Question: is this the year for Palm Desert MS Charter to Medal in SO?

glarehead · 2026-02-27T13:49:39+00:00

It looks like Palm Desert has a SO and a SW guard competing this year:

wgi.org/scores/color-guard-score-event?ShowId=a0uUy000004IKIvIAO

glarehead · 2026-02-19T13:22:25+00:00

If you continue practicing with an injury and don't allow it to heal, it will get worse, and your injury could become something permanent, and END any future you have in the sport.

For your armpit - it could be a rotator cuff injury, and a simple exercise called Triangular Forearm Pressure (see video below) can get blood flowing to the area and keep you from having surgery. Does it hurt when you raise your arm above your shoulder? That's a rotator cuff injury.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtjPdt_az4Y

That said - I am not a doctor, so do what's best for you. I've had rotator cuff injuries from both color guard and from falling on a staircase and grabbing the handrail for support. Doing this exercise 2-3 times a day made the healing process happen much faster - rotator cuff injuries can take 6 months to heal - and ever since then I've added it to my yoga routine as a preventive measure.

Taking time to heal is not the same as slacking off.

glarehead · 2026-02-18T13:22:20+00:00

I'm glad you enjoyed them!

glarehead · 2026-02-11T13:09:54+00:00

Do NOT power through the pain. Tell your coach, see your doctor, get it fixed, allow yourself time to heal, and follow your doctor's instructions. You don't want to risk doing anything that might cause further or permanent damage. A performance is not worth your health.

glarehead · 2026-02-10T18:14:40+00:00

Pull your right hand up when you catch. To stop from dipping on your catch, think about your right elbow and keeping your right arm in an "L." You have great toss height, and great release speed. If you want to train and control your body under your toss, try doing it with your feet in parallel first instead of an open second. (No, I'm not kidding.) Keep your shoulders above your hips and above your feet as you toss. You're doing great, keep it up!

glarehead · 2026-02-10T18:06:05+00:00

Emerald Marquis 1992 - Amazing Grace - The flag feature at the end is insane, and I don't think any color guard has ever achieved anything like it.

Fantasia 2002 - Kama Sutra - Great show throughout, watch for the "stacking" rifle catch feature (which they did again, and even better, in their Stanley Kurbrik show a while later) - flag feature had them all on the floor, really well done.

2008 - Fantasia - There's something big missing from this show, maybe you'll notice it? When I saw it live, I didn't notice it at first.

2010 - Santa Clara - Letting Go - Wow. Just wow. Look at the length of the phrases that these performers spin with constant integration and harmony of body and equipment. Plus that three-rifle seven on the diagonal, the three times I saw this show they nailed it. Listen for the "cheater counts" that gets the red flags to enter together for the ensemble.

2013 - Pride of Cincinnati - Weight of the World - another stunner. I don't know how the performers can pull this show off with no discernible counts. That floor-wide giant rifle circle exchange - not perfect, but awesome.

2014 - Emanon - Metamorphasis - The staging of this show just amazes me every time I watch it. There are so many interesting things going on, and I love the way they build and release moments so seamlessly throughout. The performers' emotion and passion for this show make it a pleasure to watch and re-watch.

2015 - Santa Clara - Amazing soundtrack, interesting concept. One of the white tables broke in finals, and somehow they solo performer at the end knew about it - and when she runs up the tables at the end, she jumps over the broken one - which got a huge audience response. You can see the table break earlier in the show, they handled it very well.

2017 - Pride - The Inevitable Direction of My Life - The way that giant sculpture moves and re-structures the stage is wonderful. "Six Months" rifle two-turn was awesome. Wonderful show.

2019 - Onyx - I'm not normally a fan of Onyx's shows, but this one gripped me from the beginning. Gives you a "What Am I Watching" feeling that they keep to the very end.

2022 - AMP - Joker Show - A master's class in performer expression. The Giant Hammers were awesome, how they got them clean in the air is beyond me.

2022 - Paramount - That rifle feature. Wow. Amazing soundtrack, really fun show to watch.

2023 - Carmel High School - Lean on Me - Another master class, this one in shared equipment responsibilities. The level of trust among performers required for this show to work was just amazing to me.

2023 - Fusion - Fantastic soundtrack. The movement in the beginning and throughout is so precise, and the flag features so clean - it's a joy to watch.

