White and Gold Winter Guard Sets a New Standard

Georgia Tech's White and Gold winter guard made program history with two recent performances, propelling the squad to a new competitive tier. 

As the competitive arm of the Yellow Jacket Marching Band's Color Guard, winter guard members perform interpretive routines and face off against teams from across the country on two circuits — the Southern Association for Performance Arts (SAPA) and Winter Guard International (WGI).  

The White and Gold returned from a hiatus in 2022, and three seasons later, the team captured its first SAPA circuit championship in March before placing fifth out of 62 teams at the April WGI Championships in Dayton, Ohio. The team competed in the Independent-A division, and the top five finish vaults them up to the Independent-Open division for the 2025-26 season.  

Twelve members relaunched the team, and it has since grown to 28, along with a coaching staff of six Georgia Tech alumni. Co-captain Christine Werts, a third-year biomedical engineering student, credits the culture they've built for their recent success and wants to ensure it remains intact as the competition level increases. 

"This sets the bar high for us. Our success was phenomenal, and we were able to bask in it and reflect on the hard work we put in, but moving forward, we always need to remember that there is room for improvement," Werts said. "Having people who are ready to learn, who are good teammates, have a good attitude, and have good time management skills is becoming more important, especially as we get more competitive.” 

During the season, which runs from November to April, the team meets for practices three times a week, including a seven-hour session on Saturdays. Winter guard director and head coach Alexa Medlin was proud to see the students' hard work pay off and their ability to balance the rigor of academic and athletic responsibilities.  

"As an alumna of Georgia Tech and the band program, seeing our winter guard accomplish these milestones this season was incredibly special and a bit surreal,” Medlin said. “So much planning and work go into creating and perfecting a competitive show. It's a labor of love that both the members and the coaches dedicate massive amounts of free time to achieve. There will be higher expectations for 2026, but we will always ensure that our purpose is to provide a creative and competitive outlet for students."  

The title of the team's award-winning performance was The Things You Do. For Werts and her teammates, the "thing" that drives them is showing up for each other at every event and the ability to share their creativity with the community.  

The team competes in circuit events and performs at local showcases, but through their membership and fundraising efforts, they hope to compete in more events around the region in future seasons.