Winter Guard International

Prior to the formation of WGI, national color guard championships, or other high-prestige championships, were held in conjunction with drum corps or marching band championships, such as: VFW, American Legion, The quality of hosts varied widely, as did as the quality of venues and adjudication. As an example, the 1977 "national" color guard championship was held in conjunction with DCI World Championships in Denver. Knaub invited color guard educators from across the country to a meeting on May 14, 1977, at the Sheraton Palace Hotel in San Francisco. Those in attendance included: Don Angelica, Marie Czapinski, and Linda Chambers, in addition to Whitcomb, Johnston, and representatives from Western Youth International. All agreed any future national championship should be held independent of any drum corps or marching band events. Knaub suggested scheduling the championship during the winter months when most color guards competed locally—after marching band season when scholastic bands focused on concert events, but prior to the drum corps season. Whitcomb, Czapinski, and Chambers, advocated for a regional championship system with a national championship at the end of the winter season. The name "Winter Guard International" was suggested by Don Angelica. A follow-up meeting at the December 1977 DCI Rules Congress included representatives from thirteen color guard circuits and adjudicator associations. The representatives adopted a draft adjudication system and rulebook, as well as voting on an organizational structure. Lynn Lindstrom, director of the Midwest Color Guard Circuit, was elected the first Executive Director of WGI. Four competition circuits donated $1,000 to fund WGI's first competitive season of fourteen regional championships and a two-day national championship called WGI Olympics. The first championship was hosted by Conant High School in Hoffman Estates, Illinois on April 14–15, 1978. Twenty-five color guards participated, and the top fifteen advanced to the finals competition. National championships would become the WGI World Championships in 1990. == About ==

WGI is a nonprofit association governed by a board of directors, with an Executive Director, responsible for day-to-day operations. The board of directors are chosen from among the directors of competing groups, and at-large members are chosen from the community of color guard, percussion, and winds educators. The board of directors is legally and financially responsible for the conduct of the organization. In 2024, WGI's various programs and activities generated million in revenues. Mission and purpose The mission of organization is to provide a venue for young people to achieve the extraordinary through performance and competition. WGI organizes "high-energy and enjoyable" events for color guard, called winter guard, percussion and winds, divisions. The organization also aims to improve quality of the competing groups through leadership development and education. This includes standardized adjudication. WGI frequently partners with companies that provide services and products to competing groups, as well as leading educators in other fields to highlight the activity. The organization is promoted using the tagline: Sport of the Arts. Advisory Boards Each of the three competitive divisions (color guard, percussion and winds) are led by Advisory Boards who are responsible for the "adjudication and competitive attributes" of sanctioned events. Advisory boards are also responsible for nominating and electing members to the board of directors. The promotion of competing groups is also the responsibility of the Advisory Boards. Membership Groups that compete at WGI events are required to pay a membership fee, in addition to an attendance fee for each event. Only groups who compete in a regional, beginner, class with limited availability (Regional A Class) are excused from paying a membership fee. The fees support general operations, and provide capital for future events, educational services, and research and development. Scholarships WGI awards academic scholarships to members of competing groups, which are announced during awards ceremonies at World Championships. According to the WGI website, over is awarded annually, and has been awarded since 1978. Funds for scholarships are raised via raffles drawn during WGI events known as "Fifty-fifty". Hosted competitions Using a competition-based approach for organizing events, WGI "aims to showcase youth activities" by pursuing a "high standard of achievement." Regional championships attract hundreds of color guards, percussion and winds ensembles, and thousands of participants. To qualify for World Championships, groups must compete in at least one regional championship. World Championships regularly attracts over 350 color guards, 250 percussion ensembles, and over 40 winds groups. Championships occur over two consecutive weekends in early or mid-April. Alterations due to Covid-19 In March 2020, the 2020 World Championships were cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 WGI season was conducted using online tools as a WGI Virtual Season. Participants were given the option to participate in solo, small group, and large group categories. Past championship sites == Classification and adjudication ==

Winter Guard Winter guard is the indoor variant of color guard and is a combination of the use of flags, sabers, mock rifles, and various other equipment and props. Performances include dance and other interpretive movement. Color guards are common among high schools, middle schools, some universities, and also some independent organizations such as drum corps, or they are community organizations. The term "winter guard" is taken from the season most color guards compete as single units, and not part of marching bands or drum corps. Percussion An indoor percussion ensemble or indoor drumline consists of marching percussion (also called the "battery") and front ensemble (also called pit or front line) sections. Many ensembles, like color guards, are attached to a competing marching band or drum corps, but many are independent ensembles. Indoor percussion integrates musicality, marching and movement, and theater arts. The activity is referred to as percussion theater by WGI. There is also a "concert" classification for scholastic percussion ensembles without drumline, named so because performers are typically stationary, with no drill. Winds Indoor winds ensembles or indoor winds are small marching music ensembles composed of a variety of instrumentations. These ensembles are distinct from field bands, or marching bands. Many take advantage of marching horns, as well as woodwinds, rhythm sections, and a pit ensemble but not a full drumline or color guard. Unlike their outdoor counterparts, WGI Winds compete indoors on a performance area roughly the size of a standard basketball court. WGI's previous experiments in marching band competition were known as the Friendship Cup. Notes: • The tables below are simplified and do not reflect when specific competitive classes and divisions were defined in the WGI Adjudication Handbook. • Other classes and divisions may be represented at regional championships or other WGI-sanctioned competitions. Color guard division Percussion division Adjudication WGI Adjudication Manuals for color guards, percussion, and winds, championships divide scoring in set reference criteria known as captions forming a scoring rubric. Each caption is subdivided into elements such as performance analysis, design analysis, and effect evaluation. The adjudication manual is multi-tiered, meaning each competitive class—Regional A, A Class, Open Class, and World Class—has a set of scoring sheets listing differing criteria and descriptions for each caption. Color guard captions and scoring Marching percussion captions and scoring Concert percussion captions and scoring Winds captions and scoring == Media ==

Contemporary Color is a 2016 film directed by Turner Ross and Bill Ross featuring performances of several winter guard teams. The film was produced as a collaboration between David Byrne, Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey and Josh Penn. Similarly, "On Guard: A Story of American Youth" is 2023 documentary film directed by Allen Otto and executive produced by Jim Czarnecki. The film follows the journey of an all-female color guard team at Bel Air High School whose goal is to qualify for the 2020 WGI World Championships, which were ultimately canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a performance dedicated to the victims of the 2019 El Paso Shooting. == Past champions ==

Source(s): Color guard (1978–present) ... to allow table to expand properly on small displays. --> } Scholastic percussion (1993–present) ... to allow table to expand properly on small displays. --> } Hatboro-Horsham HS John Overton HS Independent percussion (1994–present) ... to allow table to expand properly on small displays. --> } Patriots UNLV Patriots Cynosure Georgia Tech Winds (2015–present) ... to allow table to expand properly on small displays. --> == See also ==