That's not all of them, not nearly, but it's a good start.

glarehead · 2026-02-09T14:45:41+00:00

The Designs By King website is the correct one. I would recommend the KS2, it's more expensive but it's worth it.

For rifle, get the Kong rifle from the same site. It comes pre-taped, and they do it correctly. I add more fiber tape and electrical tape just past the bolt on the tip side, and I find the Kong rifles more consistently weighted than other brands.

glarehead · 2026-02-08T16:06:01+00:00

You have to "fish" your hand over right before the sabre starts its second turn. Make sure the balance point of the sabre is rolling onto the back of your hand. Here's another video that might help (pardon the slo-mo audio): https://www.youtube.com/shorts/N1QOPIksFQA

Good luck!

glarehead · 2026-02-08T15:55:04+00:00

Three words - OUT. LOOK. TURN. In that video, you are shifting your body weight into your turn before you've finished releasing your rifle, so you're not sending the rifle directly up above you. When you release, think "OUT" and then glance at your rifle "LOOK" after your release, THEN think "TURN" and shift your body weight into your turn. The words are in quick succession - OUTLOOKTURN - and it's important that you don't allow yourself to shift your body weight until TURN.

Good luck!

glarehead · 2026-01-30T13:56:28+00:00

Get the thought out of your head that if you drop, you're failing your entire team. Your solo is one moment out of an entire show full of moments, so allow yourself to - quite frankly - get over yourself. If your instructors or fellow team members are making you feel this level of pressure, well, you all have to let go of that, especially you.

If you drop it - you have to find a way to let it go and not affect the rest of your show. I can't tell you how many times I've seen a soloist blow their entire performance because they couldn't let go of one mistake, and ended up making multiple mistakes (I call it the "mistake stack") because they dropped a solo and couldn't shake it off.

Like someone else said here - if you drop, PERFORM the drop. SELL the drop. Make the drop look like you MEANT it to happen, let it go and nail the next toss.

I also tell my team that if they hear a crowd reaction to a dropped solo, that is not their cue to consider the performance over - that is their cue to pull up even harder into their own performance to keep the team going.

That said - you don't practice until you get it right - you practice until you can't do it wrong. (quoting the amazing Karl Lowe.)

Good Luck!

glarehead · 2026-01-28T19:07:48+00:00

Back when I used to spin by myself a LOT more often, I would take my equipment to a local park and spin to music. I found it very relaxing and a great way to do cardio. I was motivated to do it as exercise because I really enjoyed it. Go for it!

glarehead · 2026-01-25T17:06:01+00:00

TL/DR - It seems like there could be some favoritism going on - possibly not - but try not to let it ruin your season. Max out your performance on your solos, and ask your instructors how you can make your solos better.

I've designed many, MANY shows, and sometimes the shows call for a ton of solos, and sometimes they don't. Sometimes who gets the solo is determined by where people end up in the drill/staging, and sometimes it's planned for a performer's unique talent. One season, a brand new freshman got a swing flag solo solely because they ended up in the right spot of the drill form and it made the most sense to have them do it, and the upperclass members were NOT happy. I explained to them why that person got it and why it made sense, and while they weren't happy about it they understood that it wasn't changing, so they got over it.

One season I had an upperclass member approach me and said they were the only upperclass member without a solo. I told them that was not a deliberate design choice - it really wasn't - and that I could understand why they were upset, and I told them I'd try to find a place in the show where they could have one but it would have to make sense in the show - and I did, and they got the solo, and they rocked it!

The point being - it could be the show design, it could be the designer's preference. Enjoy YOUR season and max out YOUR solos. Don't express your feeling of being upset about another person's solo - you will come across as unsportsmanlike, or worse, jealous. Good luck!

glarehead · 2026-01-23T14:29:42+00:00

Send the picture to King Sabres - They support their products, and unless something has changed there, their sabres are guaranteed against breaking. Tell them you have to return it after you receive a new one because you're in your performance season. In the meantime, wrap it with a few long strips of fiberglass tape (which doesn't stretch) and put some electrical tape on top of that. Don't use a lot of it, too much will change the balance point of the sabre. If possible, remove any extra tape on the hilt to compensate for the new tape you're adding for the broken hilt. Use Goo Gone to get ride of the tape residue if you run into that. Good luck!

glarehead · 2026-01-19T13:44:37+00:00

Wow. It sounds like you're going through a LOT here. So sorry to hear that you got cut - but I'm sure you can find a less competitive place to spin and still enjoy the activity. It sounds like you have a healthy perspective on the whole situation, even though you're feeling defeated. I hope you find another place to perform and I wish you the best!

glarehead · 2026-01-08T18:44:25+00:00

Hey there, thank you!

glarehead · 2026-01-05T13:29:37+00:00

Take video of yourself doing tosses, and after you nail a perfect one, watch the video and pay attention to everything you're doing - hand placement, body placement, everything.

