Winterguard Makes New 'Declaration'

Monday, March 31, 2008 - 7:22pm

By Connect Mason Multimedia Director Grace Kendall

Few people are aware that George Mason University has a winterguard. Many people don’t even know what a winterguard is until they spot the flags and rifles being tossed into the air. Mason’s group Declaration is in its third year and is slowly gaining visibility on campus.

Formed three years ago by Tina Blue, the group is comprised of 11 individuals, most of whom have previous experience spinning, although they do welcome the untrained to their ranks.

Unlike its more well-known counterpart the colorguard, winterguard performs to prerecorded music of any musical genre and hold performances indoors during their competitive winter months. Their shows combine elements of movement with equipment, usually including flags, rifles and sabres. This year, Mason’s show focuses on the flag and rifle.

Though Mason's winterguard has existed independently for several years now, it has recently received a bit of a facelift due to the help of Dr. Michael Nickens, more commonly known around Mason as Doc Nix.

"Mason hired me to do music at basketball games, but I had bigger dreams," Nickens said. His dream is that of a full-fledged marching band, complete with a drumline and colorguard. He put steps into motion to help create Mason's drumline, and he helped the existing winterguard take steps forward to become stronger.

“You need a healthy drumline. You need a healthy colorguard. I want each part healthy on its own,” said Nickens. “You have to get techniques in place, and then you can collaborate on the creative.”

Coach Kenny Putnam joined the Mason group this past autumn. In previous years, the guard was completely student-run and directed, but the addition of an outside coach has been a welcome change for the group.

"We still argue incessantly over details we've already forgotten, but now there's someone to come in and say 'No, you do it that way,'" said team member Richard Kunkel.

"Having a coach can suck," said Declaration secretary and co-captain Tricia Moore after receiving criticism from Putnam on her flag work. But she's quick to amend, "Most of the time it's awesome, though."

Having a coach means that the guard is no longer responsible for writing all of the work and drill for their show; it's a double-edged sword, because while it allows guard members to focus on learning and cleaning the work, it removes some of the creative control that they possessed in seasons past. The guard members view this as a positive change; having a full show choreographed and set by winter break was a great relief for the group, as in previous years only a third of the show had been prepared by then.

As the group transitioned, so did their name: the old 'Inflection' was given up for the stronger 'Declaration'.

"It was Kenny's [Putnam] idea to change the name," said Moore. The team found inspiration in the school's namesake, liking that Mason had written the Declaration of Rights which served as a precursor to the Bill of Rights in the Constitution.

"We wanted to make a statement," Moore said. "It has meaning and significance."

The name is stronger and appropriate for the group’s new attitude. Their growth is evident as well; this year’s initial competition started the group with a score of 58.1, almost on par with where they’d ended just one season before. Their scores have climbed steadily, and the group strives for excellence. With their championship competition one weekend away, the group’s goals seem well in sight, and Mason’s winterguard program looks to have many successful years ahead of it.

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