She held her rifle with poise, aiming to entertain -- not aiming at a target. As Michelle Troutman tossed her rifle in the air, she anxiously waited to catch it.

Troutman (sophomore-food science) is the captain of the Penn State winterguard organization called Syndicate. Winterguard is an indoor competition involving the use of rifles, flags, sabres and dance.

"We do so many things," Troutman said. "We do both technical and artistic work. We do a lot of dance with the equipment, but with a creative aspect."

Winterguard requires a variety of skills from its members. Timing, accuracy, patterns and form, expressive dynamics and overall entertainment are just some of the goals the guard strives for during every performance.

Wendy Staropoli has been on the guard for two years and compares it to the Blue Band, but with different qualities.

"I relate it to the Blue Band, but get rid of the band and just have the guard," Staropoli said, adding that unlike the Blue Band, the guard performs in a gym with tape-recorded music. "There are more difficult moves and you don't have to worry about the wind or rain."

The indoor activity of winterguard started in the mid-1970s. The University became involved in 1980 or 1981 and called its organization the Nittany Colorguard, said winterguard director David Humiston.

Syndicate receives money from the University, but not enough for what the sport involves, said Staropoli, the guard's treasurer.

"The activity budget committee won't kick up enough money because they consider us a sport, but the sport committee won't give us money either," Staropoli said. "We are stuck in the middle."

Jymm Howard, assistant coach and former Syndicate member, said things seem to be running smoothly but there are a few problems.

"It's hard to do what we want to do," Howard said. "There is stress from the guard because they don't have the money they need."

But Student Organization Budget Committee Chairman Paul Kasper said the winterguard does receive sufficient funding.

"They are one of the few groups to get travel money," Kasper said. "We don't fund a lot of travel because we're not given a lot of money."

Kasper said the winterguard receives $857 and it is only supposed to get $10 per student.

Whether or not the group receives enough funding, winterguard manages to tell a story, provide a message or express a theme with every show. The Syndicate show this year has deep meaning, but is not easily interpreted, Humiston said.

"Our show is inspired by the stories of the conflicts in Bosnia, Serbia and global charity," he said. "How people are expected to respond to the needs of other groups."

Syndicate performs many different combinations, including rifle and sabre tossing, flag tossing and spinning and dance combinations with equipment work. The flags add color to the show and the rifles show strength, both of which help the performers tell their story.

The guard uses two sets of flags. The first set is blue and white with hands stenciled on them, representing the U.N. peacekeeping forces. The second set of flags is copies of art works by Kathe Kollwitz that depict oppressed, dying and starving people during World War II.

Throughout its performances, Syndicate uses glass rifles, which is unusual because most rifles are made of wood. At the end of the performances, three guard members break the rifles -- Humiston said they do this to show that people are not indestructible but delicate.

The guard performs to the song "Fragile" by Sting to also show the fragility of the human self and soul, Humiston said. The song's message is that nothing results from violence and, sadly enough, it still exists, he added.

The group practices about six hours a week and competes almost every Saturday. Although it is tough to juggle extracurricular activities with studying, Staropoli said winterguard has actually helped improve her grades.

"It's really hard, but it's helped me to budget my time," she said. "My grades have consistently gone up. It helps me to start studying early because I know I have practice and shows."

Humiston said he hopes for a bigger guard next season.

"Next year I hope to have more people," he said. "Our show will probably be a little more forceful and energetic with a higher tempo."