Montgomery High School Guard
Year Plan
First semester of school is crucial for the following competition year. As the semester starts we begin with a training year that teaches each individual how to master the technique and grace of each equipment. Flag comes first, then rifle, and lastly sabre. Intertwined in all of these is dance and each member will learn to do all if given the right amount of time.
Second semester is our competition season. We begin in the end of November with tryouts, as to see who will get what spots for the following show. It is greatly appreciated that as the parents of these dedicated and hard working guard members you see the importance of the winter break rehearsals. Each student must attend the winter break rehearsals and they will be given at the beginning of every winterguard season, November, in order to ensure that you can take vacation time as a family or just spend it together.
WE DO NOT REHEARSE ON HOLIDAYS OR SUNDAYS FOR RELIGIOUS/ SPIRITUAL REASONS. A FEW COMPETITION DATES MAY FALL ON BREAKS OR SUNDAYS, YOU WILL BE NOTIFIED AHEAD OF TIME. As the year progresses the times for rehearsal may get rigorous as we must be readying for our competition dates. We try to have close to seven competitions for each year but may vary depending on funds and transportation.
If you would like to get weekly updates on itineraries for upcoming competition dates or just keep you informed of the weekly practices a sign up sheet for emails, phone numbers, or any contact information will be at each parent meeting. A calendar will be included for your personal use in order to keep track of dates and competitions; Or fundraising times, or possible changes because they will be tentative calendars so any date or time for a certain event may be changed or extended within reason.
Transportation
Our funding is quite low due to these huge budget cuts in our Sweetwater Union High School District and therefore makes transportation very difficult. To rent a bus for every competition would cost a little over a thousand dollars, and thats money we don’t have. Therefore, we need parents to step in and volunteer as our taxi for the day. It entails that you show up at the call time of the guard members, drive them to said location and stay until after their awards. If you wish to stay any longer that is no problem but must be cleared through everyone in your carpool. Its a great opportunity for the team to see bigger and more experienced guards to get a better idea of what can be accomplished. We cannot reimburse for gas, we just don’t have that type of budget which is why we ask for your support.
Finances
As budget cuts escalate, we as a team have to do all the fundraising that we can. Each year’s finances comes down to each individual show and how we feel the need to develop and enhance certain aspects of it.
Each member will be required to purchase their own uniform/ Weapons(rifle and/or sabre) unless otherwise stated. This is the only finance that they are required to purchase and if there is any issue with this we as a team will fundraise for said individual and purchase it that way. If everyone purchases their own uniform it is their’s to keep and use for ever more. But if they are donated to them through the program they must wash and return it by the end of the semester or they will be put on probation for the following year. If it is their last year they will not be able to graduate as debts through the school program allows no means to be on track for graduation, all dues MUST be paid in order to GRADUATE.
All other finances unless otherwise stated will be fundraised and or donated by and or to the color/ winterguard program. Any form of donation will be made out to Ryan Brown (if by check) and in each memo section please state that it is for the MOH/ MOM Winterguard.
Fundraising
It is crucial that you understand, as a student and parent, all of our budget consists of what is fundraised by ourselves as a team. We do not receive funds from anywhere else so taking from our program is stealing and we do not stand for it. If a child is given a fundraiser and there are missing funds, you Must Repay them. There are no excuses. We have a rule. We do not sell a product until we have been given the money to cover it, so please don’t take unless you’ve paid. We have had issues in the past and we keep loosing money because of money issues and families stealing from their own children’s fundraisers. Thank you for understanding and appreciating our rules. We look forward to having a great year and hope you will too!!!
Commitment
This is a huge part of Color/ Winterguard and we tend to fall short. I ask that each student who tries out and makes the team have a commitment to the team for at least ONE YEAR. I would love to have everyone enjoy being on the team throughout their high school entirety because that gives them the greatest amount of success but it is up to the student and parents at that point. I ask this because every individual counts. If we lose even one person the show must be rewritten. It is a huge fall back for the team when one person causes everything to change so please take these matters seriously and commit to the team in order to effect it in a positive way.
