Wearing shades of gray, members of the winter guard ensemble stepped onto their ocean-colored tarp on April 2 for the final performance of their season in front of the crowd in the large gym. After steadying their nerves, the guard set their equipment down to begin the show.
With the final flag toss, the crowd burst into thunderous applause after the ensemble finished their senior night performance. The guard members closed out their season with an exhibition of the show at the program’s senior night, celebrating the accomplishments of the three Class of ‘26 members.
The winter guard this year features 16 members: three seniors, five juniors, two sophomores and six freshmen. The student leadership group includes senior captain Luke Tjahjadi, along with two assistant captains, juniors Madhura Natarajan and Elisabeth Pattullo.
The adult instructors include director Russell Crow, who has been coaching the group since 2022, as well as Class of ‘23 alumna Mika Tippetts and staff members Hunter Mainguy and Ian Stick.
The group’s show, “Lured,” was inspired by an event in February 2025 when an anglerfish, a species that usually dwells deep in the ocean, was seen near the surface of the water off the coast of Tenerife, an island near West Africa. Social media latched onto the story, interpreting it as a reminder to pursue something meaningful before one’s time runs out.
The instructors wanted the show to give the audience the sensation of being suspended in the deep sea where the light barely reaches, and then slowly rising up to the surface and greeting the sun. The music was composed by Crow’s friend, Ray Wyant, specifically for the ensemble.
Because visual elements are especially important for the guard, the tarp that the guard performed on depicted the ocean slowly spreading out to showcase the anglerfish rising towards the surface. The flags of the show were colored gold to mimic the sun.
From March 6-8., the winterguard competed in the WGI Manhattan Beach Regionals. They left Burbank Airport from San Jose the morning of March 6 and spent a day at Universal Studios Hollywood. The next day, the guard arrived at Mira Costa High School to compete and performed “Lured,” earning a score of 69.15, placing 33rd out of 40 groups.
The show had a 78-point cutoff requirement to make the second day, meaning the guard was not able to compete in the finals. However, they took that as an opportunity to watch the finalist groups perform, including the Fantasia Winter Guard, the group that Stick performs with.
Reflecting on the season, Crow said, “I am very proud of them. This is the first time in the first few years to go out of our way to compete at this level. It may not have ended with the results that we would have wanted, but I’m proud that we could go and showcase our show.”
After competing in Southern California, the guard earned second place out of four teams at the California Color Guard Circuit Live Oak competition on March 21 and later earned third place out of six teams at the CCGC Championships at Independence High — the guard’s last competition — on March 28.
The winter guard prepared for these competitions with a rigorous rehearsal schedule. The ensemble practiced on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6-9 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
“I hope that the competition will help toughen the guard up mentally. The pressure was very much on since it was a different environment,” Crow said. “I hope that we can look back on this weekend and use this to motivate us to work even harder in the future.”
