COLORGUARD
Colorguard is known as the “sport of arts” as it is the combination of skills from several different art forms
combined with the physical demands of an athletic sport. Students will learn skills taken from the areas of
dance and theater and combine them with the equipment such as flag with the aim of visually enhancing the message that musicians are creating. Basically colorguard brings music to life through visual performance.
The Aledo Colorguard Program is under the direction of Junior Marquez and consists of a middle school beginning group called the CADETS OF PARKER COUNTY and a JV and Varsity group at Aledo High School. All three groups have a combined total of 33 Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals through the North Texas Colorguard Championships. The guard program has grown from 6 members to the current 52 members. In 2015, the Varsity winterguard was a finalist at the Winter Guard International World Championships in Dayton, Ohio. In 2018, they returned to WGI World Championships and performed in the Scholastic Open division.
HIGH SCHOOL ENSEMBLES
Marching Season
The Aledo Colorguard is an integral part of the Bearcat Regiment providing stunning visual impact to the marching show. We have received Best Guard during many marching competitions!
It is important to note that we are part of the band, we are not a separate entity. When things are referred to the "band", spoken of or emailed, that means band and guard - especially in marching season. As such, during marching season we follow the band rehearsal schedule. Anytime you see band rehearsal on the Charms calendar, that includes us as well.
Many of our colorguard members were previously a part of the Cadets of Parker County, our 6th-8th grade guard, however we have been fortunate enough to obtain many new members throughout the years. Auditions for our High School Colorguard are held in late April of each year. We welcome any interested students in grades 8 thru 11 to audition.
We host a Colorguard June Camp every year the first full week after school ends. June Camp is mandatory for all HS guard members, however we welcome our Cadets of Parker County members and any students interested in joining our program.
During marching season, we have a select few that are part of our weapon line. Auditions for weapon line are typically held during the week of June Camp and can continue into Summer Band (in Aug).
Our colorguard program is absolutely amazing. These students become one big family and make many life long friendships. They are some of the most hard working and dedicated students that love what they do.
Winterguard
The Aledo Winterguard is a competitive group within the DFW area. During the winterguard season we have two guards, Varsity and JV. Auditions for our Varsity and JV guards are held typically in late October.
Our season typically runs from November thru April. After school practices are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays with a few Saturday clinics for our Varsity guard.
Varsity guard competes in both the WGI and NTCA circuits. Traveling throughout Texas for competitions and all the way to Dayton,OH for WGI World Class Championships. The majority of their competitions are held on Saturdays but we do have a few that are weekend long events.
JV guard competes in the NTCA circuit. Our JV guard typically performs in 4 competitions. The majority of competitions are held on Saturdays.
NTCA Classifications:
Varsity - Scholastic Open (SO)
JV - Scholastic AA (SAA)
WGI Classification:
Varsity - Scholastic Open (SO)
MIDDLE SCHOOL ENSEMBLE
CADETS OF PARKER COUNTY
MISSION STATEMENT
The goals of the Cadets of Parker County are to educate and let students explore how to dance, manipulate flags and rifles, to learn how to perform and to learn the importance of working together as a team. The organization is dedicated to teaching its members life skills such as responsibility, hard work, dedication, discipline, and good sportsmanship. Additionally, being a member of the Cadets of Parker County will give students the necessary skills for participating in the High School Colorguard.
WHO CAN JOIN
Students entering 6th, 7th, and 8th grade for the current school year. There will be no auditions. Every student that is willing and able will be allowed to participate.
There is a fee to participate which covers costs of uniform, equipment, makeup, etc.
UIL passing rules apply to cadets.
COMMITMENT
Season: Nov - Apr
Rehearsals: 2 days per week (Mon & Wed). Rehearsal schedule will be given at the beginning of the season for the entire season.
Performances: 4 competitions, typically held on Saturdays
Your child will be committing to all practices, performances, and competitions. Students are encouraged to practice at least 30 minutes per day at home on the days that we do not have scheduled rehearsals.