Troopers Announce Color Guard Team
The Troopers are pleased to announce the 2025 Color Guard Instructional Team under the leadership of Caption Head Dr. Chelsea Toner and Assistant Caption Head Casey McCoy.
We look forward to building upon the incredible success of last year's color guard program as we head into 2025.
"We're so excited to have our guard team from 2024 returning to the Troopers for the 2025 season. The staff is sure to bring energy, positivity, and discipline to the entire corps this season. I'm sure the membership will build on last year's excellence, and they are bound to have another incredible season!" -Mary Duerkop, Troopers Corps Director
Dr. Chelsea Toner - Color Guard Caption Head
Chelsea Toner is a born and raised Austinite from Texas and has been involved with color guard since 2008, marching ATX Winterguard in Independent A class until 2015. During this time, Chelsea was also a color guard member of Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps (2011-2014).
Since being an active performer in color guard, Chelsea has instructed many scholastic guards around Texas, such as McNeil High School (2013-2019) and Cedar Ridge High School (2017-2018). She just completed her 7th year with Origins Performing Arts, working recently with the World team as a lead technician. Origins has had three successful years in the World classification, having placed in Finals during every year at WGI Championships, however this upcoming season they will be inactive. Chelsea had the pleasure of joining the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps as one of the Colorguard Co-Caption Heads for the 2024 season with Kevin Monteiro. She is very excited to continue this journey with the Troopers for the upcoming 2025 season!
Chelsea graduated from Texas State University with two bachelor's degrees in Biochemistry and Microbiology. She has since moved to Denver, CO where she completed her Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the University of Colorado at Boulder in Spring 2024. She currently is working as a Lecturer in both the Biochemistry and Chemistry Departments at the University of Colorado at Boulder. During her doctorate, Chelsea helped develop the Biochemistry Outreach program Science Community Outreach Program and Education (S.C.O.P.E.), which increases accessibility of science to underrepresented middle schools in the Boulder, CO area. Within S.C.O.P.E., Chelsea also helped to incorporate a board of directors, which increased experiences for other students within leadership, curriculum development, and funding.
Outside of work, Chelsea is usually hanging out with her partner and her dogs. Her dogs love to go out on hikes, play frisbee golf, or go mountain biking. When Chelsea isn’t spending time outside, she enjoys playing a wide variety of video games and is actively part of multiple Dungeons and Dragon campaigns. Overall, Chelsea strives to learn from all the experiences she has had the opportunity to access and to share the wealth of that knowledge as much as possible.
Casey McCoy - Color Guard Assistant Caption Head
Casey has been involved in the performing arts for 25 years now and is looking forward to another season with the Troopers, helping out in a new role; originally from New Hartford, NY he recently moved to Middletown, NY.
Casey began his performance career in his high school program; while there he also performed with Syracuse Brigadiers Drum & Bugle Corp from Syracuse, NY. Upon graduating he went on to perform with various other All-Age corps, including Empire Statesmen from Rochester, NY and later the Hawthorne Caballeros from Hawthorne, NJ.
While he loves drum corp, his main passion came from the indoor arena where he has performed with various WGI finalist colorguards including Brigadiers Winterguard from Syracuse, NY, Spectrum Winterguard from Binghamton, NY and Alter Ego Colorguard from Trumbull, CT; he was also a member in David Byrne’s Live performance event turned documentary film titled “Contemporary Color” held in Toronto, ON and Brooklyn, NY; the film was eventually featured at the Tribeca Film Festival.
For the last 19 years, Casey has designed, teched and consulted with various high schools, independent programs and drum corps throughout the country; more recently West Milford HS (NJ) Mohonasen HS (NY), Origins (TX), McNeil HS (TX), Troopers Drum & Bugle Corps (WY) and Cadets2 Drum & Bugle Corps (PA).
Outside of the performing arts, Casey can often be found hiking, cooking a mean steak, traveling or spending time in Upstate NY with his family and friends. Professionally, Casey serves as Finance & Operations Manager for a luxury home furnishings wholesale company based in New Jersey.
Kevin Monteiro - Color Guard Consultant
Kevin's journey in the world of performing arts began in the quaint town of Deerfield Beach, FL, where he cultivated his musical talents as a French horn & Clarinet player in the school's band.
