Performance Night for Spin Clinic

Saturday was such a fun experience. The kids were GREAT and energetic and learned their routine really fast!

There were some giggles.....which really made the morning. Along with dancing and spinning flags they got to have lots of cookies and juice. We played games and had an all around good time. I think the kids were probably really worn out when they went home....which I am sure the parents were happy about!

Tonight they perform at the HS Girls Varsity game.....for half time! A pretty VIP performance slot Id say! : ) They will do great and look cute.....of course!

Ill post a video of the performance this week!

First Ever!

Tomorrow with be the first ever Odessa Color Guard Spin Clinic for students in 3rd - 6th grade!

When I first decided to do this new fundraiser I really didn't know what to expect. Working at both the Upper Elementary I knew I could get the word around well. At OUE I showed the 2008 Odessa Winter Guard show to each of my classes and at the Middle School I put an announcement in. I made the best effort I knew I could....but still didn't know how many kids would actually be interested enough to come in on a Saturday and learn to spin flag.

We ended up with 40 kids signing up for the clinic! A few more than I had anticipated for the very first year. So much so, that there wasn't enough fabric at JoAnn's or Hobby Lobby or Michael's when we went to get poly china silk to make little flags for the kids. Chris had to go down town for me and get full bolts of fabric! But, it was worth it because it was EXACTLY like the High School flag silks and I know the little kids will love that.

The first time is always pretty scary! I am really not sure what to expect tomorrow.....but I know the kids will be excited and CUTE! We have a hand full of High School kids coming to help so that is good. Parents are bringing snacks to make the time even more enjoyable. And my mom will be there! : )

Check back for pics of the clinic!

Glimpse of the 2 Shows

The Middle School show is titled "Birds on a Wire"

And the High School show is titled "Protectors from Above"

Look for more details about the show in the next few days!

A recap about the Fall season

This has been a crazy summer and fall. I wanted to write more about the progression of the Odessa group but things became very hectic very quickly. But it was good! I’ll go through a little bit of what happened this summer and fall and then we can start thinking about the upcoming winter season!

The summer started a little slow. It took some time for the guard staff to really lock into their rolls and get use to each other on an instruction level and not just friends. The girls also had a LOT of adjusting to do. A completely new staff with a director with a very different style and approach than they were use to. Practices were quiet and somewhat tense at first. I wanted to focus a TON on movement, which was something they were not use to and a part they didn't seem to like very much. By the end of June we had probably around 16 different across the floors for the girls to do every day. More than 1/3 of our time was focused on movement and there were some practices that we never even picked up equipment.

The weapon lines had a good start and I made sure to start slow to allow for girls who ever spun weapon to get the basics and try out. Doing that added a couple girls to the line who never would have made it if we had jumped right into triples and quads. The girls who had been on weapon for a year or two had to learn some patience, but I think they saw the benefits. We also had to really look at the technique of the rifle and saber line. Most of the sabers were spinning their sabers just like rifle. So, we broke down the difference between the 2 pieces of equipment which has been very beneficial to both lines. Our “A” lines didn't do anything higher than a triple for the first 2 months and the “B” line focused on doubles. Once we pushed it up a notch the girls were amazed how much easier it was then they originally thought it would be to do the “bigger tosses”. Now, our “B” line is doing pretty well on quads and they never thought they would be able to say that.

Near the end of the summer our band director got an offer at a different school and decided to take the job. The staff all knew it was the best choice for him and his family and we wished him the best of luck! The former assistant at Odessa applied for the new opening and ended up getting the job so there wasn’t much adjustment for that. We just had to push band camp back a week to allow for interviews and all that. But, the transition went really smooth and we headed on into the school year.

Once school started everything started flying by. The guard had Monday and Wednesday sectionals and the full band and guard had Tuesday and Thursday evening rehearsals. We were a little behind on music memorization and drill and we have been playing catch up the entire season. So practices had to move quickly…but luckily the guard was always right on top of things.

Our last competitive performance we were at UCM for the Festival of Champions. I was really looking forward to seeing how the girls would perform after months of practice and training. It was an exciting day and a little bit of a sad one as well. Fortunately I think the girls were very pumped up about the winter season so they weren't real sad to see the fall end. 

Now we are on our way with the Winter Season! The Middle School group has 22 girls on the team and the High School has 15 girls and 1 boy! Tomorrow will be our first camp so I will post more about the shows after that! 

From the other side.....

It is so weird when you get to the point in your life when you are working with one of your "idols" and not just learning choreography from them. That is what these past Kim Kamps have been like for me. A very surreal couple days.

While I was on guard down at MSU I always wanted to be just like Kim when it came to guard things. When I aged out, I dreamed of the day when I had a guard and could bring her in to work with them. Still trying to learn from her. Well, now at OHS I have the opportunity to bring her in to work with the girls. I think they learned a lot from her and I am having a wonderful time being around her on this side of things.

The guard has been able to learn the beginning skeleton of the Density Study. I really cant wait to see what it will end up looking like. The summer is progressing and going by fast....we still have a lot to learn but they are improving each week.

Kim Kamp

Kim Kamp was this Friday and I think the day went VERY well.

Our first session was from 9-12 and we spent the ENTIRE time on body. I told the girls we wouldn't do our work out Friday morning since Kim was there, so they were very excited about that; however, I don't think they expected to spend 3 hours on movement.

Movement is always a BIG focus for me with the guards I work with because most guard girls don't come in having a ton of dance background AND movement is super important in the guard activity. Our girls on the ODMOCG are just like very other guard....not a lot of dance background.....so the 3 hours on movement was very helpful! I think they had fun, worked hard, and improved a very noticeable amount.

For the second session, running from 3-6, we worked with the weapons. We spent some time on technique and then the girls learned a 16 count choreography phrase. By the end of the day we were able to pick the weapon lines and those lists will be posted before practice on Tuesday. I am very excited for our Rifle and Saber sections this season. I think they will be very impressive.

This summer is going to be hard work for the ODMOCG girls. They are still young, but eager to do some challenging things. Its not always "fun" to work and work on the little details, but it WILL make them more successful in the long run and I think they know that. I just cant wait to see what this team will look like when school starts. They have already improved so much in these first few weeks.

A new place...

Wow! It has been a WHILE!

A lot has happened since I started the winter guard season with Park Hill South. The group did a wonderful job and I had a great time working with them. Around the end of the season I had a decision to make....a guard position had opened up and I needed to decide if I wanted to "throw my hat in the ring" for the job or not. I ended up applying for the job and was selected for the position.

I am now the new Color Guard Director at Odessa High School!!!

ODMOCG has already had their auditions for fall and have been working hard during their twice a week rehearsals. It is an adjustment period right now...the girls are learning about me and I am learning about them! First, I am (obviously) evaluating who can do what....picking out the rifle and saber lines. Also, the girls are starting to learn the technique that I am wanting to group to use....as well as starting to understand what I hold to me most important! MOVEMENT!!!

We have also started our Work Out. The girls were really excited at first, but that excitement wore off when they realized how intense the work out was actually going to be. Once they do it for a couple weeks I think it will get easier and they will enjoy it more. And they will enjoy it when they start to see their strength with equipment and endurance grow.

I will be posting more on here, because another exciting thing going on is our photographer and webmaster at Odessa is creating a NEW color guard website for the groups. My blog will be linked to that so the girls can read additional information. It is going to look awesome I just know it!

The thing that I think I am the most excited about right now is my staff. I get to work with 2 wonderful women! We have so much fun together and they are teaching the girls amazing things! I am looking forward to seeing our relationships grow as well as our team.
 

That's about all for my update. Check back for more later!