Divisions
Color Guard
Movement, staging, and equipment brought together to tell a story — competitive indoor color guard is where athleticism meets artistry.
What Is Winter Guard?
After marching band season ends, it's Winter Guard season! Winter Guard is competitive indoor color guard — a "performing-arts sport" — that combines movement, staging, and equipment to bring music to life. Teams use recorded music and mix dance and choreography with creative props, flags, rifles, sabres, and more to create unique, energetic, expressive performances.
Winter Guard can be compared to sports like dance, rhythmic gymnastics, or artistic swimming — athletic and artistic — where teams strive for synchronicity and precision in their technique while putting on crowd-pleasing performances. Winter Guards can be found across the country in middle schools, high schools, at the collegiate level, independent teams, senior teams, and more.
Look for this color and icon throughout the AIA site — anywhere you see them, you're looking at Color Guard-specific information, from schedules and results to forms and resources.
Classifications
Color Guard competes across two overall categories — Independent and Scholastic — each with its own set of classes.
Independent Color Guard
World Class
Elevated degree of difficulty in the blend of equipment and body set, with innovative programs exploring both the abstract and the literal. Years of performer experience open the door to expanded choreographic and design choices, with strength and maturity reflected in full communication of the roles performed.
Open Class
Greater challenges with more complex equipment and body skills. Expect more variation in releases and catches, a more extensive blend between equipment and body, extended phrasing, and further development of traveling vocabulary as skills increase in frequency and complexity.
A Class
Programming choices consider tempo, dynamics, and audio impact to help younger performers develop across all captions. Expect some layering of equipment on body, some phrases performed while traveling, and lengthening phrases as performer skills grow.
Regional A Class
Reward is driven by understanding and achieving the principles of each caption, with a limited vocabulary that prioritizes solid building blocks. Ensembles demonstrate a basic grasp of logistics, show design, and performance quality.
Senior Class
For units with one or more members over the age of 22 who are therefore unable to compete in Open, A, or Regional A class. Judged on WGI A class sheets but uses World Class regulations for timing.
Scholastic Color Guard
World Class
More advanced skills throughout, in both equipment and movement, connected in complex ways over longer periods. Strong, defined stylistic identities and highly creative programs push the top end of scholastic classes.
Open Class
Greater challenges with more complex equipment and body skills, more variation in releases and catches, and further development of traveling vocabulary as skills increase in frequency and complexity.
A Class
Programming considers tempo, dynamics, and audio impact to develop younger performers' range across all captions. Includes three tiers based on how consistently intermediate-level skills are performed:
- A1 — intermediate-level skills all of the time
- A2 — intermediate-level skills most of the time
- A3 — intermediate-level skills some of the time
Regional A Class
Reward is driven by understanding and achieving the principles of each caption, with a limited vocabulary prioritizing solid building blocks. Includes two tiers:
- SRA1 — basic/beginning-level skills most of the time
- SRA2 — developing basic/beginning-level skills some of the time
Middle School Class
For students at the middle school/junior high level. Follows Regional A class timing but is adjudicated on the Middle/Elementary class sheets.
Elementary School Class
For students at the elementary level. Follows Regional A class timing but is adjudicated on the Middle/Elementary class sheets.
Reclassification
Per AIA Regulations 3.0.0: Color Guard groups may intentionally move to a higher classification during the off-season if they feel it's appropriate for their performers. Groups may choose to move down only one AIA class during the off-season — units wishing to drop more than one class must petition the Judges' Coordinator with an explanation of why the lower class is warranted, prior to January 1st.
During the season, in-season reclassification follows these guidelines:
1st and 2nd place guards in each class are auto-reviewed on the day of the show by the judges for reclassification.
Additional guards with one or more caption scores (Equipment, Movement, Design Analysis, General Effect) above that weekend's reclassification threshold will also be reviewed.
Notifications of reclassification go out via email by Monday morning.
Units can be reclassified 1 to 2 classes higher with each reclassification.
There is an announcement at the beginning of each awards ceremony recognizing units competing in a new class at that show.
⚠ VERIFY/ADD: The weekly caption-score reclassification threshold table is season-specific (it was published week-by-week last season). Add the current season's threshold table here once it's finalized.
Color Guard Coordinators
Questions about classification, reclassification, or anything else Color Guard–related? Reach out to your regional coordinator via the Staff and Leadership page.