Winter Guard International

Winter Guard International
	Black and white logo
Abbreviation	WGI
Named after	Winter color guard competitive season
Formation	May 15, 1977;46 years ago
Founded at	San Francisco
Type	Public charity
Tax ID no.	31-1421760
Legal status	Active
Purpose	Color guard, percussion ensemble, and winds competition circuit
Headquarters	Dayton, Ohio
Region	United States
Executive Director	Ron Nankervis
President	Ed Devlin
Revenue (2022)	US$8.025 million
Expenses (2022)	US$4.334 million
Website	wgi.org

Last updated April 22, 2024

Winter Guard International (WGI) is an American governing body that sanctions championship events for three competitive performing arts activities: color guard, percussion ensembles, and indoor marching bands. WGI was founded in 1977 in response to inconsistent adjudication and rules of competition which made it difficult for color guards to compete nationally.^[2]^[3] Today, WGI publishes and maintains an adjudication handbook, with an accompanying "Rules & Regulations", that has been widely adopted.^[4]^[5]

WGI championship events are hosted from January to March and conclude with WGI World Championships in April.^[6]^[3]^[7] The first World Championship was hosted at Conant High School in Hoffman Estates, Illinois on April 15, 1978.^[8] World championships for percussion ensembles began in 1992, and indoor marching bands, called winds, in 2015. A series of field band competitions, promoted as the WGI Friendship Cup were hosted from 1997 to 2003.^[3] The next World Championships is scheduled for April 2024 at UD Arena.

A majority of WGI's championships are hosted in the United States, however regional championships have been hosted in Japan, Malaysia, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Philippines, and Costa Rica.^[9]

History

Prior to the formation of WGI, national color guard championships, or other high-prestige championships, were held in conjunction with drum corps or marching band championships, such as: VFW, American Legion,^[2] CYO, or DCI World Championships.^[2]^[3]^[10] The quality of hosts varied widely, as did as the quality of venues and adjudication. As an example, the 1977 "national" color guard championship was held in conjunction with DCI World Championships in Denver.^[8] The venue was far too small, there was no functional air conditioning, and the performance area required color guards to maneuver around structural columns.^[3]

In 1977, then director of the Seattle Imperials, Stanley Knaub, secured a sponsor—Western Youth International—and a potential venue for a new national championships. However, Knaub was encouraged to seek input from others in the activity by Shirlee Whitcomb and Bryan Johnston.^[2]^[11] Knaub invited color guard educators from across the country to a meeting on May 14, 1977 at the Sheraton Palace Hotel in San Francisco.^[10] Those in attendance included: Don Angelica, Marie Czapinski, and Linda Chambers, in addition to Whitcomb, Johnston, and representatives from Western Youth International.^[2]^[3] All agreed any future national championship should be held independent of any drum corps or marching band events. Knaub suggested scheduling the championship during the winter months when most color guards competed locally—after marching band season when scholastic bands focused on concert events, but prior to the drum corps season. Whitcomb, Czapinski, and Chambers, advocated for a regional championship system with a national championship at the end of the winter season. The name "Winter Guard International" was suggested by Don Angelica.^[2]^[3]

A follow-up meeting at the December 1977 DCI Rules Congress included representatives from thirteen color guard circuits and adjudicator associations. The representatives adopted a draft adjudication system and rulebook, as well voting on an organizational structure. Lynn Lindstrom, director of the Midwest Color Guard Circuit, was elected the first Executive Director of WGI. Four competition circuits each donated $250 to fund WGI's first competitive season of fourteen regional championships and a two-day national championship called WGI Olympics.^[2]^[3] The first WGI Olympics was hosted at Conant High School in Hoffman Estates, Illinois on April 14–15, 1978.^[8] In attendance were more than twenty-five color guards, fifteen advanced to the finals competition. The national championships would later become the WGI World Championships.

About

WGI is a nonprofit association governed by a board of directors, with an Executive Director, responsible for day-to-day operations. The board of directors are chosen from among the directors of competing groups, and at-large members are chosen from the community of color guard, percussion, and winds educators. The board of directors is legally and financially responsible for the conduct of the organization.^[12] In 2022, WGI's various programs and activities generated US$8.025 million in revenues.^[1]

Mission and purpose

The mission of organization is to provide a venue for young people to achieve the extraordinary through performance and competition. WGI organizes "high-energy and enjoyable" events for color guard, called winter guard, percussion and winds, divisions. The organization also aims to improve quality of the competing groups through leadership development and education. This includes standardized adjudication.^[13]

WGI frequently partners with companies that provide services and products to competing groups, as well as leading educators in other fields to highlight the activity. The organization is promoted using the tagline: Sport of the Arts.^[14]

Advisory Boards

Each of the three competitive divisions (color guard, percussion and winds) are led by Advisory Boards who are responsible for the "adjudication and competitive attributes" of sanctioned events. Advisory boards are also responsible for nominating and electing members to the board of directors.^[12]

The Advisory Boards meet annually, usually a few months after World Championships, to discuss changes to rules of competition, adjudication, and policies and procedures, and to make recommendations to the board of directors.^[15] The promotion of competing groups is also the responsibility of the Advisory Boards.^[16]

Membership

Groups that compete at WGI events are required to pay a membership fee, in addition to an attendance fee for each event. Only groups who compete in a regional, beginner, class with limited availability (Regional A Class) are excused from paying a membership fee.^[17] The fees support general operations, and provide capital for future events, educational services, and research and development.

Scholarships

WGI awards academic scholarships to members of competing groups, which are announced during awards ceremonies at World Championships. According to the WGI website, over US$35,000 is awarded annually, and US$1,000,000 has been awarded since 1978.^[18] Funds for scholarships are raised via raffles drawn during WGI events known as “Fifty-fifty”.