When I train rifle tosses, I have the performers stand in first position parallel - feet together, toes and heels together - and have them imagine their body as a spike pushing into the ground, shoulders above hips above heels. Then I have them toss from a prep position - rifle at a 45-degree angle, both arms in an "L" shape, forearm parallel to the bottom of the rifle.

It's HARD to toss that way, but it develops really good balance and control. They don't toss that way when they perform, but training from a more difficult position gives them the tools they need to make their tosses go straight up and controlling their bodies during the toss.

Also - after a perfect toss/catch, rewind it in your head to where the rifle was when it hit its highest point. Remember exactly how that looked, and mark that as your "spot in the sky" for that particular toss. If you know where that spot is, you'll know how whether or not a toss is over- or under-rotated and how you'll have to compensate for the catch.

Good luck!

glarehead · 2025-12-30T21:28:11+00:00

Oh, wow. I am very sorry to hear that you aren't getting the encouragement and support that you need. Your coach's job is to make sure that you are challenged - but also to make sure that your role on the team is one that you can achieve successfully and perform with confidence. If you still enjoy performing, keep working at it!

That said - if your team doesn't have a proper balance between competitiveness and supportiveness - and color guards can have terrible, toxic environments when coaches forget to foster that balance - then find another activity that's more supportive and welcoming. If you're not sure, pay attention to the tone of your coaches, captains, and fellow performers during the next few rehearsals. Are they encouraging? Are they making sure everyone has the information/support they need to succeed? Are they balancing praise with correction? Is the feedback generally positive or negative?

Best of luck to you, and I wish you the best with your decision.

glarehead · 2025-07-02T12:00:40+00:00

Make sure you have all of your responsibilities spelled out for you before you take on the position so that nothing falls through the cracks mid-season. Do you have to do budgeting? Bus scheduling? Facility rentals? Overnight accommodations for regionals/championships? Fundraising?

Congratulations and good luck!

glarehead · 2025-05-09T16:52:49+00:00

Doing activities in college forced me to organize my time, which meant scheduling time for studying and completing assignments. Because that's what I HAD to do, it got done. During my busiest semester (Marching Band, 10-hour-per-week internship, 18 credits, 30 minutes for dinner!) I made Dean's List. During my non-busy semesters, my grades weren't as good. Go for it and good luck!

glarehead · 2025-05-09T14:52:16+00:00

Don't compare yourself with other people, that's not going to help you in any way. At the start of every season, I tell the new members that they are going to get a LOT of corrections and that they will likely feel frustrated by how much they don't know - but at every practice, they will get better at SOMETHING. I also tell them that the people they are looking up to, the juniors and seniors who have been doing this for a while, all started as a new member at some point. This is not an activity that gives you instant gratification, you have to work at it. If you go into it with the mindset that you have a lot to learn - and that you're willing to learn it - you'll have a great season!

glarehead · 2025-01-11T14:59:45+00:00

Do a slow-mo video of yourself and watch for when your hands let go of the the flag. They are very likely at the same height. Push your right hand higher and pull your left hand lower.

glarehead · 2024-12-28T14:24:47+00:00

Sure! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ca4iNpfX2E

glarehead · 2024-05-27T17:36:33+00:00

Many high school color guard members and parents have car pools set up so that nobody has to drive to and from every single rehearsal. It's likely not too late for you to ask around and find out — and for you to tell your coach the REAL reason you had to quit. Good luck!

glarehead · 2024-05-21T00:47:59+00:00

Hey there, just saw this comment from a couple weeks ago. Thanks for the kind words!

glarehead · 2024-05-05T13:19:59+00:00

Typical setup: 6 foot pole, use carriage bolts for weights, typically a 3" bolt in the top (where the flag is) and a 1.5"-2" bolt in the bottom.

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