A letter from a Wells Winter Guard member

Post date: Feb 25, 2016 12:53:24 PM

(Below is an edited letter written by Wells High School senior and Wells Winter Guard Captain Adrienne Perron to explain why membership in the Wells Winter Guard has been so important to her and other members of the Wells Winter Guard teams. The Guard’s month-long textile and clothing collection to raise $35,000 for travel to two major competitions will end February 29th but if you would like to make a contribution to the Wells Winter Guard's trip to the World Championships, checks may be made payable to "Wells-Ogunquit Music Boosters" and sent to 200 Sanford Rd, Wells, ME.

In March of the seventh grade, I picked up a color guard flag for the first time. Five years ago, the Wells Color Guard program was rather small compared to the program that exists today. We were very naive regarding the technicalities of color guard and winter guard. Our knowledge of rudimentary skills and how to properly execute them needed a lot of work. Five years ago, one of our coaches, Bailey Smith, coordinated the first winter guard program at Wells High School. She coached, choreographed, and guided the girls in the program while simultaneously learning about the basics of guard herself. In five years the coaches and team have learned a lot about color guard. We have grown as performers and as individuals through innumerable hours of hard work and dedication.

Personally, I think the most important thing that I will take away from winter guard is the knowledge and understanding of how beneficial hard work is. We practice so often and emphasize the tedious basics so intensely that our team has become more and more impressive each year. To see the progression in skill level over the past few years is to see the benefits and rewards of true passion and diligence. Our work as a team has led to its success and to our impressive rank today.

Our team is like a big family. I have learned to trust and rely on my teammates from executing our show to having my back and being my friends in real life. I am always invigorated by the feeling of belongingness and love that exudes itself during practices, especially on competition days. Performing a show with other people brings you close together, and the way it feels to have a good performance with each of them is indescribable.

To be able to perform at a world-class competition would be incredible for the Wells High School Winter Guard A-Team. We have learned and grown an unbelievable amount in this short span of time, and we belong at a world championship competition. The A-Team members can each attest to being more confident as performers and as people, and we truly deserve to show the world our hard work and confidence on the Winter Guard International stage in Dayton, Ohio this April.

WHS senior and Wells Winter Guard Captains Adrienne Perron

As an 8th grade student in 2012, Adrienne Perron fronts a line of beginning winter guard performers in a segment of their show, ‘Rated Arrrgh!’ featuring music from “The Pirates of the Caribbean”.