On February 16th and 17th, Amador Valley’s Varsity Winter Guard brought home the champion title from the WGI West Power Regional in Palm Desert.
During the preliminary round, Amador Valley placed first out of twenty-five in the Scholastic National A division, scoring 84.430. The following day at finals, Amador scored 87.270, a significant improvement from the previous performance, bringinfrom thirty-fifth to sixth in their division nationally.
“I’m kinda shocked because I didn’t know we were that good ranked-wise compared to other guards, but I’m happy to hear that all of the hours that we pushed and trained hard for have really paid off,” said Grace Choe (‘27).
Despite the quick-paced schedules and busy weekend, the Guard was housed in an Airbnb, spending all the limited free time they had when not at the comp site.
“The weekend was a lot of fun. It was extremely hectic with going from one place to another, [and] being in a small house with a lot of people, but it was a really nice bonding experience for the team,” said Maria Clara Sapriza (‘24), Varsity Winter Guard Captain.
Winter Guard International (WGI) Sport of the Arts is a non-profit youth organization that hosts indoor color guard, percussion, and winds competitions. In this case, Amador Valley participated in a high-standard competition against other guards in the western states, primarily groups from California and Arizona.
The Varsity Winter Guard’s show this season is called “Remember Me” revolving around songs from Coco’s “Remember Me” and Toy Story’s “When She Loved Me.” The Guard showcases their progress at local Bay Area competitions and has been on a winning streak since the beginning of the season.
“I think our winning streak really shows how much effort we put into this show and how much we appreciate and love our coaches. I think we will make finals and this will be the first time we’re making finals since 1995,” said Joe Choi (‘26).
With only three weeks remaining until their final performances in Dayton, Ohio, the Varsity Winter Guard relishes in their recent achievements and will continue to refine the show they will present at upcoming events.
“I’m at a loss for words for what this team has accomplished, the dedication, passion, and commitment everybody has shown has been incredible and I am extremely excited for these last few weeks of the season,” said Sapriza.
