Quiet, timid and surrounded by eleven girls on audition day. Cody is nervous. Cody is going through a new experience. Cody is trying out for color guard.

“Last year at the games, the color guard looked really pretty with their flags and uniforms,” freshman Cody Hambly said. “Marching looked hard, and my friend Krysten Collins was auditioning too. I started twirling, and I really liked it. It’s just like a lot fun, and all my really good friends from band are in it.”

Hambly is the first male to represent the color guard since the mid-’90s and said it was interesting working with mostly females.

“I look at them like they’re just on the same team as me,” Hambly said. “I’m just going to ignore all the problems, and try to be friends with everyone.”

Junior Morgan Williams, the captain, said it will be intriguing to see how he bonds with the team.

“I think having a guy on guard this year will have its ups and downs,” Williams said. “The plus side is that this is a new experience, not just for this year, but for the history of T-High. I’m excited to be the captain with a male, but I’m a little intimidated because obviously I have not had past experience with guys, so I have nothing to compare it to.”

One of the highlights for Hambly has been the opportunity to training with Alex Cruz, a former member of the Santa Clara Vanguard drum corp.

“He was really hard,” Hambly said. “I was all for some flutters and drop spins.”

Despite the difficulty, Hambly is enjoying his time on color guard and looking forward to performances.

“I’m excited and nervous at the same time because I’ve never performed with color guard ever,” Hambly said. “I’ve done routines and stuff with them, and I’ve tried out, but I’ve never been nervous and excited at the same time.”

As for his future on the guard, Hambly hopes to develop his leadership abilities.

“I was planning on being captain my senior year,” Hambly said. “I hope by senior year, I’m not the only guy. [I want] at least one more.”