Captain Of Her Own Destiny

During my first season of high school marching band as a freshman trumpet player at Clear Creek High School in League City, Texas, I hardly noticed the four girls twirling flags at the back of the field.

- Maddie Evans

When my friend asked me to go with her to winter guard tryouts in my second semester, I thought she was joking. No way was I coordinated enough to dance and maneuver a piece of equipment at the same time.

Turns out, I was right. Actually, I did make the team but as a dance soloist. Now don’t let the title “soloist” fool you. I was a decent dancer, but I was only made a dance soloist because I could not spin a flag at all. I was so terrible that my high school guard director, Heather Hyde Wargo, nicknamed me “bad hands.”

However, after just a few weeks of joining color guard, I fell in love with the activity and practiced every second that I could.

After a few months of practicing, I lost the nickname. And then I became captain of my color guard team by the beginning of my sophomore year.

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