Phantom Regiment is pleased to announce the promotion of Annie Pelka to color guard caption head.
Pelka, who marched in the Phantom Regiment guard for 4 years in the 2000s, grew up in the Chicago area and has a bachelor s degree in dance.
“Annie has been a valuable member of the guard staff for several years now and is absolutely the right person to be taking the helm,” said Dan Farrell, Phantom Regiment ‘s corps director and program coordinator. “She’s done great things wherever she’s been and leading this great team of designers and instructors is something she’s meant to do. “
She takes over for KC Perkins and Tricia Gooley-Rarick, who served as co-caption heads the past several years and will be stepping down from those roles for 2014.
” KC and Tricia have done wonders for our guard program and the corps as a whole” Farrell said.
Pelka, who lives in the Atlanta area, is the guard director at Kell High School in Marietta, Ga.
” I have had the privilege of teaching alongside some of the most inspiring people, and to be able to create an environment where more of that can happen would be the best possible thing I can do, ” said Pelka when asked what she ll bring to the team in 2014. “Phantom Regiment is nothing if not a family of artists and educators supporting, respecting and inspiring each other with huge hearts. “
Most of the guard staff will be returning for 2014, including designers Robbie Billings, Michael James and Philip Traini, and instructors Tricia Gooley-Rarick, Lindsay Kusmierczak, Amy Metzler, Tara Palmer, Jana Pate, Michael Richman and Carrie Short.