Hosted competitions

Using a competition-based approach for organizing events, WGI "aims to showcase youth activities" by pursuing a "high standard of achievement."^[13] More than sixty regional championships are hosted every year, from mid-January to the late-March.^[6]^[7] Many are hosted with the aid of WGI's regional circuit partners.^[19] Regional championships attract hundreds of color guards, percussion and winds ensembles, and thousands of participants. To qualify for World Championships, groups must compete in at least one regional championship.

World Championships regularly attracts over 350 color guards, 250 percussion ensembles, and over 40 winds groups. Championships occur over two consecutive weekends in early or mid-April.^[13] Future World Championships dates have been reserved until 2024.^[20]

Alterations due to Covid-19

In March 2020, the 2020 World Championships were cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[21] The 2021 WGI season was conducted using online tools as a WGI Virtual Season. Participants were given the option to participate in solo, small group, and large group categories.

Past championship sites

Year	Site
1978	Conant High School ^[8] Hoffman Estates, Illinois
1979	Veterans Memorial Coliseum Madison, Wisconsin
1980	Cape Cod Coliseum Cape Cod, Massachusetts
1981	Onondaga County War Memorial Syracuse, New York
1982	Memorial Gymnasium Vanderbilt University Nashville, Tennessee
1983–1989	UD Arena University of Dayton Dayton, Ohio
1990	Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Buffalo, New York
1991–1996	UD Arena University of Dayton Dayton, Ohio
1997	American West Arena Phoenix, Arizona
1998–2000	UD Arena University of Dayton Dayton, Ohio
2001	Bradley Center Milwaukee, Wisconsin
2002–03	UD Arena University of Dayton Dayton, Ohio
2004	Cox Arena San Diego State University San Diego, California
2005–2022	UD Arena University of Dayton Dayton, Ohio

Classification and adjudication

Winter Guard

Winter guard is the indoor variant of color guard and is a combination of the use of flags, sabers, mock rifles, and various other equipment and props. Performances include dance and other interpretive movement. Color guards are common among high schools, middle schools, some universities, and also some independent organizations such as drum corps, or they are community organizations. The term "winter guard" is taken from the season most color guards compete as single units, and not part of marching bands or drum corps.

Percussion

An indoor percussion ensemble or indoor drumline consists of the marching percussion (also called the "battery") and front ensemble (also called pit or front line) sections. Many ensembles, like color guards, are attached to a competing marching band or drum corps, but many are independent ensembles. Indoor percussion integrates musicality, marching and movement, and theater arts. The activity is referred to as percussion theater by WGI.

Winds

Winds ensembles are small marching music ensembles composed of a variety of instrumentations. These ensembles are distinct from field bands, or marching bands. Many take advantage of marching horns, as well as woodwinds, rhythm sections, and a pit ensemble. Unlike their outdoor counterparts, WGI Winds compete indoors on a performance area roughly the size of a standard basketball court. WGI's previous experiments in marching band competition were known as the Friendship Cup.^[3] Winds

Divisions and classes

Groups attending WGI events are organized according to a multi-tier system, placed in one of two divisions, and dozens of classes.^[13]

Independent Color guard, Percussion, and Winds divisions are reserved for groups composed of performers who are not associated with a particular school. Independent groups often draw performers from a large geographic area.
Scholastic Color guard, Percussion, and Winds divisions are reserved for groups composed of performers from the same high school, or high school equivalent, or a school within the attendance zone of that particular high School. The Scholastic division was created in 1980. Prior to the division's creation high school groups competed against Independent groups.

Divisions are further grouped into classes based on experience and achievement:

Regional A is for new and inexperienced groups. This class is not available at World Championships.^[17]
A Class, often referred to as National A or National, is for groups new to national competition.
Open Class is for groups who consistently perform at an intermediate developmental level.
World Class is the highest available class and is reserved for experienced groups. The World classes in both Scholastic and Independent are the most competitive and the highest prestige.

Historic classes and divisions

The following are the divisions and classes represented at World Championships.^[22]^[23]

Notes:

The tables below are simplified and do not reflect when specific competitive classes and divisions were defined in the WGI Adjudication Handbook.
Other classes and divisions may be represented at regional championships or other WGI-sanctioned competitions.

Color guard division

1978–79	1980–1984	1985–1990	1991–92	1993–present

Open Class	Class A^{[lower-alpha 1]}	Independent A (IA)

	Open Class	Independent Open (IO)	Independent World (IW)	Independent Open (IO)

				Independent World (IW)

	Scholastic Class	Scholastic A (SA)

		Scholastic Open (SO)	Scholastic World (SW)	Scholastic Open (SO)

				Scholastic World (SW)

Percussion division

1993–1996	1997–2000	2001–2014	2015–present

Scholastic A (PSA)	Scholastic A (PSA)

	Scholastic Open (PSO)

	Scholastic World (PSW)

Scholastic Concert World (PSCW)		Scholastic Concert Open (PSCO)	Scholastic Concert A (PSCA)

			Scholastic Concert Open (PSCO)

		Scholastic Concert World (PSCW)

Independent World (PIW)	Independent Open (PIO)	Independent A (PIA)

		Independent Open (PIO)

	Independent World (PIW)

Adjudication

WGI Adjudication Manuals for color guards,^[24] percussion,^[25] and winds,^[26] championships divide scoring in set reference criteria known as captions forming a scoring rubric. Each caption is subdivided into elements such as performance analysis, design analysis, and effect evaluation. The adjudication manual is multi-tiered, meaning each competitive class—Regional A, A Class, Open Class, and World Class—has a set of scoring sheets listing differing criteria and descriptions for each caption.

