color guard is an incredible activity that will challenge and push you, but will also develop you into an amazing person and performer,” reflected Grantham.
For the team and staff, the moment meant more than just placement. It reflected years of growth and showing how far Amador’s Color Guard program has come.
“Our color guard did something this year that they have never done before in my 24 years at Amador, or truthfully in the history of the school. So to be a witness to history was really, really special. I also was in Winter Guard in high school, so to be in a place and to watch the Amador students shine so beautifully on a national stage was really special for all of those reasons,” expressed Grantham.
