Bloomington High School North, Nikean, 2010, Page 151

Description:	During Marching Band parent display day, senior Phillip Lentz high fives junior Sam Buehler. Marching Band turned out [to be] really fun,Lentz said. I came from Batchelor, and I didnt know anyone. It allowed me to make friends and gain strong friendships.Photo by Neena Armitage/O staple of high school life is the football games:/ / body painting, cheering on the team andJ L halftime.Halftime is when people stretch their legs, getsnacks, and enjoy an entertaining break from theintensity of the football game. While the footballteam takes a pause from playing, the Marching Bandand Color Guard are preparing themselves for theirperformance.The uniforms are on, the instruments are tuned andthe Color Guard girls are all stretched. But this year,one new addition to the Color Guard team is August(Augie) Merback.Merback is the first boy to be on the team since1993, and he has integrated into the Guard groupsmoothly since he joined.I learned how to twirl fire at Camp Palawopec. Andthen I saw one of the [winter guards] performanceswhen they came to Tri-North last year, and I thoughtHey, I could do that, Merback said.However, his transition to a female-oriented sportwas far from easy. Since he is the only boy on theteam, they have had to make a few adjustments.For example, changing costumes for performanceshas been a challenge.Augies cool; its just the whole changing in front ofhim. He has to leave the room, said senior Lia Morris, a fellow Color Guard performer.Ive never stumbled in on them changing, but Ivecome pretty close, Merback said.Merback also has a male version of the teamsperforming outfits. Instead of the long dress-like outfitthat the girls wear as they do their routine, Merbackhas a shirt and pants set that matches the color andtheme of the girls outfits.Thankfully, he doesnt have to wear mascara likeus, Morris said.13y fleena Armitageband 151
Source:	http://cdm17129.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/hs-bloomnorth/id/6373
Collection:	Bloomington High School North

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