Renee Farmer presents her solo dance while Megan Linke performs with swing flags during the competition at the River Valley show.

The Sanborn Central/Woonsocket Blackhawks Winterguard team traveled to the Minneapolis area to compete in two competitions in the North Star Circuit (NSC) on March 12.
The SCW Winterguard team performed their routine “Self Worth” to the song “Try” by Colbie Caillat.  The song contains a message of self-love aimed at females.  Caillat explains the song’s meaning this way. “‘Try’ is about how us women feel like we need to change ourselves in so many different ways for people to accept us and like us,” she said. “As much as we all hate that we allow that to happen, we still do it.”
Winterguard combines the elements of music, dance and military-like precision. Members perform a choreographed routine using flags, rifles and other props. Guards are judged on use of equipment, movement, ensemble analysis and general effect. Winterguard is exact, specific and it demands precise execution. It is a visual picture alive with message and meaning, which requires coordination of fingers, hands, arms, feet and legs. Winterguard teaches confidence, positive self-esteem and self-image.
Prior to leaving for competition, the Blackhawks performed at halftime of the State “B” Girls Basketball Tournament game on Thursday, March 10.
Their first competition on Saturday was at the Lux Show at Champlin Park High School, where the team received fourth place out of five teams in their class,  with a score of 67.82. They missed tying for third place by a tenth of a point.
At the River Valley Show, the team received fifth out of sixth places with a score of 69.2, an overall increase of 12.3 points from their last competition. They also had the second highest score in their class in the category of General Effect. General Effect is how well they presented their overall show and told their “story” with song and performance.
Winterguard member Brooklyn Swenson says, “I thinks it’s cool that after only four minutes of putting everything you have into the show, you feel such a huge accomplishment. It’s so much more than throwing flags and guns in the air. I like the message we tell with our performance.”
After traveling to competitions with the team, Heather Westendorf shared what an eye-opening experience it was to better understand everything that goes into a Winterguard performance.
“I realized that there was more than flags and rifles; each team was telling a story with their performance,” she said, “I was also surprised to find out that the team is constantly changing and adding to their routine.  The Blackhawks Winterguard team gave an amazing performance, and I am very proud of them.”
The team next travels to St. Cloud and Sauk Rapids on March 19 for their final competition of the season.