A First for Everything

Everyone has a first day of something. For me, my first day of color guard was very stressful, as I'm sure all of you have experienced when you tried something new.

Touching a flag was pretty terrifying experience. How was I supposed to throw this in the air eventually?

I'll be honest, I did not want to do guard at first. I was trying out for guard as a backup for dance team. So I was not willing to do a whole lot. But when I was freaking out after I made the team and at our first contest, I got some tips from some veterans in my guard and my director helping me and the guard out.

1. Stay calm and breathe.

If you stay calm, you are able to clearly think through what you are about to do. Breathing will help this and keep your nerves in check.

2. Be nervous, but don't let the nerves take control.

It is okay to be nervous, it is your first show after all. Just keep the nerves under control. Don't keep thinking about the nerves, keep focused on other things to keep your mind off of the nerves.

3. Look at the people you are performing to.

Take a look at the people watching you. Don't let it psych you out, just look at them before you start so you know it'll be okay. They aren't there to make you feel terrible about yourself, they are there to help you and support you.

4. Everything will be okay-no matter what happens in that audition room, football field or on that floor.

In my experience, I have had some really bad runs in my auditions, practices and performances. All I can tell you is that no matter what happens, whether it was a good or bad run, it helps you grow. You can reflect back and learn from what happened in that run through.

Thank you for coming to my first blog post! I will be sure to post every Sunday and Wednesday! Be sure to check out the rest of my website for more about me and video tutorials and some choreography I make up.

Thank you again!

Abbey