Alumni Spotlight: Spirit Alumnus Whose Summer Rook-Out Journey Was Often Captured On Camera. Christopher Opalka - Colorguard 2023

If you kept an eye on our social media pages this past summer, you'll quickly spot our upcoming featured alum. Chris Opalka's captivating performances, which drew audiences in, made him a well-photographed figure in 2023. But when Chris auditioned, he didn't fully grasp the profound significance of the home he was stepping into for his Age-Out season with Spirit of Atlanta.

Chris currently serves as the head Colorguard instructor at York High School in Yorktown, Virginia, where he devotes the majority of his time to Choreography and instruction. Chris was a first-generation drum corps participant, and he couldn't be more proud to have spent both his rookie and age-out seasons with Spirit in the same year. 

Throughout the 2023 season, Spirit members were told that they were standing on the shoulders of those who came before them. When the season came to a close, Chris and his fellow members crossed the age-out threshold, officially joining the ranks of alumni. It was at this moment that they were told, 'Now, you are the giants.'

Alumni Chris Opalka with Alumni Sy Stock moments after she asked him to field her delta.

Becoming an influential alumni didn’t feel tangible to Chris until he thought about how alumni Sy Stock (2017, 2018) and himself formed a close bond while she was volunteering on the food truck. Her encouraging words provided him with more strength and motivation than she might have realized. The most profound connection occurred when Sy entrusted him with her delta, making him feel like he was now a part of something greater than himself. He takes immense pride in the fact that he will be that alumni for members to come to, console in, and that he, himself, has the power to lift them up when they need it most, like Sy did for him.

The 2023 season was one for the books, the underdog in so many ways but when Spirit of Atlanta 2023 unveiled their show to alumni and friends in Jacksonville, Alabama everyone knew they were a part of something special. One of Chris’s fondest memories was feeling connected with his fellow members during the synth outage of their semi finals run. During those 53 counts nothing else mattered and nobody said a word. They felt each other's energy and knew exactly what they had to do to make it through. He said no feeling would ever come close to that moment. An unbreakable bond formed in that singular moment.

If Chris could get the current members and future members to lean into one thing it would be: Soak it all in. You won’t realize how much you’ll miss it till you can’t go back. He’s excited that he knows the best that is yet to come with Spirit and hopes they continue to foster a home of excellence and perseverance despite the rankings.