By Denise Bonfiglio
1988
Dayton, Ohio
1988 was a year of discovery for WGI, and the 27th Lancers winter guard. I had been teaching the Lancers color guard for 10 years and had trained several members from the age of 7. The Lancers had a very competitive winter guard in the late 60’s, and an extremely successful cadet winter guard for several years.
Almost 20 years later, the 27th Lancers winter guard took the floor for the first time in WGI competition. This was a historic time on several measures. What made this experience unique is that the guard had only 9 members. The average size of a winter color guard in WGI at that time was 24. This was a challenge to everyone on the design team, the tech team, and the members of the guard.
As the program came to life, so did the performers, and the audience as they took in the talent of these 9 individuals that became part of WGI’s history. The 27th Lancer winter guard paved the way for units around the globe to learn how to be successful with small numbers, and the story continues on today.