Competition Dates
Tentative(until otherwise stated):
Mira Mesa High School February 6th, 2016
10510 Reagan Road
San Diego, CA 92126
Carlsbad High School February 27th, 2016
3557 Monroe Street
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Mira Mesa High School March 6th, 2016 (Only Sunday competition)
10510 Reagan Road
San Diego, CA 92126
Mission Hills High School March 12th, 2016
1 Mission Hills Court
San Marcos, CA 92069
Del Norte HS Competition @ Eastlake High School March 26th, 2016
1120 Eastlake Parkway
Chula Vista, CA 91915
WGASC Invitational @ San Marcos High School April 2nd, 2016
1615 West San Marcos Boulevard
San Marcos, CA 92078
Championships TBA (Near LA) April 16th, 2016
Location TBA
SUHI Showcase/ Eastlake High School TBA (None competition)
1120 Eastlake Parkway
Chula Vista, CA 91915
End of year performance for friends and family of Montgomery High School will be the end of May: Exact Date TBD
Spring Performance @ Montgomery
3250 Palm Ave
San Diego, CA 92154
*Students will get two calendars for each month stating practice times and performance times and places, these are tentative and can change so I do suggest checking back every week with your child to make sure nothing has changed or been adjusted*
Parent Involvement
There are many ways to get involve in your child’s life in guard. As a parent volunteer you can either transport and or attend the competitions that we, as a team, travel to and help with setting up of our equipment for the show as we only have enough time to get ready. Your involvement in this department is crucial for the success of the team due to our time limit on the Floor. If travel is not an option there are other ways to help support the team; donating snacks or water for competition dates, or helping with fundraisers in any way possible, whether it be donating things for the fundraisers or just helping out. In the future we would love to host a competition and as a team we cannot do this without parent support. There are to many jobs for only the guard to handle when hosting a competition, so in the future whether it be next year or ten years from now, that is our main goal.
Rules and Regulations:
We, Montgomery High School and Middle School Colorguard, are working together to make this a great opportunity for everyone, and the only way that’s possible is with rules. There is a lot of stress put on these individuals throughout the year and our biggest concern is school. Each guard member must keep a GPA of at least a 2.0 in order to keep their spot on our competition team. If any of the grades are lower then a C they are immediately put on probation regardless of whether or not they are above a 2.0 GPA. I push each individual to have anything higher then a 2.5 so we don’t have to resort to removal from the team, but over time there are always factors that cause students to slip or get lazy and these rules are only a reminder to kick it into gear and keep up their grades. You can help your child by checking in on them every so often because I’ve found that parents see that their child is getting lazy only during report card distributions and those are far and few between and may be too late for them. Please make sure to keep a close eye on your child’s grades because its is a disheartening day when myself, as a coach and a mentor, have to let them know that they can no longer be a part of our team.
There is a strict rule that all members must follow and that is that there must be no disrespect between the coach and student, and, or the student and student. In other words “No Drama.” If any issues arise I take the time to carefully sort out what is going on in order to keep it from escalating. Luckily all the girls/boys on the team are quite close and have developed a huge respect for each other; therefore, making this an unspoken rule and sometimes un-needed.
Lastly, any and all equipment must be returned unless purchased by the member. Any major damage is normally covered by the program but there are cases where students must be responsible. *TBD with a parent coach conference*
Please visit the wgasc.org website to see the impact that winterguard has on a lot of people and how it can be a great thing to do outside of school.
We hope this year and any future years that you stay with this program is filled with fun and accomplishments so lets Get it Montgomery Aztecs & Mayans!
If there are any other questions please contact me by email, it is the fastest way I will respond, you can also contact me by cell or in person.
Instructor/ Director of Montgomery High School and Middle School Guards:
Ryan Brown
ryanab34@gmail.com (619) 948-5408
Assistant Coaches: Joanna Alex
Lizbeth Villalobos
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Techs: Kristy Heckel
Amber Sikes
Hair/ Make-up Artist: Nathalya Carrillo
Important Links:
Facebook Page For Parents: Questions Comments Concerns? Post them here and ill respond the second I can!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/609766182503958/
Facebook Fan Site: for all your publicity Needs!
https://www.facebook.com/MontgomeryHSGUARD/
Montgomery Website: For all info and or parents to understand a bit more about what their child is up to and why it can be such a huge inpact on their lives! THIS WEBSITE!!!