A guidon is a “flag” used to signify a unit or corps, and sloppy work can lead to dangerous lapses in communication. In the Guidon competition, precision and sharpness are thus the keys to victory. Sophomore cadet Sherman Peng drilled with heart and perfection but fell short behind competitors from Galileo and Washington.
    Yet the Cardinals brought their A-game into the Squad Drill Competition, in which all schools perform the exact same drill. A squad of seven Cardinal cadets executed this drill under the command of sophomore cadet sergeant Roxane Li. “We started (practices) off rough, but we hope for first,” Li said before their performance. Their hard work paid off and the squad walked away with the first-place title.
    In the Color Guard competition, four cadets donned shiny helmets to compete in the art of flag bearing. Folding and unfolding the United States and California Flags takes synchronization, precision and timing. Lowell fell a bit short of the mark, taking third place behind Washington and Lincoln.
    Finally, in the Drum Corps competition, formation and creativity is key, as each squad must create its own routine. Loud, heart-pounding beats reverberated off the walls of Lincoln’s gym. Competition was fierce, with all schools adding their own flair to the drills, including Washington’s creative use of the cymbals. Mistakes, such as Mission’s dropped drumsticks, however, meant the difference between placing and not placing. Despite Lowell’s tight formations and creative beats, the team took second behind the Galileo team, which used crafty hand tricks to an advantage.
In the overall award, Lowell took first followed by Galileo and Washington. Yet to many of the Drum Corps, Guidon and Color Guard competitors, first doesn’t mean a thing unless you have the trophy to prove it.