No. We are an independent organization and have members from all over the Rochester area.

We typically practice 2 evenings per week starting in Oct/Nov. Competitions begin in January and run almost every Saturday through Championships in early April. Competition days are a full day obligation, starting with practice in the morning and being bussed to the competition after practice.

Auditions are typically in late August / early September for the following season. All participants must audition and once the audition period is over, new membership is closed.

No. Gates Chili Winterguard operates Gates Bingo hall, which raises the majority of the organization's funding. Instead of paying dues, we require members and parents to volunteer a specified amount of hours per month at the Bingo Hall.