The marching band has added a new component to their half-time shows this year: the color guard.

The color guard adds a visual dimension to the marching band’s music, with dancing, flag work, rifles and sabers. The group performs at home football games, and is led by junior Trisha Sharma. Sharma started the color guard this year in an effort to improve the marching band’s performance at competitions.

“Last year at a marching band competition, we actually got docked points because we didn’t have a color guard,” Sharma said.

As a result, Sharma put up flyers around campus for students interested in joining. The team now comprises sophomore Shirin Dravid, sophomore Anahi Bourget, junior Yaya Martinez and sophomore Gaby Jimenez.

Band director Zachary Borquez said he welcomed the idea of forming a color guard.

“They [marching band and color guard] go hand in hand,” Borquez said. “It’s hard to have one without the other.”

Being part of a team that has only started this year is a change for the color guard’s members.

“It’s kind of experimental,” Jimenez said.

Some of the girls even joined because it was a new extracurricular.

Others joined because they were previously in band.

“I was in band before, then I left,” Jimenez said, “but I came back because I liked the experience.”

The color guard currently has five members, but according to Martinez, having a small number of people “makes everything easier to learn.”

“We’re already actually pretty good at what we’re doing. Everyone catches on pretty quickly,” Sharma said.

The team has been making great progress, Borquez said.

“I think they’re doing great,” Borquez said. “[The color guard’s performance] just completes the package on the field.”

Since the beginning, the members of the color guard have been able to bond — on and off the field.

“We’re our own family,” Martinez said, “everything is a learning experience with each other.”