Sheila was the name I gave to my last bruise. She laid at an area right above my right hand, a battle scar from the last color guard practice I had in high school. That day I learned how to toss a rifle two feet beyond my head and catch it; hence the reason why Sheila existed, a result of keeping that rifle from touching the ground. Over the past four years, my bruises were my greatest treasures, a symbol of why I continued to live my life through color guard.Color guard transcended the term "sport" for me; it breathed passion into my life. The adrenaline rush, the larger-than-life performances, the glorious feeling of finally mastering difficult guard routines, nothing resembled it. From demanding rifle tosses or developing the flexibility to do the splits, "can’t" never existed in any performer’s vocabulary. Guard required mere determination with a fiery all-consuming drive, demanding nothing short of excellence. Only through guard did I truly learn how to reach my potential and believe in my capabilities. Through a complete focus to excel, I could do anything.Broken fingers, bruised knees, and sore limbs were painful to endure. The late night practices meant sacrificing sleep in order to complete my class assignments. However, those struggles were nothing compared to the sheer glory I felt when a rifle fell perfectly in my hands or a flag flowed so gracefully above the ground. Nothing symbolized the depth of how grateful I am to have learned how to apply my resolve to succeed. Because of my experiences, I aspire to carry that passion, that vivacity into all aspects of my life and to exceed in all my endeavors.Because of the many things it has done for me, color guard made me honored for the opportunity to carry bruises like Sheila on my arms. Because of her and the lessons behind it, I learned how passion is key to true success in my life. Eternally grateful, I am excited to receive the future Sheila's in my life.
I'm kinda jealous that you got to do rifles. I also did colorguard and I do miss the fieldshows and winter guard competitions.....and I also do remember my bruises. I'm on the UCLA colorguard but I don't think I feel the same way as I did before about it. I seem to enjoy watching the football game than performing.....hehehe.....may be if we tossed more, I would like it better.....
Comments