In a quest for new experiences, Kevin ventured into the realm of drum corps during his junior year, making his debut with the Boston Crusaders in 2014 as a mellophone player. His senior year marked a milestone as part of the inaugural season of WGI winds, where with NOVA winds, he secured WGI Winds' first Scholastic A gold medal. Post-graduation, Kevin's passion for performance led him to explore the world of color guard. Kevin marched with some of the most esteemed winter guard organizations such as Premonition, Braddock Independent, Cypress Independent, Black Gold World, Spirit Independent World, and Origins World. Simultaneously, Kevin pursued his love for drum corps, completing a season with Carolina Crown in 2017, where they were awarded the prestigious Jim Ott Brass Performance award. His journey culminated with an unforgettable experience aging out with Phantom Regiment color guard in 2018.
When Kevin moved to texas after his age-out he became assistant guard director at Klein Oak HS. Following Covid he then continued directing at Cypress Woods HS where he was able to get the team to become a BOA Regional Finalist, WGI regional finalist, and TCGC State National A silver medalist just within 3 years. Kevin then returned back to Phantom Regiment to be part of the color guard staff during their 2023 season. Kevin worked as Co-caption head alongside with his best friend Chelsea Toner for the 2024 season of Troopers.
Now calling Georgetown, TX home, Kevin resides with his partner and their cherished dogs, Olafur, Leo, and Artie. In addition to his role as the current guard director at Hutto High School (GO HIPPOS!). Kevin served as a lead technician for Origins Open while lending his expertise as a choreographer and consultant to various programs across the state of texas and New Mexico. Beyond his professional pursuits, Kevin finds joy in traveling and embarking on adventures with his partner, fueled by their love for coffee and wanderlust. Kevin is excited to be back with the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps this summer. HLD
Kyle Guinn - Color Guard Tech
Kyle Guinn has been a part of the marching arts activity for the past 8 years. He started with his high school color guard and quickly made his way to DCI and WGI. For drum corps he marched Phantom Regiment from 2019-2022 where he was head captain of the color guard for his last summer. In 2023 he aged out with the Blue Devils, winning world championships and receiving the George Zingali Award for best color guard. For WGI, Kyle marched with Origins IW from 2022-2024, and he will be marching Paramount IW for the 2025 season. Outside of color guard he has gotten a degree in communications with a minor in dance from the University of Houston. He recently started a job with Synced Up Designs as their movement specialist. Kyle is extremely excited to spend his second year on the Troopers staff and can't wait to see what the season has in store!
Sarah Johnson - Color Guard Tech
Sarah started Color Guard in 2008, performed with Identity Independent Winterguard in both Open and World Class after finishing high school. She worked for Dripping Springs High School from 2013 to 2023 as a tech and director. During that time she was also a graphic artist for various groups around the state and country, and as the art director at Winter Guard Tarps before starting her own business. After the 2023 winter season she left directing to start doing graphic design full-time. She has also continued to teach with other programs around Central Texas.
Chloe Uelman - Color Guard Tech
Born and raised in New Braunfels, Texas, Chloe began her color guard journey at New Braunfels High School. Outside of high school, Chloe marched Origins Colorguard and Phantom Regiment. In academics, Chloe graduated from the University of Texas at Austin where she received her B.S. in Psychology with Highest Honors. Most recently, Chloe resided in Austin, Texas where she was the Assistant Color Guard Director at McNeil High School. Now, Chloe serves as the Color Guard Director at Long Creek High School in New Braunfels, TX. She has also worked as a technician at New Braunfels High School and Liberty Hill High School. Chloe has the pleasure of being on staff for Origins A Colorguard and Troopers Drum & Bugle Corps. In her personal life, Chloe loves reading, listening to music, and cracking jokes with friends.
Adara Joiner - Color Guard Tech
Following her graduation from Klein Oak High School, Adara Joiner studied at Sam Houston State University for a B.S. in Health Care Administration and a minor in Dance.
She is the Color Guard Director at Patricia E. Paetow High School in Katy, TX, and concurrently a technician and choreographer at Friendswood HS. Along with that, Adara choreographs for various color guards, indoor percussion groups, and marching bands throughout the Houston area.
Adara has competed in the Scholastic A & Scholastic Opens classes in which she has obtained a gold medal and made Open Class finals in the annual Winter Guard International championships, respectively. Adara has performed with various Independent Winter Ensembles including Undaunted Open and Origins World, making Independent World Class finals. Her World Class Drum Corps experience comes from her time with the Phantom Regiment, in which she served as captain in one of two years of membership.
