Color Guard originated with the military color guard which carried the flag for a military band but that has been replaced by complex dance moves, colorful flags of various sizes, mid-show costume changes, and the use of hoops, balls, chairs, and just about anything imaginable as props.
They look glamorous and perfectly coiffed on the field, but Color Guard members joke about the constant bruises that no one can see from the stands.
Most Color Guards are co-ed but there are a couple of Corps that are all-male (Madison Scouts and Cavaliers) so their color guards are all-male.
You might wonder if they sleep in hotels. Nope! Often they will sleep on the tour bus to their next destination, then it’s floor of a high school gymnasium and as a bonus, they have to leave it cleaner than they found it.
Originally, the guard just marched with flags vertical – no spinning, no dancing. It is hard to imagine that now that the Color Guard have taken on the role of the storytellers of the field.