WGI Sport of the Arts

In the spring of 1977, a group of six people met in San Francisco to discuss the formation of an organization to govern the color guard activity from coast to coast. At that meeting, attendees Don Angelica, Shirlee Whitcomb, Stanley Knaub, Bryan Johnston, Marie Czapinski, and Linda Chambers introduced the name Winter Guard International (WGI).

The mission at that first meeting was clear: All parts of the country would be equally represented in the development and maintenance of the activity; color guards would govern their own activity; shows would take place within their season (winter); rules and regulations would be uniform; and there would be a championship contest. This contest would rotate around the country, being held for two consecutive years in each of the three major regions, thereby offering equal opportunity to all guards. (Travel was very uncommon for guards at that time, so site rotation was very important.)

The next step, the organizational meeting, meeting was in October 1977 at the site of the DCI Rules Congress in Chicago. Many of the leading guard instructors at the time were also teaching drum corps and would already be in attendance. The meeting was an open forum for anyone to attend. Representatives of all of the established color guard circuits nationwide were invited; 13 associations attended.

It was agreed that Lynn Lindstrom, the current Commander of the Midwest Color Guard Circuit, would head the newly formed organization for the first yea