Guardians’ “long road” through altered season ends with heartfelt Texas goodbyes

SAN ANTONIO— Gratitude for the marching arts and its fans has defined Guardians’ 2024 season. 

Before the San Antonio corps wrapped up its 2024 campaign at Monday night’s DCI Mesquite event presented by Fruhauf Uniforms, it traveled to San Antonio for one of the biggest events of the 2024 DCI Tour. 

After competing in the DCI Open Class World Championship in 2023 and scheduled to return in 2024, Guardians management made a mid-season decision to adjust to an abbreviated schedule that instead wrapped up in the corps’ home state of Texas.

“Ensuring the health and safety of our members and the organization remains our top priority,” the corps posted in a statement explaining the change at the end of June. “If any aspect is uncertain, we will not risk going on a national tour at the expense of our members’ well-being.” 

 

The abbreviated schedule didn’t stop the current performers from seeking the most from their summer. Smiles lined the faces of Guardians corps members as they walked off the field inside the Alamodome, echoing the “astonishing” feeling drum major Kimberly Vela had as she turned to bask in the crowd’s adulation after the corps’ performance Saturday afternoon. 

“We usually perform in front of smaller crowds being a part of Open Class, so to see all the support from the seats in front of us really hits our heart,” Vela said.

Paying tribute to what the marching music activity has given the members and staff at Guardians also served as the foundation for the corps’ 2024 production, “Going Places.” 

The show follows life on tour, starting with the challenging grind of daily rehearsal during spring training and ending with the moments of performance that bind members and fans of the activity together. 

 

“Going Places” also mirrors the twists and turns Guardians has taken through a season of unexpected change. 

“It’s been a long road for us,” Vela said of the corps’ 2024 season. “Being together as a family here in the Alamodome is one of the best feelings ever.” 

As that road reaches the end and sights are set on an “exciting future” come 2025, current members are enjoying the fruits of the corps’ labor. 

“We all know that this is our last time together this season, so we want to enjoy it,” Vela said. “We want to perform for people. We all love drum corps and we all love doing it.”