Harrison HS Winter Guard Captures First at Regional Event

The Harrison High School Winter Guard earned a first place finish in the Scholastic A division at the March 11 regional competition sponsored by the Southern Association of Performance Arts (SAPA). The event featured 60 performing high school and independent performing units from Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee.

Harrison HS Winter Guard earned a first place finish at the SAPA regional event on March 11. Sixty teams from three states competed.Photo byHarrison Bands

Harrison earned a total score of 78.94 to finish ahead of second-place Buford at 77.54. Villa Rica, Pope and Rome High Schools rounded out the top five finishers in the 15-team division. The 78.94 score is the marked the highest total of the competition season so far for Harrison, which has demonstrated a commitment to improvement with score increases in each competition.

For the competition, the Harrison squad performed its 2023 competition show entitled “Bound,” featuring music by Christina Aguilera.

Spectators attending the event at Harrison were treated to a full day of choreographed dance routines, featuring flying flags, twirling sabers and other props designed to enhance the performance effect. All groups performed themed, timed routines to recorded music, earning points in categories that included equipment, movement and general effect. Points may have been deducted for time or other performance violations.

The Southern Association for Performance Arts, or SAPA, is an organization founded in 2006 and based in the metro Atlanta area that sponsors competitive and educational events for Winter Guard (indoor Color Guard) units from Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee.  SAPA’s members are comprised of scholastic and independent color guard units from Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee. The class levels range from beginning cadet units all the way up to world class units. In its 15 year existence, SAPA has had 21 member units awarded medals (including 6 gold medalists) at the WGI World Championships in Dayton, Ohio.

Harrison’s Winter Guard returns to competition on March 25 at the Winter Guard International Regional event at Buford Arena.