Color guard captions and scoring

Captions	Category		Points
Equipment	Vocabulary (10)	=	20.00
Equipment	Excellence (10)	=	20.00
Movement	Vocabulary (10)	=	20.00
Movement	Excellence (10)	=	20.00
Design	Vocabulary (10)	=	20.00
Design	Excellence (10)	=	20.00
Effect	Composition (10)	=	20.00 x 2
Effect	Excellence (10)	=	20.00 x 2
	Subtotal		100.00
	Timing & Penalties		- 0.00
	Total		100.00

Marching percussion captions and scoring

Caption	Category		Points
Music	Composition (10)	=	30.00
Music	Performance Quality (20)	=	30.00
Visual	Composition (10)	=	20.00
Visual	Performance Quality (10)	=	20.00
Music Effect	Overall Music (15)	=	30.00
Music Effect	Music Effect (15)	=	30.00
Visual Effect	Overall Visual (10)	=	20.00
Visual Effect	Visual Effect (10)	=	20.00
	Subtotal		100.00
	Timing & Penalties		- 0.00
	Total		100.00

Concert percussion captions and scoring

Caption	Category		Points
Music	Composition (20)	=	50.00
Music	Performance Quality (30)	=	50.00
Artistry	Program (20)	=	50.00
Artistry	Fulfillment (30)	=	50.00
	Subtotal		100.00
	Timing & Penalties		- 0.00
	Total		100.00

Winds captions and scoring

Caption	Category		Points
Music Analysis	Composition (15)	=	30.00
Music Analysis	Achievement (15)	=	30.00
Visual Analysis	Composition (15)	=	30.00
Visual Analysis	Achievement (15)	=	30.00
Overall Effect	Repertoire (20)	=	40.00
Overall Effect	Communication (20)	=	40.00
	Subtotal		100.00
	Timing & Penalties		- 0.00
	Total		100.00

Past champions

Source(s): ^[22]^[23]^[27]

Color guard (1978–present)

