On Saturday March 21, the St. Thomas Aquinas High School Color Guard and the Raiderettes performed at the FBA State Solo and Ensemble Assessment at Wellington High School. After months of preparation perfecting their performances, the team was well prepared for the competition, and their scores reflected their commitment to excellence. Junior, Leila Bernard, shared, “We prepared for the competition by practicing routines for hours every day, during practice times and at home.” “When I had free time, I would go over the moves of the routines in my head.” Bernard said.
The Color Guard, consisting of Adriana Bapiste, Leila Bernard, Lindsay Charles, Maria Loukakis, Calli Kosar, and Maria Wilken received an Excellent rating for their ensemble performance. Each girl also performed a solo routine; all received excellent ratings. Additionally, Nora Benyounes, Emily Boy, Luz Pineda Sagastume, Kaitlyn Foley, and Adriana Zumbado performed the song “Monster High,” as the Raiderettes, receiving an excellent rating. Sophomore, Jocelyn Foran, received a Superior on her solo twirling performance.
Bernard said she was especially proud of the group’s improvement from last year, as well as her own solo routine. “I was very proud of our scores since we did better than last year,” Bernard said. “I was especially proud of how my solo performance went since it was my first time creating my own routine.” She also reflected positively on the overall experience. “Overall, I had so much fun working with my friends and creating an interpretation of our chosen theme,” Bernard said. “If there was something I could have done differently, I would have done more for the visual aspect of our performance to make it more eye-catching.”
Although the Raiderettes initially hoped to receive Superior ratings, sophomore, Emily Boy explained that the results motivated the team to work even harder moving forward. “To be honest, we were all hoping for superiors because when we got out of the performance we thought we did really well,” Boy said. “However, we ended up getting an Excellent as our score. We felt a little disappointed, but it ultimately gave us the drive to do better next year.”
Despite the challenges, Boy said she thoroughly enjoyed the experience. “Overall, I loved my experience. I love twirling and competing,” Boy said. “I don’t think there is anything I could have done differently. It was a truly amazing and exhilarating experience.”
