While colorguard may be a difficult sport, it is never too early for these middle school students to start practicing at Buchser. Every Tuesday and Thursday, 19 middle schoolers practice from 3 to 5 p.m. in their gym with the help of several members of SCHS’s colorguard team. According to SCHS colorguard coach Carly Hemminger, who also teaches the Buscher students, colorguard’s warm ups are unique to other sports.

“We normally start with doing some dance to warm up the body and stretch out,” Hemminger said. “The dancers have to turn and do some weird things compared to normal people walking.”

SCHS seniors Rachel Jones and Grace Ichinaga demonstrate the different exercises and help the middle school students if they have trouble, according to Jones.

“My coach for high school, Carly, told me about the opportunity when they first started the program,” Jones said. “I thought that would be something I’d be interested in.”

These practices began when a mother of a Buchser student who does colorguard contacted Buchser Middle School, insisting on an after school colorguard program. As a result, SCHS colorguard coach Hemminger said she “would do anything to get the program started.”

“I think it’s really important that kids can be exposed to this before just showing up to high school because it really is a really cool sport,” Hemminger said. “[The program] allows them more time to learn how to do it before they get to high school and hopefully be able to compete in the coming years.”

The middle schoolers in Buchser’s colorguard team look forward to continuing the sport in high school. Eighth grader Tisha Suthar plays colorguard “because it sounded interesting and it is fun.”

“I’ve been doing it all summer,” sixth grader Kennedy Stiver said. “My brother does it professionally in college.”

On April 7, the Buchser colorguard will be hosting a Friends and Family Night, where the students will showcase what they have learned. This includes demonstrating their dance and flag warm-ups as well as a performance with choreography they have been taught.

“It will be a chance for the students to experience performance while allowing their friends and family to be there to support,” Hemminger said.