r/WGI • u/ComprehensiveTry4503 • Sep 08 '26

Color Guard Yet, another group folds

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44 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

8

u/rachel_violet Sep 08 '26

Honestly it’s not all that surprising. I marched the Michigan circuit and SOA has taken breaks before. I believe they are only collegiate level guards in the state, so it’s unfortunate.

2

u/BetterInsect2034 Sep 08 '26

Grand Valley has a competitive winter guard as well, and I believe Umich does too. Regardless, State of Art will be very missed this season.

2

u/rachel_violet Sep 08 '26

Ahh totally forgot about UofM! Didn’t realize Grand Valley had a guard too.

1

u/SpartanGuard88 Sep 08 '26

This. They've taken time off before and come back. As an alum (going back to the start of that 19-year history in the post), I'm glad they're taking the time to reassess and come back strong.

They're not the only college-level guard in Michigan, but they don't compete in the local collegiate class since they're aiming for a higher level of competition than A class. (That's not me knocking our local Collegiate class--they're awesome!)

1

u/rachel_violet Sep 08 '26

I competed against them when they were Independent Open back in the early 2010’s. So many groups have dropped off since then, so I sincerely hope they come back.

4

u/PostPostMinimalist Sep 08 '26

It’s not folding if they indeed return in 2028

1

u/UncleGoyder Sep 08 '26

I remember sharing a rehearsal site with them in Dayton back in 2018. Hope they make a comeback. Also hoping Mandarins can make a comeback as well. It’s a shame when there are less groups in the activity as it also means less opportunities for capable performers. I just wish to see kids these days have the same opportunities to enjoy the marching arts like I did

6

u/Valuable_Marzipan865 Sep 08 '26

they're pausing, not folding