Palm Desert Charter Middle School making history by competing in 2022 WGI Color Guard World Championships
Palm Desert Charter Middle School is the first middle school to compete in the WGI Color Guard World Championships.
The team is set to make history on April 7-10 in Dayton, Ohio.
The Palm Desert Charter Middle School Varsity Color Guard team is making history at the 2022 @WGIcolorguard World Championships next month!
— Bianca Ventura (@BiancavKESQ) March 22, 2022
Find out why tonight at 10 & 11 p.m. @KESQ #PalmDesert #DSUSD #wgicolorguard #iamwgi pic.twitter.com/DzGWnSerr7
PDCMS will be competing against several high school teams from around the country.
News Channel 3 spoke to Jose Pena, a teacher and coach who's been with the Desert Sands Unified School District for a decade.
Pena told us the varsity color guard team used to compete in the middle school division, but after years of dominating the competition they were promoted.
Pena adds, "The kids stepped up the plate and they have been rocking it since 2018, competing against high schoolers.”
When speaking to color guard's team captains, they expressed their gratitude for their teachers and classmates that have shown their support, "When they encouraged me on it really gives me a confidence booster, because sometimes I feel like all of us need it since we're traveling. And it's a very big expectation for us.”
Although the team is hopeful to come out as champions, they know regardless of the outcome, they'll carry this experience with them for years to come
One of the captains shared her favorite part of being on the team is, "The bond that you create with all your teammates and your friends, going and traveling with them and being on the bus and creating all these memories is probably the thing I'll most remember."
Earlier this month the team competed in the San Diego WGI Regional Competition. They beat 24 high schools from California, Nevada and Utah.
The win solidified the team as the 13th in the Country under the Scholastic A Division. They also rank as the number 1 in the state of California.
Coachella Valley residents can support the team by checking out their performance this weekend. The PDCMS Varsity Color Guard team will be performing at Mira Costa High School at noon for a national qualifying competition.
The team has also set up a gofundme page to help them fundraise for the trip.
Their goal is to reach $20,000 by March 31 in order to help fund the students' traveling expenses.
According to the team's gofundme page, "The Color Guard program receives no funding from the school and all funds raised for the program are through fundraisers."
Tune in tonight at 10 and 11 p.m. to learn more about the PDCMS Color Guard's journey to WGI Color Guard World Championships.
