BV West is always bustling with different activities and sports, always a constant stream of students in and out of the building. Basketball, football and baseball stand at the forefront but another challenging and competitive sport is winter guard.
The BV West Winter Guard is the same Color Guard from the fall season, however, they perform only in the winter months and participate in more competitions. The team performs around the state and against different schools.
Seventeen students in all four grades are on the team for the 2019-2020 season. One member, junior Hayley Ford, has been on the team since her freshman year. She has been an avid member for the past three seasons and loves to compete alongside her teammates.
“Everyone in the team is honestly a family for each other. No matter what happens in life, I’m one hundred percent sure that everyone would have their back no matter what,” Ford said.
An added feature to the team this year is the new coach and BV West alumna, Kerstin Crouch. Crouch was a member of the Color and Winter Guard while she attended BV West and was asked to come back to coach in fall 2019.
“Coaching the team is definitely a huge change from being on it,” Crouch said. “I think that it helps that I was on the team because I have a better understanding of what they’re feeling.”
Crouch adds that a big difference from being on the team is that she is in the decision making role now and it’s up to her to make sure the team is successful while also having fun. As a coach, she said she enjoys watching each team member improve their skills as the season goes on.
“My favorite part about coaching is watching them grow. As they learn new things and practice they start becoming more confident and it’s exciting to see how they improve,” Crouch said.
This year the team’s show is titled “Vincent” and is an ode to Vincent van Gogh. Complete with gold, flowy uniforms, bright rifles and sparkling flags, their season began with a winning start. In addition Crouch said that the song and choreography that the team uses goes through ups and downs, similarly to van Gogh’s life and all the challenges he faced in his life and how that reflected into his art.
“This concept really allows them to show off some of their stronger skills and we have many moments that feature smaller groups of performers,” Crouch said.
The show allows everyone to demonstrate their own style and finish with the entire team coming together to give one final throw of their flags as a group.
Even if someone doesn’t seem interested in winter guard, Crouch encourages anyone who is even just a little bit interested to try out. She says that most of the people who tryout stay on the team and enjoy it.
Ford agrees to the sentiment, “I joined mostly because it looked like so much fun. I saw the winter guard perform at Pleasant Ridge in eighth grade and I knew that was what I wanted to do in high school.”
The BV West Winter Guard’s season continues until March 28th where they will compete at State in Nixa, Missouri. The team said they appreciate all the support they get. They are hoping to continue their winning streak as the rest of the season plays out.

EDIT: Unfortunately due to COVID-19, the 19-20 Winter Guard season has been cancelled. We apologize to the seniors, but can’t wait to see what the team does next year!