Ritenour’s Color Guard won first place gold in the 3A auxiliary color guard on April 1 at the WorldStrides concert competition in Orlando, Fla.

The color guard team, coached by Hoech math teacher Stephanie Goetz, had been practicing since January for this event.

Sophomore Dorothy Sloan-Ule was thrilled when they announced the winners.

“When they announced that Ritenour got first place, I remember turning around to my guard mate, Mackenzie, screaming at her and grabbing her hand as tears were running down our faces,” Sloan-Ule said.  “It was the feeling of accomplishment and knowing that we actually got there and our hard work paid off.”

The routine was student created and involved flag work, dancing and rifle work. Freshman Andrea Rojo took pride in helping to create and perfect the winning routine.

“We had practice three times a week. We ran through the routine together then our coach would tell us individually what we needed to work on.  We also videotaped our practices to be able to improve ourselves,” Rojo said.

Another freshman, Mackenzie Davis, believes that the team’s hard work paid off.

“We practice for a good amount of time and just went over it over and over again,” Davis said.

Sloan said that while creating the routine was difficult, the hardest part was fighting nerves when going to perform.

“The hardest part about competing isn’t about the rigorous practices or making sure you have everything down. It’s about the anticipation, anxiety and doubt you get on the side of the stage and when you walk on the stage,” Sloan-Ule said.

The team is proud of their accomplishment and delighted by the experience.

“I am really glad we went to competition. It was a really fun time especially since we won,” Rojo said.