Miamisburg Color Guard
Since 1980, the Miamisburg Color Guard organization has developed, mentored, and enriched the lives of hundreds of students from kindergarten through high school within its nationally recognized Color Guard program.
While practicing and performing, each child learns dedication, determination, and the drive to succeed. Our program is of the highest caliber in the country. Miamisburg High School is very proud to compete at the highest level of scholastic competition at the World Guard Invitational… Scholastic World.
The Miamisburg Color Guard Organization is truly a world-class program, and the Miamisburg Color Guard Booster Association is responsible for providing financial and moral support to this organization.
Accomplishments
The Most Successful Scholastic Color Guard Program in Ohio History.
Miamisburg World Guard
41 State/MEPA Championships in the last 44 years.
Winter Guard International Finalists 7 out of the last 10 years (33 overall) including a 4th place finish in 2022 and 6th place in 2023.
3 time Winter Guard International (WGI) Champions (1991, 1992, 1998).
Miamisburg "A" Guard
Finished 3rd in Scholastic A at the 2022 MEPA State Championship.
The Scholastic A Division is made up of high schools except for Miamisburg "A" Guard which is made up of students 5th-9th grade.
Sweethearts
16 MEPA Championships in the last 21 years.
A Tradition of Excellence
2017 Pre-Show Speech
Founder Cathy Barnes-Miller
Memories originally posted on Facebook
August, 2020
Our Founder, Cathy Barnes-Miller, has made a list of some of her memories of the Miamisburg Guard Organization -
MEMORIES FROM THE PAST OUTSIDE THE GYM
• First winter guard performance at the Dayton Convention center and standing inspection and performing with live music.
• Taking students to Chicago, New York, Florida, California, and Arizona on buses and planes and seeing the excitement on their faces. Many of them had never been out of Miamisburg before.
• Arriving at WGI in another state to find out that our practices were outside because that is they do in warmer states
• Sleeping on gym floors with many other guards in the same gym.
• Traveling in vans even thru snow storms traveling 10 miles an hour on our way to regionals and the school called and told us to turn around and come home.
• Props breaking down as we entered the WGI floor… Spanish Year
• Preparing motivational talks and introducing the ELEPHANT and its good luck powers ( only if its trunk is turned up)
• Listening to the crowd at our first show of the year at Northmont. The Marilyn year we started with silence and everyone thought our music tape broke and then all cheering and standing “ o” when we finished because it was so perfect.
• Dancing in the Hallway to the music Freakazoid to calm down their nerves
• While waiting to perform, we faced the wall so our competitors that were walking by wouldn’t make them nervous and it worked they were very relaxed and ready to show off their talents.
• Waiting for those “FARTS” because once that happened they knew they would have a great show
• Traveling to a regionals in Philadelphia and members in the rifle line broke out with chicken pox.
• Prop boys dancing behind the props creating a lot of laughter and the girls on the floor not knowing what was wrong.
• Guard moms sleeping on the floor in front of doorways to keep the girls from sneaking out to meet the boys.
• Taking 7th graders into the world guard for the first time and their parents being very concerned they would grow up too fast. It all worked out for the best.
• Mike and Mark sending me to pick up girls who didn’t show up for our 9:00 Saturday morning practices. I knocked on those doors until they came out
• Going to pick up girls in my car during snowstorms because YES the guard still practiced
• Seeing Burg have their first ALL BOYS COLOR GUARD and watching them have so much fun flexing their muscles while they were performing and all the girls wanting their autographs that they took picture to sell and signed them.
• Starting the Tradition of our poem “STATE OF THE MIND”
Do any of these bring back memories to you?????
January 2019 Miamisburg Athletic Hall of Fame Induction
Cathy Barnes – Color Guard Coach
Cathy Barnes started her teaching career at Mound Elementary in 1974. In 1980 she paved the way for the Winter Color Guard programs at Miamisburg City Schools. Coach Barnes has been instrumental in the developement of hundreds of student-athletes throughout her career. While under her direction the Winter Guard program flourished locally as well as internationally. They were three time WGI World Class Champions (1991, 92 and 98) and five time WGI World Class Runner Ups (1985, 88, 89, 93 and 95). They have always maintained a standard of excellence throughout the years with their World Class status. They have been World Class State Champions numerous years and the only high school that remains in World Class representing the state of Ohio.
Coach Barnes was the creator of the Miamisburg Junior Guard and Elementary Guard. They too have been very successful with many MEPA State Championships between the two groups. In 2012 Coach Barnes started the Miami Valley Adaptive Color Guard which services special needs students of all ages throughout the Miami Valley.
Cathy resides in Miamisburg with her husband Dr. James Miller.
