When Anthony DeMarino first came to Mineola High School in 2001, he immediately changed the kick line he inherited from the prior director.
Apparently, it has made a difference.
The top team of Mineola High’s two Winter Guard colorguard squads, the Red Team, has been the Eastern Regional Champion for the past four years in competition against other colorguards.
On Jan. 26, for the 10th consecutive year, the Mineola High School Rockettes and the Mineola Music Parents will be hosts for “A Celebration of Color,” a competition featuring 22 of the finest colorguard teams in the Northeast in a 5 p.m. event at Mineola High School.
“We have a really strong program. We have a really good team,” DeMarino said during a recent practice for the big annual event.
In 2010, the Mineola Red colorguard team finished fourth in a field of 100 competitors in the national championships in Dayton, Ohio, and will be appearing there in April for the seventh time to compete for a national title. The team will also compete in the eastern regional competition in Providence,
Both 11-member teams, Mineola Red and Mineola White, are currently engaged in a four-month tour that includes appearances in six states.
The competitive seasons start next week, with the teams on a 14-week schedule of shows from Rhode Island to Florida, DeMarino said.
To stay sharp for that schedule, the virtually all-female 11-member teams – there is one male colorguard Red member this year – put in a lot of time to learn moves with flags, rifles and sabers that it performs in synch with the Mineola Marching Band during the football season.
The Red team practices 12 to 20 hours weekly, while the White team practices 10 to 20 hours per week, performing to recorded music.
“They have to prioritize their personal lives to make time to be able to do it,” DeMarino said.
It’s a demanding routine and DeMarino decided to rehearse with an “open door” policy several years ago to develop a white team of underclass students to prepare them to become part of the Red team, composed primarily of upper class students. He said students drop out for various reasons, with the program’s rigor the top one.
“It’s flags, rifles and sabers. But there’s so much more with this,” DeMarino said.
He said participation in the colorguards instills a strong work ethic and sense of discipline in the students who stick with it.
Mineola High School senior Crystal Rivers said being a Rockette has been a rewarding experience.
“We’re really close, so I’ve made good friends,” she said. “I enjoy dance and learning new things like the flags and sabers. It’s been fun.”
Rivers said it’s a lot of work, but the competitions are the payoff.
All of DeMarino’s four-woman coaching staff are former color guard members, including Melanie Olio, who graduated last year.
“It’s different because you’re not on the team anymore. I’m helping out,” Olio said. “But it is like I’m on the team again.”
Olio is currently a dance major at Nassau Community College.
Tickets for “A Celebration of Color” are $8 for adults and $6 for children with all proceeds going to support the Winter Guard’s road show.
This year’s Red team show is based on the theme “And So It Goes,” a Billy Joel tune, performed by Sara Gazarek. The White team’s show theme is “Are We There Yet?” with music by Ingrid Michaelsen.
For more information about the Jan. 26 show, contact the Mineola High School Fine Arts Department at 516-237-2625.
