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  • Colorguard member on the football field

Carolina Colorguard

The Carolina Colorguard is an integral visual component of the Carolina Band and exemplifies the band's spirit and intensity. The guard includes USC students of all backgrounds and majors who want to perform at the highest level. The Carolina Colorguard is the perfect combination of students from both rising and accomplished levels of guard performance. There is a renewed energy and focus within our guard, focused simultaneously on both tradition and innovation.

The Carolina Colorguard rehearses 5 - 6:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday during the fall semester, with an additional hour sectional one night per week. Members are selected through a competitive audition process in the spring. Members participate in all rehearsals and performances and receive a scholarship for their participation in the Carolina Band.

 

2025 Colorguard Auditions

Auditions consist of two rounds and take place in the spring. Round 1 is a video submission.

Round 2 is a live, in-person audition held on the University of South Carolina campus on April 27, 2025. Please register using the sign-up form below beginning January 1, 2025.

Auditions are performed on flag only. Separate rifle auditions will be held early in the season.

Students should bring their own pole/flag, if possible.

Auditions are held at the Copenhaver Band Hall, 326 Sumter Street. 

 

*Members with a summer residence within 150 miles of Columbia are required to attend the annual summer kickoff rehearsal, held on a Saturday in June. The specific date will be announced no later than the audition date each year.

*Required fields

Which group are you auditioning for? *
Which events do you plan on attending? *
Have you been accepted into the USC Honors College?
Are you a Capstone Scholar?

 



Colorguard Staff

Billy Pacifico photo

Billy Pacifico is an active educator and choreographer currently living in Suwanee, Georgia. He is proud to be co-program coordinatorand choreographer for the Carolina Colorguard. He is well known as the director and choreographer for Collins Hill HS. Under his direction Collins Hill HS was a WGI Scholastic A Class Finalist, a WGI Scholastic Open Class Finalist, and SAPA State Champions in 2010 & 2011. He is currently the Artistic Director for Edge Independent in Atlanta, Georgia. Pacifico Has been with the Divenire Winterguard out of Birmingham, Alabama for three seasons now and continues to work with the program. Other programs Pacifico currently works with include Mill Creek HS (WGI SA and Open class Finalist),  Paramount A (WGI IA World Champion) and Paramount Open (WGI IO Finalist). Pacifico has also choreographed for Stoneman Douglas HS Open (WGI SO Silver Medalist), Stoneman Douglas World (WGI SW Finalist & BOA Atlanta Super Regional Finalist), Gainesville Independent Open (WGI Finalist), Fahrenheit World, Alliance of Miami World, Greater Johnstown (NY) Open, Western HS, Coral Glades HS and many more. 

As a performer Pacifico is an alumnus of The Cavalier Drum and Bugle corps in 2002. For his indoor experience Pacifico was accepted as a member of The Alliance of Miami Winter Guard. His membership at Alliance began during high school at the age of 15 and continued through his age out in 2002.

Katie Pacifico photo

Katie Pacifico is co-program coordinator for the Carolina Colorguard. She is also currently the colorguard director of Lambert High School and Cambridge High School. Other schools and organizations she has taught include Collins Hill HS, Alpharetta HS, Stoneman Douglas HS, Paramount A, Paramount Open, Gainesville Independent, Alliance of Miami, Greater Johnstown (NY), Western HS, Coral Glades HS, Jupiter HS, Monarch HS, and many more. She is an alumnus of J.P Taravella HS, MEDEA, The Boston Crusaders, Premonition, and Alliance of Miami.

In her spare time Pacifico adds to her teaching experience through consultation work with various programs throughout Georgia as well as designing winterguard soundtracks.

Jen Camp smiling

Dr. Jennifer Camp brings over 35 years of world class champion-level experience to the Carolina Color  Guard. Her performance career culminated as guard captain of the Santa Clara Vanguard, and captain/instructor for the UCLA marching band. Camp earned four world class champion titles in DCI, WGI,  and BOA as a performer and has spent numerous years teaching and judging various competitive groups throughout Oklahoma, Texas, California, and South Carolina. She remains engaged in the DCI activity and has toured with the Velvet Knights, Madison Scouts, and most recently the Boston Crusaders. Camp comes to USC after a career in military medicine, and currently practices optometry in the Columbia area.

Ben Hipp photoRecently relocating from Charleston, South Carolina, Mr. Hipp is currently on staff with the University of South Carolina "Carolina Band” and the Edge Independent World Winter Guard.  He was the Color Guard Director at Summerville High School from 2004-2023.  He is a graduate of Lexington High School and the University of South Carolina with a Bachelors in Music and minor in Art.  He began work on his Master’s in Education at Illinois State University in 2004 before joining the Summerville High School staff.

Hipp has served as an adjudicator, clinician, designer, and consultant for numerous finalist programs across the Southeast including the Chapin, DW Daniel, Pickens, Blythewood, Ashley Ridge, White Knoll, Lexington, Irmo, River Bluff and Boiling Springs High School Bands, the 2006 World Champion Etude Winter Guard, the Epiphany Indoor Youth Ensemble, Charles Towne Independent Winter Guard and the Kiwanis Kavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.   As a coach, his teams have garnered over 60 medals including 30 state championship titles, 21 regional and national titles and a world championship.  Hipp has also served as an executive and advisory board member for both the Carolina Indoor Performance Association and the Carolina Winter Ensembles Association in various roles since 1998 including Secretary and Contest Director roles.

Under Hipp's direction, the Summerville Color Guard has recently won various field and indoor awards and have been named the 2016 Cadet and Scholastic Open State Champions, 2010 Winter Guard International World Championships Scholastic A Class Finalist, 2016 Winter Guard International World Championships Scholastic Open Class Finalist and the 2004, 2014 State 5A State Marching Band Champions.  Hipp was formerly the Early College & Dual Enrollment Program Coordinator at Summerville High School coordinating with Trident Technical College on dual enrollment classes.  He now runs his own design business, Hipp Visual Solutions. In addition, Hipp is the National Territory Manager for Reverence Performance Apparel and Regional Representative for Field & Floor, FX.

Questions about the Carolina Colorguard?

Call the Band Office at (803) 777-4278 or send an email to uscbands@mozart.sc.edu.


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