By Leanne Beane

On April 9, Bellbrook’s Open Guard placed 4th out of 40 groups in their final competition of the season.

The first stage was the prelims competition on April 7 at Cintas Center Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio, where the guard was placed 5th out of all competing groups. The second stage, semifinals, occurred on April 8 at Truist Arena in Highland Heights, Kentucky, where the guard placed 4th out of the 15 remaining groups. Finals, the third stage, occurred on April 9 and was located at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio, where the guard placed 4th a second time out of the same 15 groups. Senior Ava Falzerano noted, “Due to joining winter guard during my sophomore year, I didn’t get to finish the season thanks to COVID. Then last year all competitions through WGI was done virtually, so finally performing at WGI championships in person was one of the best feelings in the world, let alone making it all the way to finals.”

The show, named “It’s to You,” was gift-themed and featured a white tarp with a red bow in the upper left-hand corner. The guard’s 20 members were dressed in bright red with maroon swirls and used flags, sabers, rifles, and a giant present in their performance. Falzerano said, “This year’s show was extremely special, because it was all about love and giving a gift. When we performed it was our goal to give the audience a gift, but reflecting on the season now it was truly a gift to be able to perform.”

Freshman Nora Trickler said she was both excited and nervous to perform, but despite that, she felt prepared and knew the group would do well. Sophomore Olivia Selvaraj, another member, had similar sentiments. When asked how they felt the season went, Trickler and Selvaraj both agreed it went well and that they really enjoyed the show. Trickler’s favorite part was the flag feature, while Selvaraj loved the vertical line pictured above. Falzerano said, “There were several tears shed after our performance” because the guard has become so close after their hard work this season.