Everyone knows the quote, ” When one door closes, another one opens.” That one thing that didn’t happen, that one thing that didn’t go your way is the reason you are the person you are today. Everything that happened and didn’t happen shaped you. Entering my freshman year of high school, I joined the colorguard team. Before joining, I didn’t even know what colorguard was. If you go to Colorguard Life Vol.1 you can read about my experience of trying out for drill team and not making it. Yes, I was in tears in the moment but a couple of days later, I received a letter about colorguard tryouts.

Recently, I noticed how far I have come, inside and outside colorguard. I was a really shy girl that would rarely talk. I’d only talk to my small group of friends. I would have never have thought of performing in front of a huge audience. I would have never thought of showing my love for dance with my second family. I would have never thought of joining a sport where I practically live at school. My freshman year, I explored a new world. I joined the Schurr High School Colorguard team. I gained a second family that shares the same passion I do. Last year, I was learning the simple movements on flag, like drop spins, a single, a double, a 45. It was a whole new thing that I had never done. I’ll admit, my first year was tough. There were many times where I’d get disappointment in myself for not doing something as perfect as I want it to look. Many tell me, I’m just being too hard on myself, and to remember no one is perfect.

This year, I am in my second year of colorguard. I’ve noticed that I have come so far in guard that now, I’m on the rifle line. Last year, I would have never thought of me doing rifle in a show. I would have never thought I was good enough. And yes there are times where I still think I’m not good enough, but then I remember that if I wasn’t good enough, then why would I enjoy this so much? I began thinking, how would my life have changed if I never tried out for the drill team? If I never tried- out for guard? How would I have changed as a person? Did I affect other people’s lives?

This got me thinking. If I never tried out for drill, I would have never gotten the letter about tryouts for colorguard. I would still be the shy, quiet girl in class. I would have never met the Spartan Legion and they would have never become my second family. There are so many important people in guard and band that I wouldn’t have met or wouldn’t be as close to as I am now. These people have changed my life and I’m grateful for that. Now, yes, of course, my life would have changed in many ways but I was curious to know if I made any kind of impact on other people’s lives. So here is how I affected some of the people closest to me:

“Well I don’t think we would’ve talked except for maybe Japanese and I don’t know, I don’t wanna imagine that because you’re a really great person. Because of you, I have been inspired in many ways to try guard stuff and things like that. So I thank you for that and I’m glad you are in guard.”

In response to the quote above, sadly I would not have been in a Japanese class. The only reason I am right now is that my first period had to be for guard and in my schedule included the class for Chinese as my first period. To fit a foreign language and colorguard in my schedule, I changed my class to Japanese and put guard as my first. So for the person’s quote above, sad to say, if I never joined colorguard, I would have barely known you.

“Without you I would’ve never joined guard. Without you my laugh wouldn’t be the same, I wouldn’t call you Stoophie. I love you so much. You make me wanna think of those memories together. Oh! How I want to go back to those memories. I love you. I’m so proud of you like I’ve said. I love you so much. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Okay, I would have never met you because you’re a sophomore and I’m a junior duh. And I think you would be shy still, but eventually, break out of your shell.”

The door for drill may have closed, but the door for colorguard was wide open for me.