Winter guard members seek a victory in the World Guard International Championships to finish out the 2012 season. The competition will take place in Cincinnati from April 12 to 14. Junior Nicole Von Ah said she feels that the guard members are prepared.

“We’ve really been working to improve our show, and it’s really paid off,” Von Ah said via email. “Our show is looking the best it’s been.”

The guard members will return to the competition as the defending champions, according to sponsor Rosie Queen.

“The ladies are doing an excellent job and are working really hard to perfect our show. It is very physically challenging,” Queen said. “They are performing as professional athletes and dancers. We also do live spoken poetry reading during the show, so the girls have the challenge of speaking on top of all of the choreography and color guard demands being placed on them. “