The Emporia State Marching Hornets color guard is starting their season strong, according to co-captains Sarah Braddy, junior art major, and Abigail Brown, junior music education major.

“Our season this year is spectacular,” Braddy said. “We had a lot of returning members and lots of new members join us. Everyone has really stepped it up and worked their tails off to have our entire exhibition show learned and performed before midterms.”

To prepare for the upcoming Veteran’s Day and Christmas parades, they started practicing their routines before fall break, according to Braddy.

“Every single person gave learning, memorizing, and cleaning all 10 routines in our pregame and exhibition show 120 percent effort,” Braddy said. “I’m very proud of my team for having a positive attitude about it the whole time.”

Braddy is not the only one to recognize the hard work of the team this year. “By far I think it’s one of the best, or the best,” said Jennifer Woodworth, colorguard director.

The recognition for this team goes beyond the Emporia community. The Hornets have been invited to perform next Wednesday at the Southern

Plains Marching Festival in Andover, Kansas.

“My favorite part is the creativity behind it,” said Woodworth. “It allows a lot of creative freedom.” Color guard allows the members and co-captains to showcase their creative routines and even creative costume choices, according to Woodworth.

“My favorite part of guard has to be the family that it creates,” Braddy said. “Every year we are not only a team but we all become friends, we go out and get dinner together, we hang out together.”

Woodworth is often asked what color guard really entails. “It’s not just the team that spins a flag behind a band,” Woodworth said. “There’s a lot of fitness behind it. There’s a lot of endurance. There’s a lot of discipline behind it.”

According to the ESU website, the team will be performing at the Homecoming game against Missouri Western at 2 p.m. Saturday at Welch Stadium