Personal Narrative Essay On Competitions

Performing was never something I saw myself doing, in any capacity. Winter guard was something I did during all four years of high school. We spun, tossed, and danced with flags, wooden rifles, and sabers to create a show. Performing at competitions was one of my favorite parts, being able to show off what we had been working so hard towards. Competition day was always full of mixed feelings of anxiety, excitement, concentration, and confidence. Different parts of the day would bring about the different emotions. There was always so much to see at competitions, and now certain smells bring back memories. Sounds that would bring feelings of satisfaction, and physical feelings that brought emotions that are not usually associated with it.

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The announcer called out the next guards name and the name of their show, and the whole stadium went silent with anticipation of the next show. The music starts and the guard begins to dance around the floor, moving to pick up their flags or rifles. The music begins to build and everybody is leaning forward, on the edge of their seat. The tension rising as they spin faster, preparing for their first hit. As the music hits it peak the flags are tossed into the air, spinning in near perfect unison and float back down into the hands of the performers. The stadium is filled with the sound of applause and shouting, chills creep up my spine and dissipate into goosebumps that spread across my arms. The music is now steady and some of the performers dance and spin to the edge of the floor and replace their flag with a white rifle. They begin to dance and spin the rifle over their head and behind their back. The music is rising again and the performers start to pick up speed, the tension builds again and I cannot help but smile in anticipation. The rifles are being spun faster and the sound of the strap slapping against the rifle as the performer spins it is heard above the music. As the music builds, the rifles are tossed one at a