Year	Open Class	—	—	—	—	—
1978 (1st)	Quasar
1979 (2nd)	Phantom Regiment ⁽¹⁾
Year	Open Class	—	A Class	Scholastic Class^{[lower-alpha 2]}	—	—
1980 (3rd)	Phantom Regiment ⁽²⁾		West Bridgewater	Holley Central HS ⁽¹⁾
1981 (4th)	Cavaliers ⁽¹⁾		Conquest	Holley Central HS ⁽²⁾
1982 (5th)	Cavaliers ⁽²⁾		Elizabeth HS	Marcus Whitman HS
1983 (6th)	Cavaliers ⁽³⁾		Woonsocket HS	Canandaigua Academy
1984 (7th)	Skylarks		Blue Horizon	Center Grove HS ⁽¹⁾
Year	Independent Open (IO)	—	Independent A (IA)	Scholastic Open (SO)	—	Scholastic A (SA)
1985 (8th)	Erté (tie) State Street Review ⁽¹⁾		St Anthony's	Union HS ⁽¹⁾		Westerville South HS
1986 (9th)	State Street Review ⁽²⁾		Final Analysis	Center Grove HS ⁽²⁾		Hillwood HS
1987 (10th)	State Street Review ⁽³⁾		Studio One	Union HS ⁽²⁾		Andrew HS
1988 (11th)	State Street Review ⁽⁴⁾		Alliance	Union HS ⁽³⁾		Lincoln HS
1989 (12th)	State Street Review ⁽⁵⁾		Accents	Tate HS^{[lower-alpha 3]}		North Penn HS
1990 (13th)	San José Raiders ⁽¹⁾ (tie) Blessed Sacrament		Genesis II	Center Grove HS ⁽³⁾		Lincoln-Way HS Central
Year	Independent World^{[lower-alpha 4]} (IW)	—	Independent A (IA)	Scholastic World^{[lower-alpha 4]} (SW)	—	Scholastic A (SA)
1991 (14th)	San José Raiders ⁽²⁾		Sacred Heart	Miamisburg HS ⁽¹⁾		Salisbury HS
1992 (15th)	San José Raiders ⁽³⁾		South Shore Drill Team ⁽¹⁾	Miamisburg HS ⁽²⁾		Southport HS
Year	Independent World (IW)	Independent Open (IO)	Independent A (IA)	Scholastic World (SW)	Scholastic Open (SO)	Scholastic A (SA)
1993 (16th)	San José Raiders ⁽⁴⁾	St Patrick's	Nouveau	Bishop Kearney HS ⁽¹⁾	Centerville HS ⁽¹⁾	Lakeland HS
1994 (17th)	San José Raiders ⁽⁵⁾	Chimeras	Florida Visual	Bishop Kearney HS ⁽²⁾	Pomona HS ⁽¹⁾	John Overton HS
1995 (18th)	Blue Devils ⁽¹⁾	Fantasia	The Company	Bishop Kearney HS ⁽³⁾	John Overton HS	Mt. Carmel HS
1996 (19th)	Blue Devils ⁽²⁾	The Company	St Ann's ⁽¹⁾	Bishop Kearney HS ⁽⁴⁾	Springboro HS	Lassiter HS
1997 (20th)	Blue Devils ⁽³⁾	Shadow Danse	St John's	Bishop Kearney HS ⁽⁵⁾	Lassiter HS	Kings HS
1998 (21st)	Blue Devils ⁽⁴⁾	Patriots	Nolan	James Logan HS ⁽¹⁾ (tie) Miamisburg HS ⁽³⁾	Kings HS	Carroll HS
1999 (22nd)	Emerald Marquis	Nolan	The Lakota	James Logan HS ⁽²⁾	Pomona HS ⁽²⁾	Nease HS
2000 (23rd)	Fantasia ⁽¹⁾	St Ann's ⁽¹⁾	Infinity	James Logan HS ⁽³⁾	Franklin Central HS	Lake Mary HS
2001 (24th)	Pride of Cincinnati ⁽¹⁾	St Ann's ⁽²⁾	Esperanza de Luz	James Logan HS ⁽⁴⁾	Avon HS	Walton HS
2002 (25th)	Fantasia ⁽²⁾	Oracle	Lealta	James Logan HS ⁽⁶⁾	Irondale HS	Fletcher HS
2003 (26th)	San José Raiders ⁽⁶⁾	Lealta	Terpsichore	James Logan HS ⁽⁶⁾	Centerville HS ⁽²⁾	Santaluces HS
2004 (27th)	Fantasia ⁽³⁾	Sacred Heart	St Ann's ⁽²⁾	James Logan HS ⁽⁷⁾	The Woodlands HS	Kennesaw Mt. HS
2005 (28th)	Pride of Cincinnati ⁽²⁾	Interplay ⁽¹⁾	St John's of Beverly	James Logan HS ⁽⁸⁾	Kennesaw Mt. HS	Freedom HS
2006 (29th)	Fantasia ⁽⁴⁾	Croatan Independent	Étude	James Logan HS ⁽⁹⁾	Cheshire HS	Gates Chili HS
2007 (30th)	Pride of Cincinnati ⁽³⁾	Code Black	Rhapsody	James Logan HS ⁽¹⁰⁾	Carmel HS	Taravella HS
2008 (31st)	Fantasia ⁽⁵⁾	Alter Ego	Cascades	Flanagan HS	Northmont HS	Colonial HS
2009 (32nd)	Santa Clara Vanguard ⁽¹⁾	Rhapsody	State of Art	Avon HS ⁽¹⁾	Marian Catholic HS	North Syracuse Central HS
2010 (33rd)	Onyx ⁽¹⁾	O2^{[lower-alpha 5]}⁽¹⁾	Pacificaires ⁽¹⁾	James Logan HS ⁽¹¹⁾	West Johnston HS	Little Elm HS
2011 (34th)	Santa Clara Vanguard ⁽²⁾	Pacificaires (British Columbia)	South Shore Drill Team ⁽²⁾	Carmel HS ⁽¹⁾	Oak Ridge HS	O'Fallon Township HS
2012 (35th)	Onyx ⁽²⁾	O2 ⁽²⁾	Impact	Flanagan HS	Freedom HS	Somerville HS
2013 (36th)	Pride of Cincinnati ⁽⁴⁾	Identity	Luminosa	Carmel HS ⁽²⁾	Mechanicsburg HS	Bellbrook HS
2014 (37th)	Onyx ⁽³⁾	UCF Pegasus^{[lower-alpha 6]}	Georgia State University	Tarpon Springs HS ⁽¹⁾	Spring HS	Lyman HS
2015 (38th)	Santa Clara Vanguard ⁽³⁾	Interplay ⁽²⁾	St Ann's ⁽⁴⁾	Carmel HS ⁽³⁾	Somerville HS	Marvin Ridge HS
2016 (39th)	Pride of Cincinnati ⁽⁵⁾	Juxtaposition	Paramount A^{[lower-alpha 7]}	Tarpon Springs HS ⁽²⁾	Shenendehowa HS	Bellevue West HS
2017 (40th)	Pride of Cincinnati ⁽⁶⁾	AMP	FIU ⁽¹⁾	Carmel HS ⁽⁴⁾	Stockdale HS	Klein Oak HS
2018 (41st)	Paramount ⁽¹⁾	UCF Pegasus ⁽²⁾	Pacificaires ⁽²⁾	Avon HS ⁽²⁾	Park Vista HS	Leander HS
2019 (42nd)	Pride of Cincinnati ⁽⁷⁾	George Mason University	Icon	Avon HS ⁽³⁾	Fishers HS	Fleming Island HS
2020 (43rd)	Championships cancelled
2021 (44th)	Ratings only
2022 (45th)	Pride of Cincinnati ⁽⁸⁾	USF	FIU Gold ⁽²⁾	Avon HS ⁽⁴⁾	Kiski Area HS	Somerset Academy
2023 (46th)	Paramount ⁽²⁾	Vox Artium	Pacificaires ⁽³⁾	Carmel HS ⁽⁵⁾	Somerset Academy	Dobyns-Bennett HS
2024 (47th)	Fusion	Georgia	Georgia State University ⁽²⁾	Avon HS ⁽⁵⁾	Ayala HS	Arlington HS

Scholastic percussion (1993–present)

