Members of the Center Grove Scholastic World Guard finished in 9th place for their class at the World Guard International World Championships in Dayton, Ohio over the weekend. The guard has been honing their skills since December in order to compete on this day.

”We rehearsed repetition in the last few weeks to build consistency and confidence, while also polishing up any parts of the show to make it the best it could be,” senior Callista McCullough said. “For the semi-finals, we had to get up at 4:45 to practice before the show, and we ended up having our best show of the season.”

The guard has participated in the WGI World Championships before; however, this is their first time back in Dayton since Covid shut down the competition in 2020.

“The audience was very excited because nobody has gotten to watch the guard live in two and a half years, so it was very nerve wracking because nobody has gotten to see us. When we got out there on the floor, it was super exciting for all of us, especially for the upperclassmen,” junior Michala Gibson said.

The team advanced throughout the weekend, placing 11th in prelims, 10th in semi-finals and 9th in the finals, a finish that the team was pleased with overall.

“We have a mostly new staff and almost a new guard,” Carissa-Anne Cook said. “So I felt really good. I put 110%  into everything and was happy. Everyone showed exponential growth. I’m so proud.”

This weekend’s events finished out the guard’s competition season until summer, when marching band begins practice.