Having spent 7 years competing in A-Class myself, I understand the amount of work members are putting in, often not even to make it past the preliminary round in Dayton.

Averaging over 200 units at WGI World Championships every year, and even more competing across the country at the countless regionals, A-Class continues to be the fastest growing and most challenging class to compete in. Typically, it takes many years to earn the coveted A-Class finals spot, meaning that any group that attains that sort of success inherently understand the rigor. 

What makes A-Class so exciting is that in order to stand out amongst the crowd, a group must showcase their performers executing and performing the fundamental skills at the highest level. 

Below you will find 10 A-Class programs I wanted to highlight due to their originality, risk-taking, and just plain maturity displayed by the performers and designers.

Bellevue West HS 2016 - “River Voices” Scholastic A Champion

Heart-stopping from the first note of the music. These beautiful young ladies, dressed in long, blue dresses, displayed some of the most powerful dance skills you will find in the activity. 

The ensemble, revealing a great deal of dance training, and enhancing that technique with an incredibly expressive quality. The rifle straps emphasizing the music, their long hair highlighting their expression with an overwhelming sense of control. 

While they completed risky tricks and exchanges, Bellevue West HS appeared to be floating across the tarp in 2016. This guard was a stand out for me due to their high level of confidence through the phrases, their skillful storytelling, and the impressive overall design/choreography throughout. 

Despite being a high school group, the performers were utilized in their own strongest areas of ability. Unlocking that key idea allowed the members to perform at their highest level, ultimately leading Bellevue West HS to a great deal of success in 2016. 

University of Georgia 2015 - “Chandelier” Independent A Finalist

Performing to a cover of the popular song, “Chandelier” by Sia, these mature, stunning performers highlight individual and ensemble skills that are unique and meant to showcase the musical structure and the musicality of their choreography more than anything. 

While showing off fast, staccato, hard-hitting impacts against smooth balletic phrases, University of Georgia shocked the crowd with their ability to achieve in a variety of different styles. Quick and intricate drill moves helped show off their solid hands and made the transitions appear seamless. 

Having four different sections executing tricky and challenging phrases in tandem and within close proximity wowed the crowd at World Championship finals. 

The University of Georgia was a stand out for me due to their level of expressive qualities and the connection that they were able to make the audience feel with the show and the performers. This program had an extremely genuine feel about it, one of those very rare moments that leaves UD Arena feeling electric in the final moment of the show.

Lyman Winter Guard 2014 - “The Big White Room” Scholastic A Champion

Few guards every year enter the floor in A-Class with an overwhelming sense of calmness—one where the audience knows it is going to be a great show—and my goodness Lyman High School did just that in 2014. 

The dance training in this color guard is unreal. 

From beginning to end, these performers know how to execute and share their equally impressive talents on weapon and flag. The strength of their movement seemingly brought up all of the performers awareness of their lines and the execution of their bodies with the equipment. 

There are moments of impressive musicality for all sections found throughout their show, incorporating particularly intelligent staging. Their most impressive individual efforts were on display during the 2014 show which included a handstand chair soloist, very risky, exposed ensemble tosses, plus a jam packed flag feature. 

Lyman entered the floor looking extremely confident and thanks to their smart choreography choices, they were able to capitalize and get the most out of every individual performer. 

For me, what made Lyman High School such a standout was the level of commitment from every performer. You could tell they wanted to tell their story—and they approached it without a moment of hesitation. 

Shenendehowa 2014 - “Better World” Independent A Finalist

Well-known powerhouses in the movement category, Shenendehowa constantly presents unique and original skills making them stand out amongst their competition. 

Their 2014 show "Better World" was a perfect example. Ensemble dance features, great usage of props and a beautiful message of woman empowerment made this show one to sit back and enjoy. 

The production is an example of a great color guard performing exciting risks and capitalizing on reward by being in close proximity. Known for their entertaining shows, Shenendehowa incorporates fast flag work (with body incorporated) which showed off the performers' capabilities to handle a lot of responsibility. 

Working from all parts of the equipment, they were able to showcase a number of skills that are their own, featuring too many amazing moments of acrobatics to keep track of. 

The performers brought this story to life through their level of commitment to each other and to the audience via interdependent responsibilities and nuances that highlighted the personality of the performer. Shenendehowa was a standout guard to me because of their level of maturity throughout the show, making their message stand out with importance and care and thus captivating the audience. 

Leander HS 2018 - “Make A Change” Scholastic A Champion

Ending their season with one of the highest scores ever recorded in WGI history (99.40), Leander HS performed to a cover of the classic Michael Jackson song “Man in the Mirror” in their 2018 show "Make A Change." 

Starting with drama and plenty of hair, the performers instantly connected to the audience by peeling out one by one to show us a variety of extraordinary skills. While holding focus on their remarkable rifle line, they were able to build into multiple joint moments of risk plus reward with a flag line capable of handling extreme responsibility. 

Against the black curtain, Leander gave the crowd picture-perfect moments, especially while incorporating their unique and stylized equipment work, putting them handily above the rest of the competition.

