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Q.E.D. Winter Guard |
The history of Q.E.D.
Q.E.D. was an Independent A winter guard with hometown in Kingston NY. Begun in the fall of 1991 for the 1992 season by then director, Mary Krembs, and a staff of four others, Q.E.D. competed both locally and nationally in both the 1992 & 1993 seasons, then took 1994 off (We only had five members, and WGI had not yet changed the rules to allow fewer than eight).
Q.E.D. returned for the 1995 season with a new director, Deb Kress, who was a staff member during the first years of the guard. Nick & Carol Avossa also remained on the staff, and a former member, Todd Reihbandt, joined our creative team. The staff remained this group of five until the addition of another former member, Kate Reihbandt, for the 2001 season.
In 2002, after ten years in Independent A, Q.E.D. made Finals in Dayton with our "Seasons" show and made the notorious trip down the tunnel at UD Arena for the very first time. That was the year WGI decided that ALL A Class Finalists would automatically be promoted to the Open Class, and boy, were we nervous about that!
The Open Class treated us well in 2003, and even though we did not make Finals, we had a terrific year with a great group of dedicated members, and felt we held our own in the midst of other Open Class guards.
2004 found us returning to our IA roots, however, as we lost 80% of our long-term "Finalist & Open" membership to age-out or out-of-town colleges, and we were starting fresh with a brand new group with little or no experience. 2005 was an "off" year for several reasons, but we returned in 2006 with another great group... some returning from 2004, some brand new to both Q.E.D. and the winter guard experience. We finished the season feeling good about the overall progress of Q.E.D., and with the knowledge that the Q.E.D. family would be back together for 2007 with members who had become more than a competitive team, but real friends.
We began our preparation for the 2007 season earlier than ever before, and were excited about having added several new, but experienced, members to our returning group from 2006. We looked forward to the opportunities this strong group would present for the upcoming season. Unfortunately, it was not to be.
2007 proved to be one of the most challenging years we ever faced in terms of losing members. The timing of each loss left us unable to make any progress on cleaning and refining; instead we were doing major re-writes on a regular basis to fill in the holes left by a departed member. It was a huge source of frustration for both the staff and the members, and upon the loss of the fourth member, we held a guard meeting to discuss our options. The show originally designed for twelve strong members had been butchered until it no longer made sense or had any kind of flow. At that point it would have required a complete re-write, not just more fixing, and none of us were sure we had the mental or physical energy to start from scratch. The staff and guard members together decided to end the season. It's unfortunate and downright sad when the lack of commitment on the part of a few can destroy the work of a dedicated and deserving group.
The hardest part of the decision to end the season was the feeling of letting down the eight remaining members, who had all been with us the previous year and who had proven their love for the activity and each other. Most of them were leaving for an out-of-town college over the summer, and would not be able to return to Q.E.D. for the 2008 season. It was with very heavy hearts that we left each others' company that evening. In demonstration of the special bond of friendship that was established, however, the members and staff continue to get together from time to time.
It is now March 2008, and in the past year, other circumstances came to pass in the lives of the various staff members that have made it impossible to continue Q.E.D. with the current staff. Who knows if some of the staff will be joined by former members to restart the guard in the future... For now, we bid the competitive side of the color guard world a fond farewell. We'll see you from the bleachers instead of the floor...
Links to Past Years of Q.E.D.
2007 Season (well, kind of)
2006 Season
Our Mission
During the years Q.E.D. competed, the goal of the staff and the members was to put together a package that was both pleasing to the audience, AND fun to perform. That doesn't mean it was easy. A lot of hard work, blood, sweat and tears went into the show each year, but the end result was that much more satisfying. The feeling of accomplishment the members and staff got from a job well done was what kept us all coming back, year after year after year after year...
We will miss it...
qed@hvc.rr.com This email is not checked every day, but it is checked several times a week, so messages will still get through. Just be patient if you want a reply.
LINKS to other color guard related sites.
