We have the Ability!

The Ability! Winter Guard enjoyed its inaugural season in 2007.  The Ironton, Ohio-based guard is an inclusive guard, which means members with physical or cognitive challenges are invited as equal partners in performance and in competition. Two members of this past season’s ensemble have developmental disabilities. “One of our members has Down syndrome and also relies on a wheelchair due to paraplegia.  Another member has epilepsy,” said Bill Burroway, Director.  “These guard members wanted to be treated like anyone else.  They did everything the staff asked of them and more in regards to putting together a solid performance,” Burroway said.

The concept for Ability! Winter Guard came about after Burroway’s wife, who works for an agency that serves individuals with developmental disabilities, lamented the lack of community-based arts programs that welcomed children with special needs. There were two major hurdles to overcome.  First, how to start a winter guard in a community where “The Sport of the Arts” is not well known?  Second, how to make it inclusive for participants of various levels of ability?

As an independent unit, Ability! members were recruited throughout the tri-state area of southern Ohio, northeastern Kentucky and western West Virginia.  The ten-member ensemble brought together students from five different school districts.  Rehearsal space was provided free-of-charge by a local church.  The guard contracted for the use of a handicap-accessible bus as transportation to and from contests.  Lots of hard work, fundraising and rehearsals marked the start of the 2007 season.

Burroway knew the members had to have fun while putting together a quality show. He called upon Jessica Hudson, a talented color guard tech he’d known since she was a student. She is now a local special education teacher, and had also marched in the guard at the University of Louisville.  Having to adapt curriculum to meet the individual needs of students with multiple handicaps was something Hudson had done many times in the past. Weapons technician Paul Rankin brought knowledge of various styles and interpretations to the table. The guard competed with a stirring interpretation for their program, “What About Me?” by the group, Moving Pictures (1982).  Ability! Winter Guard took its program to five competitions in the Mid-East Performance Association, to the WGI Dayton Regional and to World Championships. 

“The guard was well received everywhere we went,” Burroway said.  “From spectators to judges to other guards, everyone seemed to appreciate what this talented group of performers was doing.  We had opened new doors for kids who hadn’t had the opportunity to compete in winter guard before,” he concluded. Burroway recalled the endless chorus of “good luck!” and “have a good show!” that would echo in the corridor, as guards coming off the performance floor would greet Ability! members of the fledgling group approached the line to perform. 

The staff of Ability! are all volunteers, as are the board members of Rivertown Performing Arts League, Inc., which is Ability!’s parent organization.  Rivertown obtained its 501(c)(3) tax status this summer and is preparing for September auditions.  Two successful equipment clinics were held this summer for veterans and new recruits. Ability! Winter Guard will compete in the Mid-East Performance Association’s Independent Regional A class and WGI’s Independent A class in 2008.   Ability! will welcome a new sister unit in the new season for members with a higher level of technical skill.  Z Winter Guard will compete in Independent A class of both MEPA and WGI in the coming season.

For more information about Ability! Winter Guard, contact Bill Burroway, Director at Post Office Box 7, Flatwoods KY 41139; telephone: 606-922-2982.  Or log on to:  http://rivertown.home.att.net and follow the link to Ability! Winter Guard.

Thanks to Sarah Diamond Burroway for this story, and Robintek for the photos.

View Past News>