Year	—	—	Marching A (PSA)	Concert World (PSCW)	—	—
1993 (16th)			Clovis West HS	No champion
1994 (17th)			Lincoln-Way HS Central	Baldwinsville HS ⁽¹⁾
1995 (18th)			Father Ryan HS ⁽¹⁾(A) Hatboro-Horsham HS (AA)	Baldwinsville HS ⁽²⁾
1996 (19th)			Avon HS (A) (tie) Father Ryan HS ⁽²⁾(A) John Overton HS (AA)	Gateway HS ⁽¹⁾
Year	Marching World (PSW)	Marching Open (PSO)	Marching A (PSA)	Concert World (PSCW)	—	—
1997 (20th)	Northglenn HS	Avon HS ⁽¹⁾	Clayton Valley HS	Gateway HS ⁽²⁾
1998 (21st)	Dartmouth HS ⁽¹⁾	Arvada HS	Johansen HS	Franklin Central HS ⁽¹⁾
1999 (22nd)	Dartmouth HS ⁽²⁾	Centerville HS	Ayala HS	Franklin Central HS ⁽²⁾
2000 (23rd)	King Philip HS	Father Ryan HS	Loara HS (tie) Thomas Worthington HS	Franklin Central HS ⁽³⁾
Year	Marching World (PSW)	Marching Open (PSO)	Marching A (PSA)	Concert World (PSCW)	Concert Open (PSCO)	—
2001 (24th)	Mission Viejo HS	Avon HS ⁽²⁾	Springboro HS	Franklin Central HS ⁽⁴⁾	Union HS
2002 (25th)	Avon HS	Choctawhatchee HS	New Palestine HS	Franklin Central HS ⁽⁵⁾	New Albany HS
2003 (26th)	Winston Churchill HS	Thomas Worthington HS	Clovis East HS	Fort Mill HS ⁽¹⁾	Portsmouth HS ⁽¹⁾
2004 (27th)	Centerville HS	Rancho Cucamonga HS	Loara HS ⁽²⁾	Franklin Central HS ⁽⁶⁾	Mission Viejo HS
2005 (28th)	Center Grove HS ⁽¹⁾	Clear Brook HS	Page HS	Fort Mill HS ⁽²⁾	Goshen HS
2006 (29th)	Center Grove HS ⁽²⁾	Pacifica HS ⁽¹⁾	Mariner HS	Ayala HS ⁽¹⁾	Heritage HS
2007 (30th)	Mission Viejo HS	Pacifica HS ⁽²⁾	Greenfield-Central HS	Ayala HS ⁽²⁾	Mansfield HS ⁽¹⁾
2008 (31st)	Dartmouth HS ⁽³⁾	Pacifica HS ⁽³⁾	South Hills HS	Claremont HS	Mansfield HS ⁽²⁾
2009 (32nd)	Dartmouth HS ⁽⁴⁾	Pacifica HS ⁽⁴⁾	Los Alamitos HS	Ayala HS ⁽³⁾	Muscle Shoals HS ⁽¹⁾
2010 (33rd)	Ayala HS	South Hills HS	Timber Creek HS	Ayala HS ⁽⁴⁾	Golden HS
2011 (34th)	Arcadia HS	Pacifica HS ⁽⁵⁾	Chantilly HS	Muscle Shoals HS	Portsmouth HS ⁽²⁾
2012 (35th)	Chino Hills HS ⁽¹⁾	South Hills HS ⁽²⁾	Lebanon HS	Woodbridge HS	Hickory HS
2013 (36th)	Chino Hills HS ⁽²⁾	Upper Darby HS	Hilton HS	James Logan HS	Clayton HS
2014 (37th)	Dartmouth HS ⁽⁵⁾	Clinton HS	Victor J. Andrew HS ⁽¹⁾	Ayala HS ⁽⁵⁾	Goshen HS
2015 (38th)	Chino Hills HS ⁽³⁾	Lebanon HS	Lake Orion HS	Ayala HS ⁽⁶⁾	Mansfield HS ⁽³⁾
2016 (39th)	Ayala HS ⁽²⁾	Sparkman HS ⁽¹⁾	Victor J. Andrew HS ⁽²⁾	Ayala HS ⁽⁷⁾	Dakota Ridge HS
2017 (40th)	Chino Hills HS ⁽⁴⁾	Burleson Centennial HS	Fair Lawn HS	Ayala HS ⁽⁸⁾	Tomball HS
Year	Marching World (PSW)	Marching Open (PSO)	Marching A (PSA)	Concert World (PSCW)	Concert Open (PSCO)	Concert A (PSCA)
2018 (41st)	Chino Hills HS ⁽⁵⁾	Clear Brook HS	Plainfield HS	Fishers HS ⁽¹⁾	Clayton HS	Decatur Central HS
2019 (42nd)	Chino Hills HS ⁽⁶⁾	Sparkman HS ⁽²⁾	Grand Blanc HS	Fishers HS ⁽²⁾	Campbell County HS	Price Charter
2020 (43rd)	Championships cancelled
2021 (44th)	Ratings only
2022 (45th)	Avon HS ⁽²⁾	Sherwood HS	Clover HS	Fishers HS ⁽³⁾	Muscle Shoals HS ⁽²⁾	East Central HS
2023 (46th)	Ayala HS ⁽³⁾	Clover HS	Irondale Combined Schools	Fishers HS ⁽⁴⁾	Cleveland HS	Warren East HS
2024 (47th)	Chino Hills HS ⁽⁷⁾	Victor J. Andrew HS	Spring-Ford HS	Catawba Ridge HS	Grassfield HS	Eagle HS

Independent percussion (1994–present)

