Performer Spotlight: Kenzie from Hardee HS
by Emily Peraza
We have Kenzie, one of our FFCC Featured Performers for the 2023 season, from Hardee High School, whose team was recently promoted to Scholastic AAA Class following their premiere performance. Read below to hear more about their experience!
How has your season been so far? What are some highlights thus far with your team?
So far, my season has been great! Our show is just so much more involved than it was last year, it really allows everyone to go all out and perform to their highest potential. Some highlights include earning first place at premiere and being promoted! We’ve never gotten first place before, not last year or during the marching season. It was an incredible experience for all of us. I was honestly shocked when I heard we got promoted. This is our winter guard team’s second year and most of our members are new, and our hard work definitely paid off.
I hear that this is your second year in guard. What was your reason to join and what has kept you spinning?
I’m not in band but I have always been surrounded by it. My sister, most of my friends, and my boyfriend are all in band. I just always saw colorguard as something I admired, but something I couldn’t do. I was never very active and I never played other sports; I honestly didn’t even consider it at first. At the time, my sister’s girlfriend was in colorguard, and from that, I got more of an inside view. It was honestly a quick decision to try out, but it felt right. I almost immediately fell in love with guard – I enjoy it and everything that comes with it. All the love and encouragement I get keeps me going, along with my passion for spinning.
What is something you enjoy the most about your show?
What I enjoy most about our show is the theme. Our show, Unraveled, can be interpreted in different ways. You can view it as breaking down or breaking free. Throughout the performance, we have fabric being pulled across the floor to simulate something unraveling. It’s a concept people can relate to.
Receiving a promotion is a big deal! How did it make you (and the team) feel?
As I stated earlier, it was an amazing feeling for all of us. Some of us were a little nervous, given the skill level of the other teams but we’re up for the challenge! We just feel so honored, we’ve worked for this. Therefore, we’re ready for our next competition as a Scholastic AAA team!
What is your favorite memory of the season/pre-season?
There are a few things I could answer this question with, but one thing comes to mind. Our uniforms had pants that went just past the knees, and we decided to cut them into shorts. So at the end of practice, we all stayed to cut them together. Once some of the pants were cut, people started putting them on their heads. It went on for like half an hour. We all laughed so hard and we have so many pictures of it. We joked that we were going to wear them to retreat at championships.
Lastly, share your favorite piece of equipment and why.
My favorite piece of equipment is rifle. When I spin rifle, I just feel so comfortable, I feel like I’m not going to mess up. There are just so many things you can learn and different styles of spinning. I love everything about rifle, it’s just so satisfying to me.
