Northstars Know "Why"
Sep 9, 2009
At the start of the 2009 winter guard season, the North Syracuse Central HS “Northstars” had one goal: To make WGI World Championships Scholastic A Class Finals. They wanted to make history and get the “Northstars” back on the finalist list, considering that the last time the “Northstars” organization achieved that status was back in 1985.
The guard had been making strides toward their goal in recent years and has been a consistent regional finalist throughout the 90’s and 2000’s. They were Scholastic A semifinalists in 2003. However in 2004, just when it looked like their goal might finally be reached, the guard was promoted mid-season to the Scholastic Open Class and narrowly missed the finals cut.
Several years later, as the 2009 season rolled around, designer Billy Parent decided to make this year mean something more than just about color guard. He wanted to write a show as a tribute to his best friend, Trish O’Shea. Trish’s favorite show for years has been St. Patrick’s version of “Why?” (They were the 1993 Independent Open Champions) and he wanted to write “his” version of the song for her.
“I drove from New Jersey up to Syracuse for their debut performance in January,” Trish said. “As I was driving Billy kept texting me, making sure I wasn’t going to be there during the sound check!” “Billy sat with me during the performance and explained how the flags were yellow because yellow was my favorite color and all the other little things that made it personal! It was truly a special moment – I’ll never forget it!”
Alyson LaVerne was a member of the 2004 guard and is currently on the Northstars’ staff. “I still have my WGI wrist band on!” LaVerne said. “Just looking down at my wrist every day reminds me that everything I felt in 2004 has paid off. I may not have been out on the floor performing myself, but to see the team that I have coached go out there and accomplish the best thing possible in winter guard was a memory that will be impossible to top.”
At the 2009 WGI World Championships, the North Syracuse Central HS “Northstars” were crowned the Scholastic A Champions. Their production of “Why?” was special in many ways, because it meant something more than just “flags in a gym.” The performers were able to connect to the song, lyrics, and choreography in order to portray their emotion, which translated to audience members sitting in the highest row of seats in UD Arena. “This is for all Northstars, past and present!” said guard director Larry Schmidt.
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