Integrating mirrors as their props, Leander was able to highlight their strong rifle soloist while the rest of the guard engaged the audience with their quick-moving dance feature. What made this show stand out for me was insatiable high energy the performers had throughout the entire show. It really made the end look just as controlled, nuanced and enjoyable as the very beginning—something any performer of any level struggles with.

Allegoria 2015 - “Pennies from Heaven” Independent A Finalist

In their 2015 show "Pennies From Heaven," Allegoria created a program that really connected with the audience. Dressed in varying styles of blue and white, their performers looked sophisticated and undeniable. 

They began their show with ensemble movement in which they showcased a number of performers on sabre for an extended feature. This already helped them standout because of their ability to manipulate the sabre just as they might with a rifle. 

With a heart-wrenching soundtrack, Allegoria cleared the floor by highlighting strongly programmed individual moments, one of which led to one of the most iconic and breathtaking A-Class flag features. 

Their exposed drill and equally exposed releases displayed just how strong this color guard was. In their finals performance, Allegoria achieved a flawless run that drew the crowd in and made them roar, only to reveal even more skill with the show's final rifle moments. 

What was most impressive to me about Allegoria was the sheer number of weapons they were able to expose, and how often they were able to expose them. The finesse of the performers, no matter what trick they may have been getting through, also impressed me to no end.

St. Ann’s 2015 - “Hands” Independent A Champions

While sitting in the audience for this performance, "Hands" quickly became one of my favorite color guard shows of all time. 

From the very start, it was evident that these young ladies were capable of doing it all. With an entertaining soundtrack, St. Ann's eased their way through the show with numerous scream-worthy catches. 

No matter what the performers were spinning, they showcased complete control and displayed interdependent moments with ease. One example of this is the rifle partner moments that were enhanced by its musicality; another example is the consecutive full guard flag exchanges. 

These young ladies were able to execute skills that I didn't expect to see in A-Class, let alone achieved by the entire color guard. 

The show was a presentation on the ability of St. Ann to execute extremely challenging skills and achieve interdependent sections, all with an overwhelming sense of confidence. The performers made it obvious that they absolutely loved what they were doing. These young ladies were capable of making me giggle simply based off their level of execution—and finally, at the end of their show, were able to get the UD Arena on their feet.

Mililani HS 2017 - “The Lost Generation” Scholastic A Finalist 

One of the few winter guards to attend WGI events from Hawaii, Mililani High School travels over 4,000 miles to be a part of WGI World Championships—and what an amazing part of it they are. 

In 2017, they shared with us their unique style and ability to present nuance. The performers appeared to be gliding across the floor as they executed extremely difficult drill. Dressed in long, dark unitards, the designers utilized dance, flags, and rifles within close proximity in order to maximize their effect moments. 

Numerous strap snaps alongside some great individual and ensemble exposures displayed the guard's most confident performers—especially when viewed against the all-black backdrop of WGI World Championships. Mililani incorporated a variation of speed throughout their production, drawing attention to all of the different musical lines, as well as the members’ awareness and group cohesion. 

Once revealed, the yellow flags popped with high speed and even higher risk. Their flag feature was a crowd pleaser and my absolutely favorite part. 

What made Mililani’s performance a stand out for me came down to their overall level of endurance and composure, making their thrilling ending dance feature look just as controlled as their beginning—much like we saw in Leander's 2018 show.

Klein Oak HS 2017 - “Jaime” Scholastic A Champion

Even before the very first note, the young performers of Klein Oak HS were already in character and ready to put on a captivating performance. 

Based around a single boy, the guard worked together to narrate the classic story of love and heartbreak. By fully committing to the movement and equipment, I was able to feel the magical connection oozing from the floor all the way from the stands. The young boy was an absolute star because of his capability to handle a huge amount of pressure in the spotlight while still surrounded by strong, impressive young ladies. 

Klein Oak showcase their flexibility by executing complex rifle phrases, showing off the dexterity and very strong hands. Doing skills well out of the A-Class range, Klein Oak utilized their strengths to enhance purposeful moments with exposed drill. They even had the added risk of not having a tarp, putting their awareness on display. 

As the story comes around towards the end, the entire group of performers nailed an athletic flag feature.

For me, Klein Oak was a standout performance due to their choreography and design giving the performers a vehicle that could take the program to the next level. It was special because they poured themselves into the story and emoted the passion that engulfed an audience in World Championship finals.

Pacificaires 2018 - Independent A Champion

As such a powerful and historic organization, no matter the class they are in, Pacifiaires Winter Guard is able to come back to WGI year after year and still impress us with a new level of expertise. 

Beautiful dance skills, captivating performance, and jaw-dropping weapon hands—these young ladies make it all look so easy. Known for their ability to create new tricks, Pacificaires had a very baton twirler-like quality in the intricacies of their weapon book, often releasing and catching smoothly with one hand. 

They glided across the floor with a plethora of dance skills mixed in, giving vignettes of all sections so they could showcase skills well beyond typical A-Class vocabulary. Their bright blue flags spun challenging choreography and incorporated numerous exchanges, all without leaving any room to make a mistake. 

Their weapon skills continued throughout the show to build into an expressive and exposed ensemble flag feature. 

Pacificaires is a stand out group every year, but especially due to their ability to make very challenging skills appear easy and the overall level of composure these young ladies express—they are in my top.