For the second year in a row, Adara will be teaching concurrently at the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps on the Visual team as a Movement Specialist and with the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps on Guard staff.
Antonio Ayala - Color Guard Tech
Antonio (Tony) Ayala moved to Austin at a young age and has been a proud Texan ever since. He first became involved in color guard in 2017 through his high school’s program. He has performed with ensembles such as The Cavaliers, Origins World, and most recently served as a captain of The Bluecoats for their undefeated 2024 season.
Tony currently serves as a technician and choreographer for several color guard programs around Texas, such as Liberty Hill High School (2022-2024), Cedar Ridge High School (2021-2024), and Hendrickson High School (2024-Present). Outside of color guard, Tony is currently pursuing his degree in Chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin. In his free time, he enjoys religiously watching “Survivor” on Paramount Plus and spending time with his partner, Salem, and their cat, David.
Tony is excited to begin his journey with the Troopers and is excited to help create America’s Corps’ next unforgettable program.
Kayla Umana - Color Guard Tech
Kayla Umana was born in Houston and Raised in Richmond Texas. Her performance career began in 2016 by being a member of the Foster High School Colorguard in Richmond, TX through 2020. After high school, Kayla started her Drum Corps journey in 2022-2023 with the Phantom Regiment. In the fall of 2022, she started marching with Origins Independent World for winterguard and recently completed the 2024 season with them.
She started her teaching journey at Lamar Consolidated High School in Rosenberg, TX as a Colorguard director in 2021-2023. In the fall of 2023, she took a position to be lead technician, choreographer, and private lesson teacher for the Jordan High School Colorguard in Katy, TX. Under her leadership, the groups have earned local circuit trophies, state medals, and several WGI regional finalist titles. She has instructed and choreographed for other scholastic guards in the Houston Area while being an active performer these past few years. Kayla joined the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps as a Colorguard technician this past 2024 season and is beyond excited to return for the upcoming 2025 season!
Outside the Colorguard world, Kayla enjoys spending time with her family, church, friends, and pets. She has a love for traveling, nature, music, art, and makeup. She has been developing a love for reading and spends most mornings reading her favorite book. Kayla is a full time college student getting her Bachelors of Arts in Dance degree through the University of Houston!
Sarah Heath - Color Guard Tech
Sarah is originally from Binghamton, NY and has been involved with numerous successful programs as a member and instructor. In Sarah's earlier years, she performed with Spectrum Winterguard and would eventually march five consecutive seasons with the renowned Blessed Sacrament. On the field, she was a performer with the Syracuse Brigadiers and The Cadets drum and bugle corps! After relocating to Texas in 2015, she appeared in WGI finals for a couple more seasons with Cypress Independent. Sarah has choreographed and taught numerous programs throughout central Texas, including Origins Open and McNeil HS in Austin. Sarah taught the Troopers in the summer of 2024, and is excited to be back for 2025! Outside of colorguard, Sarah enjoys exploring trails around Austin, family trips to Cape Cod, and playing Zelda games.
Hannah Clark - Color Guard Tech
Hannah Clark is an Illinois-native-turned-Colorado resident involved with color guard since 2013.
After dancing in her youth and finding color guard in high school, Hannah began her drum corps career in 2015. She spent three seasons with the Colt Cadets, where she was in leadership and was awarded the Color Guard Member of the Year in 2017. In 2018, she marched with the Troopers in their 60th anniversary season. Then in 2019, Hannah spent her first summer with the Phantom Regiment before aging out after three years as a Phantomette in 2021.
Hannah is the former director of the Johnston HS Varsity Marching Band Color Guard program, where she spent four years building the program into one of Iowa’s top outdoor color guard ensembles. She also founded JHS’s Varsity Winter Guard.
While attending Iowa State University to study Apparel Merchandising & Design, Hannah spent three years with the Cyclone Football Varsity Marching Band Color Guard on their weaponline and leadership team. During her time in Ames, she continued her flute performance with both the ISU concert and symphonic band. Hannah also spent five years with Crossroads Indoor, Iowa’s only independent indoor program. There she performed with both the percussion and color guard ensembles as a featured visual soloist and then color guard captain.
Hannah is thrilled to return to the Troopers for her second season on the color guard staff and is excited to work alongside an incredible instructional team.
Be a part of the ever-growing phenomenon. Become a Trooper today at www.TroopersDrumCorps.org.
