Winter Guard Completes Season With Top Three Finish - During a Rainstorm

BV Newsroom

By Zoe Darby

Fair Oaks, CA - April 17th, 2026

Starting in December, the Bella Vista winter guard team officially wrapped up their season last weekend with a final competition at Del Oro High School. They competed in four competitions total, consistently placing in the top three.

The team and one of their instructors, Kat, pose with the trophy

Last weekend, even the pouring rain could not stop the final competition. Under the thunder, lightning, and heavy rain, many teams were not able to warm up and practice before performing. Reportedly, our winter guard team ended up huddling together in two of the member’s cars, drying their tights and jazz shoes. Disaster struck, however, when all of their equipment was found to be drenched.

Ale Cosentino and a few of her fellow teammates had attempted to protect the delicate flag silks, but ultimately, the effort failed. “It was bad. It was very chaotic and a little stressful. But it was also kind of funny when we tried using our ponchos to keep the equipment dry.”

The team huddles under a tarp to avoid the rain

After obtaining a space indoors, the team “shook the silks and used different methods to get the most air on them to dry them off.” This wasn’t just a technical drawback, as it affected the mentality of the team. “Just knowing someone could slip or something made me more nervous to perform,” Ale concludes.

Despite their various complications, the winter guard placed third out of seven groups. The scores were close, with only a 1.6 point difference between second and third place. This only happens when a team has great synergy and talent.

Achieving this requires members to be incredibly dedicated and enthusiastic. Molly Heath explains how they achieved this with her loyal outlook. “I’m dedicated because I wouldn’t want to let my team down in any way, and that motivates me to work harder. I love my team.” 

But loyalty is not the only factor in a strong team. K Umemoto notes, “I really enjoy doing winter guard. I find it fun to toss equipment, and it’s also really cool to see other guards [perform].” K is a great contributor to the positive, friendly atmosphere of winter guard that allows for cooperation. And while performing well and getting a high score are important, the ‘love of the game’ mentality and friendliness between competing teams is the heart of the national winter guard community.

This makes leaving a rough reality. Not only do members form bonds among their team, but they also connect with people from many different schools. “The people I’ve made so many memories with, and the seniors graduating, makes the end of the season so sad," said Molly, a junior and fourth year member. She has known some of her teammates since before she started high school. “Performing with them one last time makes me really sad and really happy at the same time.” 

Captain Cambria Billingsley sums up her experience from this season. “As someone who was in winter guard the past three years, it was so fun having a show concept that felt easy to perform and convey to audiences.” Throughout the show, the performers display anger and sadness, but end with quiet sobs and a collective sigh as they embrace each other. Audience members close to the performers during their final show might have realized that some of those sobs were not an act, as the performers were crying over their last show. 

This is the final pose of the team's show

On a lighter note, Cambria commends her teammates. “It was great to be on a team full of hard working people who were all so committed to the activity and strived to succeed with each other.”

So, BV Newsroom congratulates the winter guard team for their excellent performance. We wish all the seniors luck with their post-high school plans, and we can’t wait to see how the winter guard team does next year.