Year	Independent World (PIW)	—	—
1994 (17th)	Blue Knights ⁽¹⁾
1995 (18th)	Atlanta Rhythm Machine
1996 (19th)	Music City Mystique ⁽¹⁾
Year	Independent World (PIW)	Independent Open (PIO)	—
1997 (20th)	Music City Mystique ⁽²⁾ Patriots ⁽¹⁾ (PCW) UNLV (PCU)	South Mountain
1998 (21st)	Music City Mystique ⁽³⁾ Patriots ⁽²⁾ (PCW)	Freelancers
1999 (22nd)	Blue Knights ⁽²⁾ Cynosure (PCW) Georgia Tech (PCU)	South Maine
Year	Independent World (PIW)	Independent Open (PIO)	Independent A (PIA)
2000 (23rd)	Blue Knights ⁽³⁾	Penn State	Eastside Fury
2001 (24th)	Music City Mystique ⁽⁴⁾	Eklipse	Arthur Hill
2002 (25th)	Riverside City College ⁽¹⁾	Rhythm X	Plan B
2003 (26th)	Blue Knights ⁽⁴⁾	North Coast Academy	L.E.A.P. ⁽¹⁾
2004 (27th)	Music City Mystique ⁽⁵⁾	Eastside Fury	L.E.A.P. ⁽²⁾
2005 (28th)	Riverside City College ⁽²⁾	Surround Sound	Elements
2006 (29th)	Music City Mystique ⁽⁶⁾	First Degree	Walled Lake
2007 (30th)	Riverside City College ⁽³⁾	United	Pioneer ⁽¹⁾
2008 (31st)	Rhythm X ⁽¹⁾	Tyler Junior College	Pioneer ⁽²⁾
2009 (32nd)	Rhythm X ⁽²⁾	Pariah	OCI
2010 (33rd)	Pulse ⁽¹⁾	Palmetto	Dojo
2011 (34th)	Music City Mystique ⁽⁷⁾	Vanguard	Madison
2012 (35th)	Riverside City College ⁽⁴⁾	George Mason University	Spirit of America
2013 (36th)	Rhythm X ⁽³⁾	Capital City	Brookwood
2014 (37th)	Pulse ⁽²⁾	Cadets	Lone Star
2015 (38th)	Riverside City College ⁽⁵⁾	Spirit of America	PureFusion
2016 (39th)	Pulse ⁽³⁾	Vigilantes	STRYKE 2
2017 (40th)	Music City Mystique ⁽⁸⁾	Infinity 2	Modulation Z
2018 (41st)	Riverside City College ⁽⁶⁾	Matrix Open	IMPACT
2019 (42nd)	Broken City	Bakersfield College	Unity
2020 (43rd)	Championships cancelled
2021 (44th)	Ratings only
2022 (45th)	Pulse ⁽⁴⁾	Infinity 2 ⁽²⁾	Matrix A
2023 (46th)	Pulse ⁽⁵⁾	Meraki ⁽¹⁾	Modulation Z ⁽²⁾
2024 (47th)	Pulse ⁽⁶⁾	Meraki ⁽²⁾	M3

Winds (2015–present)

Year	Independent World (WIW)	Independent Open (WIO)	Independent A (WIA)	Scholastic World (WSW)	Scholastic Open (WSO)	Scholastic A (WSA)
2015 (38th)	Rhythm X ⁽¹⁾	FIU	Inertia ⁽¹⁾	Father Ryan HS	Ola HS	Nova HS
2016 (39th)	Aimachi (Japan)	STRYKE Wynds	FIU	Avon HS ⁽¹⁾	Cleveland HS	Jackson County HS
2017 (40th)	Rhythm X ⁽²⁾	Chromium ⁽¹⁾	Inertia ⁽²⁾	Avon HS ⁽²⁾	Central Lafourche HS	Valley Christian HS ⁽¹⁾
2018 (41st)	Rhythm X ⁽³⁾	Chromium ⁽²⁾	Valley Christian	Flanagan HS	Azle HS	Lake Hamilton HS
2019 (42nd)	Rhythm X ⁽⁴⁾	Chromium ⁽³⁾	Daviess County HS	Cleveland HS	South Jones HS	Valley Christian HS ⁽²⁾
2020 (43rd)	Championships cancelled
2021 (44th)	Ratings only
2022 (45th)	UTRGV	Chromium ⁽⁴⁾	LSM Winds	Avon HS ⁽³⁾	Miamisburg HS	Corinth Holders HS
2023 (46th)	STRYKE Wynds ⁽¹⁾	LSM Winds	Eva Independent Winds	Avon HS ⁽⁴⁾	Westfield HS	Bob Jones HS
2024 (47th)	STRYKE Wynds ⁽²⁾	Valhalla Winds	Ethereal Winds	Avon HS ⁽⁵⁾	Catawba Ridge HS	Valley Christian HS ⁽³⁾

Notes

↑ Also known as Class A, Associate Class, Junior Class, or National Class.
↑ Also known as Scholastic Open Class.
↑ Tate High School competed as Chaparrals.
1 2 Open class was renamed World class from 1991 to 1992.
↑ O2 (IO) was affiliated with Onyx (IW).
↑ The Pegasus color guard was previously sponsored by the University of Central Florida.
↑ Paramount (IA) winter guard was affiliated with Paramount (IW).

Related Research Articles

Drum Corps International (DCI) is a governing body for drum and bugle corps responsible for developing and enforcing rules of competition and for providing standardized adjudication at sanctioned drum and bugle corps competitions throughout the United States and Canada. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.

An indoor percussion ensemble or indoor drumline is a type of marching ensemble consisting of battery and front ensemble instruments. It differs itself from a traditional percussion ensemble by not only on musical performance, but on theatrics and marching. Although most indoor percussion ensembles are affiliated with high schools, there are also many independent groups that draw participants from a large area and are independently funded. Independent groups typically start rehearsing in October, while high school groups typically start after their fall marching band season ends. Because of this, the activity is often called winter percussion or winterline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps</span> Junior drum and bugle corps based in Madison, Wisconsin

The Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps is a World Class competitive junior drum and bugle corps based in Madison, Wisconsin. The Madison Scouts are one of the thirteen founding member corps of Drum Corps International (DCI) and a two-time DCI World Champion. Entering the 2024 season, the Madison Scouts are currently the oldest continuously active junior corps.

Senator Ruben S. Ayala Senior High School, often abbreviated as Ayala High School or AHS, is located in Chino Hills, California. It is one of the four comprehensive high schools in the Chino Valley Unified School District. The school was established in 1990 and named after California state senator Ruben S. Ayala. It received the 2011 California Distinguished School award and the 2015 California Gold Ribbon School Award.

The marching arts are a collection of fine arts related activities that are closely associated with wind music. The marching arts include, but are not necessarily limited to marching band, drum corps, mummers string bands, pep band, color guard, winter guard, and indoor percussion. All of these activities are supported at both the high school, collegiate, and adult levels.

The Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps is a World Class competitive junior drum and bugle corps. Based in Denver, Colorado, the Blue Knights are a member corps of Drum Corps International (DCI).

Color guards or Flag corps are teams of performers who perform choreographed dances and routines with various equipment to enhance and interpret the music of a marching band or drum and bugle corps show. Color guard teams can be found in American colleges, universities, high schools, middle schools, and independent drum corps. They use various equipment including flags, fake rifles, and sabres, along with other props. Most Color Guard groups are of mixed gender but some may also be single gender.

Winter guard is an indoor color guard sport and performance art derived from military ceremonies. Modern winter guard is a competitive, performance-based activity which incorporates choreographed staging, dance, and manipulation of equipment such as flags, prop rifles, and sabers. Unlike traditional color guard, winter guard performances and contests are held indoors, usually in a gymnasium or an indoor arena. Performances typically last three to seven minutes and are generally accompanied by recorded soundtracks rather than live music. However, the use of live instrumentation and vocalization have grown in popularity. Winter guard is most present in the United States; independent units have also been formed in Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Japan. Winter guard ensembles often perform at judged competitions officiated by local and regional associations using criteria developed by Winter Guard International, host of the annual Winter Guard International World Championships in Dayton, Ohio. The World Championships event purportedly attracts in 60,000 visitors to the event annually. Scoring attempts to rank units on the repertoire and achievement of aspects of each performance such as unity, quality, range, precision, skill, design, and effect.

The Pioneer Drum & Bugle Corps was a World Class competitive junior drum and bugle corps from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Pioneer is a former member corps of Drum Corps International (DCI).

The Northwest Association for Performing Arts (NWAPA) is a governing body and competitive circuit of high school marching bands, color guards, and percussion ensembles based in Portland, Oregon. The association was founded in 1997 as the Northwest Marching Band Circuit (NWMBC). A majority of the current member high schools are based in Oregon, with others from Washington, Idaho, and California. The first circuit marching band championship was hosted in 2000.

Aimachi is a Tenrikyo church based in Nagoya, Japan. Outside Japan, Aimachi is most known for its marching music and color guard ensembles. A selection from their 130-member marching band compete internationally as an indoor percussion ensembles, indoor marching ensembles, baton twirling, and winter guards. The group rehearses outside of Nagoya in Handa City.

Laguna Creek High School is a public high school located in Elk Grove, California, a suburban community near Sacramento, California established in 1994 as the fourth high school in Elk Grove. Laguna Creek is the only school in the Elk Grove Unified School district that offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme. Other programs that the school contains are Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), Associated Student Body (ASB), Link Crew, Career Technical Education academies (CTE), athletics, and other extracurriculars.

West Johnston High School or WJHS is located in Benson, North Carolina. It is part of Johnston County School district, and was established in the 2002-2003 school year to address crowding problems in other local high schools.

Dartmouth High School is a four-year public high school serving grades 9 to 12, located in the southern half of Dartmouth, Massachusetts, United States.

Leigh High School is a secondary school located in the West San Jose region of San Jose, California, United States. Opening in September 1962, it was the fifth school established in the Campbell Union High School District. The school has twice been given the California Distinguished School award, in 1999 and 2003. As of 2020, the school's enrollment was 1809 students. The school colors are gold (yellow) and pine green, and its mascot is the Longhorn.

Muscle Shoals High School (MSHS), is the sole public secondary education institution in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. MSHS has been awarded the Blue Ribbon Lighthouse Award for Excellence.

Music City Mystique is an independent indoor drumline based in Nashville, Tennessee. Also known to fans as Mystique or McM, Music City Mystique is a member of the Southeastern Color Guard Circuit and Winter Guard International. Mystique competes in Percussion Independent World Class (PIW) which is for groups that perform music/visual programs of the highest difficulty in both SCGC and WGI. Music City Mystique has been a PIW Finalist every year since 1995 and were WGI World Champions in 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2011, and 2017. Currently, Mystique is the only 8-time Winter Guard International Percussion World Champion.

James C. Enochs High School is a high school in Modesto, California. It is a member of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section#Central California Athletic League CCAL and has multiple MMC championship titles from the prior athletic league. The school is locally known for having the highest academic performance index of any high school in Stanislaus County, with an API of 820 in 2011. The school has four "career pathway programs": Cinema and Graphic Arts, Software & Systems Development, Forensic/Biotech Science, and Pre-Vet Science.

Rhythm X, Inc. is a non-profit music education organization that operates a competitive indoor percussion ensemble and wind ensemble, as well as an online school for marching music called The X Academy. The company was founded in 2002 by Craig Dunn as the Rhythm X Performance Ensemble. The ensembles compete in both the Winter Guard International (WGI) and Mid-East Performance Association (MEPA) circuits in the World Class, which is the classification given to the ensembles that execute musical and visual programs of the highest difficulty. In 2013, Rhythm X announced the launch of The X Academy, an online and in-person educational program suited for high school and college-age musicians interested in competitive percussion and wind ensembles. Later that year the organization announced the addition of its newest ensemble that would compete in the new WGI Winds Division in 2015.

Carolina Gold Drum and Bugle Corps is an inactive Open Class competitive junior drum and bugle corps. Formerly based in Rocky Mount and Greensboro in its earlier years, Carolina Gold is now based in Raleigh, NC.

