20 Signs You Are (or Were) in Color Guard

I have seen so many lists circulating on social media about signs you did x, y, or z sport and I think color guard deserves one! If you like this blog, check out some of my others: tips for turning, building strength for turning, 7 dance terms explained, and how to learn faster. Or click on Dance & Spin above.

What would you add to the list below??

1. You have at least one persistent injury. Maybe it's your back, or your knees, or your ankles, but something on you remembers how you tortured it to get those 3 counts perfect in that one show.

2. You often try to see if you can still throw a six (or whatever was hardest in your shows).

3. You remember how to do Peggy spins.

4. You save old costumes and reuse them for awesome Halloween costumes.

5. The smell of any tarp brings back memories of unfolding the winter guard floor.

6. In any yoga/pilates/exercise class, you try to stand on the 50.

7. You call the center of anything "the 50."

8. Dance Moms doesn't hold a candle to "Guard Moms" (and dads for that matter). I mean, do the Dance Moms have to build props that can be set up and torn down in 60 seconds, and travel in a tiny trailer?

9. Speaking of props, if you speak to someone in theater you have to translate to "backdrops," and remember their "props" are things you'd likely want to spin or throw in the air.

10. You know a ton of music in every genre on any music station. Ode to Joy. Send in the Clowns. My Immortal. Anything Phillip Glass. Vivaldi's Four Seasons....all of them. Black Magic Woman. February (Dar Williams). Its the End of the World. You name it, a guard has probably done it.

11. "And" is a count, and it's forever vitally important.

12. You still find random bobby pins, even if you haven't performed in a decade.

13. "Get it" or "You got it" is part of your every day speech, but non-guard folks don't understand.

14. You still have old gloves...and they smell gross!

15. When you get stressed out, you have the "keep pushing" talk with yourself.

16. You love and loathe glitter, simultaneously.

17. You get the urge to spin anything and everything: umbrellas, brooms, baguettes, you name it!

18. You watch guard videos, for hours on end, just for fun.

Plug for WGI's new Zone! - http://wgizone.com/

19. You get used to not drinking water, and you bring snacks you can eat quickly in case you get a 30 second break. You take what you can get!

20. At work or in school, you hate when people ask unnecessary questions and waste time. Those questions were conditioned out of you in guard rehearsals!



If you made it through all 20, I nominate you for the #ispinbecause challenge!!! Write a post/tweet/update using the hashtag #ispinbecause and #WGI2015 to tell us why you spin!!!

The challenge was started by #stonewallindependent as a social media campaign to raise awareness about color guard and what there is to love. Be sure to nominate someone at the end of your post!