Color guard director Anna Sutton wanted to spice things up and add a male member to the team. She knew freshman Khalil Muldrew had been on the middle school team, and asked him to perform when he got to high school too. After thinking about it, he agreed.
However as a member of a mostly all-female team, Khalil realized there were some differences he had to make to better adjust his choreography.
“They [the girls] have strong pointed toes and I’m flat footed. Plus they know how to loosen their body up when they dance when I’m just stiff,” Khalil said.
Sympathizing with Khalil, Mrs. Sutton and Khalil’s friends were always there to help and guide him when he didn’t understand the movements.
“It’s okay that you don’t understand the work right away. Mrs. Sutton always pulls you off to the side if you’re struggling on something. So that’s what I really like about Mrs. Sutton and my teammates. They are always trying to help other people get better as a team,” Khalil said.
Although it was difficult, being the only boy in the color guard team also taught Khalil many things.
“I’ve learned to always be patient with myself. It’s okay to not get the work as quickly as other people because we always work on it, and try to be the best we can be,” he said.
Khalil also doesn’t just view the color guard position as a practice or a game — he’s serious about it. He plans to continue his color guard career in college, hopefully at Northwestern State University in Louisiana because it will help him expand his skill set.