A big gray mat, riddled with trash cans and sabers lay on the gym floor. People, wearing  beanies of muted colors, plaid shirts and hoodies, loiter around the corners.

A girl with a dress covered in flowers appears. She’s poised, tailored and takes control of the room.

This is  the opening scene to the Color Guard’s first indoor show of the year, performed for family and friends on Jan. 26.

The team showed off their improved skills and routine under their new director, Meagan Young.

When the show began, Young introduced herself and the group and had them demonstrate the exercises and drills they practice on a day-to-day basis before the show began. She gushed over their progress as the boy and girls spun flags, sabers and rifles.

Then they set up for the main event.

Their routine began with “Minnie,” a rich girl with abundant sass, realizing that she didn’t have any money when she went into town. She then ran into a group of street performers and watched them spin their flags, before joining them and helping raise money from their performance.

But when the performers are distracted, Minnie runs off with all their money.

Senior Kristen Meaux, who plays Minnie, said that this routine is unlike anything the color guard has done before.

“It’s very different. There’s a lot more dance and choreography and performance,” Meaux said. “You’re right in front of the audience so you have to be an actress on the floor.”

This new style of drill, which Young has implemented since she came to K-Park, has helped Meaux and the team grow into better performers.

After finishing the routine, the group reset and performed the show again with minor changes to tricks and set up. “It was one of our best runs,” said freshman Amanda Bleier. “I was happy to see the final products of all our hard work.”

The audience, made up of family and friends, was also amazed by the effort put into the performance.

“It was really cool how the main character was actually performing with the street performers,” freshman Taylor Alvarez said, “I really enjoyed it.”

They performed the same routine at their first competition the following Saturday and made sixth place out of 12 groups.