Freshman, Bella Panganiban, competed in the North Texas Colorguard Association, NTCA, competition on April 28. She was the only participant from Timber Creek to advance to the All Stars competition on May 5.
NTCA is one of the three solo/ensemble competitions for the Winterguard season. To compete, the participants must choreograph a routine that is between 1:30-3:00 minutes long and includes a rifle, sabre, flag, or a mixture of the three. The students have to pick the music and choreograph the entire routine by themselves to be eligible.
“The song choice for the routine is very important because not only does it have to be a good tempo for spinning, but you have to be able to relate to it and make the story believable,” said Panganiban. “My song was Water Under The Bridge by Adele, and I chose it because I really love that song and because when I was listening to it, I could really picture the color on the flag waving and spinning. I felt like the two fit perfectly together.”
Panganiban has been dancing since a very young age, and was also on the Colorguard team earlier this year. She talked about how her long background in dance helped her in the process of this competition.
“I’ve been performing and been on stages since I was two, so going out in front of the crowd was nothing new for me,” said Panganiban. “I try not to get nervous and overthink everything. If there was certain toss that I wasn’t completely confident with, I just changed it to something I knew I would nail. This way I wouldn’t stress myself out and worry about the little things.”
For a student letter in Colorgard at Timber Creek they must receive a Division One score at one of the three competitions. At NTCA the routines are judged on a 100 point scale, any score that is 80 or above is considered Division One. Any student who receives a score of 90 or above also qualifies to compete at the NTCA All Stars competition as well. Panganiban received a 91 for her routine.
“At the first competition I was surprised that I scored high enough to compete in All Stars but I kind of knew I would get a one because I felt really good after the performance,” said Pangainban. “But at the All Stars competition I was in shock by the score.”
The All Stars competition took place on May 5, and any students who scored higher than a 95 qualify to receive a letterman patch. Panganiban shared her experiences from All Stars.
“When I first walked in, whoever was preforming was literally getting applause every 15 seconds and I felt so out of place. I started getting really nervous because I felt like the other people were so much better than me, but I put that aside and just focused on my routine,” said Panganiban. “When my score finally came out, I was ecstatic. I got a 97. ”
Panganiban also explained the impact that All Stars made on her. These inspirational performers gave her the motivation to grow in her craft.
“The All Stars competition was very inspiring. I met someone who had a perfect score, and a seventh grader who had tossed all fives on her rifle. There were so many inspiring performers who I aspire to be and I’m so glad I got the opportunity to meet,” said Panganiban. “I also felt excited and motivated for the years to come, and to grow even more as a performer.”