References

1 2 "Winter Guard International Inc - Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica . April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Chavez, Nebai (March 3, 2022). "The Birth of WGI". WGI. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "History". WGI. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
↑ "WGI Handbooks". www.lmcgpc.org. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
↑ "2018 WGI RULEBOOK". wgasc.org. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
1 2 "2020 CG Calendar". WGI. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
1 2 "2020 Perc Calendar". WGI. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
1 2 3 4 "A look back at the very first WGI World Championship in 1978". DCI. April 10, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
↑ "International Events". WGI. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
1 2 Shirley Stratton, Dorritie (2003). "Chapter 8: Why the Guns?: Color Guard from Military to Modern". In Vickers, Steve (ed.). A History of Drum and Bugle Corps. Vol. 2. Madison, Wisconsin: Sights & Sounds, Inc. pp. 76–81.
↑ History of WGI. WGI. September 4, 2012. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2018– via YouTube.
1 2 "BY-LAWS OF WINTER GUARD INTERNATIONAL, INC" (PDF). WGI. December 3, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
1 2 3 4 "What is WGI". WGI. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
↑ "Partners". WGI. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
↑ Schamma, Andy (May 21, 2018). "Rule, Policy Changes Coming To WGI In 2019". FloMarching. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
↑ Schamma, Andy (August 28, 2018). "WGI Announces 2019 Color Guard Class Promotions". FloMarching. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
1 2 Anderson, Catina (September 24, 2008). "WGI Brings Back the Regional A Class". colorguardeducator.com. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
↑ "2020 World Championship Scholarships To Be Awarded". WGI. March 20, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
↑ "Circuit Partners CG". WGI. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
↑ "Future Dates". WGI. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
↑ "WGI World Championships in Dayton cancelled". WHIO-TV . March 11, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
1 2 "Historical Scores". WGI. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
1 2 "Historical Scores Percussion". WGI. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
↑ Nankervis, Ron (September 27, 2017). "WGI Color Guard Contest Rules 2018" (PDF). WGI. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
↑ Nankervis, Ron (January 18, 2018). "WGI Percussion Ensemble Contest Rules 2018" (PDF). WGI. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
↑ Nankervis, Ron (February 22, 2018). "WGI Winds Contest Rules 2018" (PDF). WGI. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
↑ "2019 Scores". WGI. May 19, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2020.

External links

Official website

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[class_a-24] Also known as Class A, Associate Class, Junior Class, or National Class.

[29] Also known as Scholastic Open Class.

[30] Tate High School competed as Chaparrals.

[world-31] 1 2 Open class was renamed World class from 1991 to 1992.

[32] O2 (IO) was affiliated with Onyx (IW).

[33] The Pegasus color guard was previously sponsored by the University of Central Florida.

[34] Paramount (IA) winter guard was affiliated with Paramount (IW).

[:10-1] 1 2 "Winter Guard International Inc - Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica . April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.

[:13-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Chavez, Nebai (March 3, 2022). "The Birth of WGI". WGI. Retrieved May 21, 2023.

[:0-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "History". WGI. Retrieved September 12, 2018.

[4] "WGI Handbooks". www.lmcgpc.org. Retrieved September 12, 2018.

[5] "2018 WGI RULEBOOK". wgasc.org. Retrieved September 12, 2018.

[:1-6] 1 2 "2020 CG Calendar". WGI. Retrieved August 25, 2020.

[:2-7] 1 2 "2020 Perc Calendar". WGI. Retrieved August 25, 2020.

[:8-8] 1 2 3 4 "A look back at the very first WGI World Championship in 1978". DCI. April 10, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2018.

[9] "International Events". WGI. Retrieved August 25, 2020.

[:3-10] 1 2 Shirley Stratton, Dorritie (2003). "Chapter 8: Why the Guns?: Color Guard from Military to Modern". In Vickers, Steve (ed.). A History of Drum and Bugle Corps. Vol. 2. Madison, Wisconsin: Sights & Sounds, Inc. pp. 76–81.

[11] History of WGI. WGI. September 4, 2012. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2018– via YouTube.

[:4-12] 1 2 "BY-LAWS OF WINTER GUARD INTERNATIONAL, INC" (PDF). WGI. December 3, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2018.

[:5-13] 1 2 3 4 "What is WGI". WGI. Retrieved August 25, 2020.

[14] "Partners". WGI. Retrieved August 25, 2020.

[15] Schamma, Andy (May 21, 2018). "Rule, Policy Changes Coming To WGI In 2019". FloMarching. Retrieved September 12, 2018.

[16] Schamma, Andy (August 28, 2018). "WGI Announces 2019 Color Guard Class Promotions". FloMarching. Retrieved September 12, 2018.

[:9-17] 1 2 Anderson, Catina (September 24, 2008). "WGI Brings Back the Regional A Class". colorguardeducator.com. Retrieved September 12, 2018.

[18] "2020 World Championship Scholarships To Be Awarded". WGI. March 20, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2020.

[19] "Circuit Partners CG". WGI. Retrieved September 12, 2018.

[:11-20] "Future Dates". WGI. Retrieved August 25, 2020.

[:12-21] "WGI World Championships in Dayton cancelled". WHIO-TV . March 11, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.

[:6-22] 1 2 "Historical Scores". WGI. Retrieved August 25, 2020.

[:7-23] 1 2 "Historical Scores Percussion". WGI. Retrieved August 25, 2020.

[25] Nankervis, Ron (September 27, 2017). "WGI Color Guard Contest Rules 2018" (PDF). WGI. Retrieved September 12, 2018.

[26] Nankervis, Ron (January 18, 2018). "WGI Percussion Ensemble Contest Rules 2018" (PDF). WGI. Retrieved September 12, 2018.

[27] Nankervis, Ron (February 22, 2018). "WGI Winds Contest Rules 2018" (PDF). WGI. Retrieved September 12, 2018.

[28] "2019 Scores". WGI. May 19, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2020.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[lower-alpha 1]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[lower-alpha 2]

[lower-alpha 3]

[lower-alpha 4]

[lower-alpha 5]

[lower-alpha 6]

[lower-alpha 7]