The Newtown Winter Guard teams performed at the Musical Arts Conference (MAC) competition on Saturday, March 23, at Norwalk High School. The Varsity Winter Guard took third place at the event, and the Junior Varsity Winter Guard took first place.

The Varsity Winter Guard came in third place in the Scholastic National A division with a score of 81.88. The group used dizzying flag spins, rifle tosses, and dance moves to portray their show, “Hypnosis.”

In the Middle School division, Newtown Junior Varsity Winter Guard earned a score of 79.24 to come in first place. Its show, “It’s Coming,” is a story of good and evil.

“I have been on the Newtown Varsity team since I was 13 and in the Newtown Color Guard Program since I was 10,” said NHS junior Moira McKinley, one of the color guard captains. “It’s very safe to say that color guard is my life. I love every part of it. The long hours, the late nights of practicing over and over again, just for a 5-10 minute performance once a week. It’s very hectic and sometimes overwhelming, but I wouldn’t change any of it. I learned how to be confident and really own what I am doing. I’ve also learned not only to be a teammate, but to be a leader. Being a captain has been much more challenging than I expected, but I love it. Guard has shaped me into who I am, and I am very grateful for everything this program has given.”

The Newtown color guard teams will next compete in the MAC Winter Guard Championships at Trumbull High School on Saturday, March 30.

Newtown Winter Percussion will also perform at Trumbull on March 30, and it will have its championship event at Westhill in Stamford the following week

For more information about winter guard and winter percussion, visit newtownbandandguard.weebly.com.