You know you’re in color guard when…
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You dance with poles, but you’re not a stripper.
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You say you are when someone does not know what color guard is.
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If you ever ran away from home, you would live in the guard closet.
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You never have to worry about kidnappers because you’re never outside without a weapon.
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The guard captain becomes your idol.
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You spend your free time doing one of the following:
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looking up color guard jokes
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watching marching band videos
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laughing when the guard in said videos is out of sync
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designing shows
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shopping for equipment and uniforms online
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choreographing flagwork to your favorite songs
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You always walk in step, with perfect posture.
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You practice guard every day, regardless of the weather.
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You begin to prefer afternoon practice over going home after school.
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You name your equipment.
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You don’t mind wearing uniforms most people would cringe at.
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Your guard gloves are a necessary part of your spring wardrobe.
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You can learn a routine the day before a performance.
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Your favorite season is fall because it’s marching season.
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No, it’s not “football season”. It’s marching season.
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You begin to watch parades on TV, just for the marching bands.
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Your favorite accessory is fluorescent tape.
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You have made holes in ceiling tiles while doing tosses.
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You name the marks you make in the ceiling with your equipment.
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You name all your equipment- practice flags, weapons, various silks…
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The best pictures of you are from performances.
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No matter how in sync or peppy the cheerleaders are, they can never compare to your performance.
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You never start with the right foot.
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The word “strip” has stopped sounding wrong to you. [Almost.]
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Your New Year’s resolution is to perfect your helicopter.
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Your entire social schedule is based around marching band.
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Band camp is the highlight of your summer.
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You have a countdown for band camp.
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Homecoming is your favorite time of the year- not for the dance, for the parade.
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Whenever you hear music on the radio, you don’t just listen for enjoyment. You make up an entire show in your head, for enjoyment.
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Any song you have on your iPod, you have the marching band version as well.
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You spin anything and everything. Pencils, eating utensils, cans of soup….
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If you don’t twirl something during the day, your life is not complete.
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Everything else becomes secondary.
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You can hold it in longer than any normal person.
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You have gotten injured more times than you can remember, or want to.
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You don’t normal run. You jazz run.
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You date/like a fellow band member.
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You are in marching band, but you don’t play a band instrument.
[From personal experiences of me and my guard friends:]
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You wear dinkles and guard pants for chemistry labs.
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It’s almost sad how much Broadway music you have on your iPod. [Broadway shows are the best shows.]
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Your biggest fear is getting sailed during a helicopter, during a performance.
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You name all flags- the blue, yellow, and pink ones are Easter eggs, anything red is a Communist flag, et cetera.
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You follow the guard captain into the bathroom, just to say hi.