In sunny San Diego, independent winter guard group Imperialis took on competition at the WGI San Diego Regional. The team took on the ambitious challenge for the first time this year of competing in the Independent Open Class. Keep reading as I share the many different parts of the team’s journey, from the road trip to the competition floor!
The Road Trip Recap:
The majority of our trip consisted of the long seven hour drive to and from San Diego. In my opinion though, the long trek and even LA traffic was worth it. One of the most enjoyable parts of the drive was the near-constant karaoke that took place. Some of our road trip repeats included Life is a Highway, Surface Pressure, Rolling in the Deep, and Abracadabra. And even despite a couple wrong turns and freeway exits, the journey was still one of the most enjoyable parts, with our conversation and games filling the time.
Hotel Highlights:
In addition to the journey to and from San Diego, some of our best team memories shared happened during our stay at the hotel. While for most of the day we were out practicing and competing, our stay consisted of many hotel yap sessions, mini dance moms watch parties, and hang outs as we did hair and makeup all together. One of the most notable moments was our late night Taco Bell run, which included our team sprinting across the street from our hotel to Taco Bell in record time. Overall, our times spent at the hotel are some of my fondest memories of the trip.
Competition Redemption:
Our first performance at Saturday prelims was a bumpy ride. After an early morning and exhausting rehearsal, everyone was running on what felt like caffeine, performance anxiety, and a dream. Our performance that day wasn’t our best and spirits were low. Unknown to us however, our head coach surprised us the next day at Finals. After a much needed pep talk we all knew what we needed to do. From prelims to finals our team received a 1.7 point jump from the day before. (For context, most teams typically only shift 0.2 -0.5 points from prelims to finals.) One of my teammates reflected, “Did it feel amazing to finish the performance? Yes. Did I also feel like dying? Yes.”
Overall, I will never forget the memories I made at my first WGI San Diego Regional competition. It felt like all the hard work and hours we’d spent as a team were worth it, and I will cherish all the fun memories I got to make with my team.