Drill team
Encyclopedia
A drill team can be one of four different entities:
military service branches have an official drill team part of their respective service Honor Guard
. The service academies
have drill teams, as well as many college and university ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) and high school JROTC (Junior ROTC) units. Additionally, many community-based organizations such as the Army Cadet Corps, Naval Sea Cadets, Young Marines
and Civil Air Patrol
maintain military drill teams. Formerly, some of these units were called Crack Squads.
, Royal Canadian Army Cadets
and Royal Canadian Air Cadets
. All three branches of the organization have drill competitions throughout the year. Some of these competitions are hosted by the Regional Cadet Support Units
Canadian Drill Competitions consist of the following:
) batallion, and is a part of the Norwegian army.
The band is hand picked through interviewes and playing tests prior to the draft date. The band consists of signal horns, a drumline, a pit and the main band. Most of the members year goes to practising and basic military training as the year is a part of their military service. The band is probably the only troop that almost never have "green" duty (as in field duty). Also, the band never stand guard at the castle nor the other guarding posts around Oslo (the capital), neither does the drill platoon.
The drill platoon consists of 30-40, first-year servicing soldiers. These are all hand picked through a rigerous selection progress that usually lasts from start of october till christmas. The soldiers go through much more military training than the band does and have to prove themselves worthy a spot on the drill team, as these soldiers will be representing the state internationally. Everything from the bed, room, facilities, closets, uniforms and physique needs to be at excellent standards 24/7. These men strive for perfection in all that they do and are often seen running around the various woods nearby the base aswell as working out at the gym. Their uniforms are spotless and wrinkleless, in addition their boots are so well polished that you can literally reflect yourself in them. As opposed to what one might think, these soldiers draft year have been compared to as even harder than what the first-year service in the special forces is. Though most likely not as hard physically, the mentality and the pressure in being the best of the best puts these soldiers under a tremendous amount of pressure every hour of every day, every day of the year. Their rigerous training results in being one of the best drill teams in the world.
The band and drill platoon (3rd company) is the only drill team that have been invited to the legendary Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo seven times.
Honor Guard
units have drill teams; however they do not compete against each other in a drill meet such as this. The only exception to this is Pro America http://www.IAXD.org where individuals compete, but not the full drill teams. What is common across the US is high school JROTC and college ROTC teams competing against each other.
Many drill meets differ regarding what events are offered and what divisions of competition are presented. Drill meets generally include both an armed and unarmed divisions. Events offered generally include several different phases: Inspection, Color Guard Regulation Drill and, in addition, (drill based on a service's manual) and Exhibition Drill
in which they march intricate maneuvers along with manipulating equipment including rifle
s, sometimes with fixed bayonet
s.
, saber, or rifle
) or unarmed team. NOTE: Many drill meets allow the use of a sword in the unarmed division, but never a rifle of any kind. All drill teams can march a guidon (United States).
, at Greenville High School
in Greenville, Texas
. They were called the "Flaming Flashes" and they performed at every halftime show
. After creating the Flashes, Davis was called to Kilgore College
to form a college drill team. She created the world famous "Kilgore Rangerettes
" to perform at halftime at the college. The Flaming Flashes and the Rangerettes now consist of a line of performers with the officers in front of the girls leading them at every game. The second college drill team to be created in Texas was the Tyler Junior College Apache Belles in 1947. Ever since then there has been a fierce rivalry between the Apache Belles and the Rangerettes. Most high schools in Texas are either an Apache Belle Style team or a Rangerette style team. The only four year university in Texas to offer a drill team is Texas State University with the Texas State Strutters.
In Washington state, the phrase "drill team" usually refers to high school performance/spirit teams that compete in the "Drill" and/or "Military" category at local, regional and statewide "Dance/Drill" competitions. Drill routines (sometimes referred to as "drills") typically entail (indeed some argue should entail):
Judging is currently known as Ordinal judging and ratings categorized by Superior, Exceptional, Excellent,and Good.
The WIAA Dance/Drill competition is the annual Championship event for qualified dance and drill teams held annually in the last weekend of March.
A Washington drill team member, or "driller", is not a dancer, but a dancer can be a driller. Since the foci of Drill are presentation and spatial precision, drillers do not necessarily need attributes typically ascribed to dancers, such as a high level of flexibility (although this is a large portion of what many teams exhibit in their rouitines and part of their score) or an aptitude for expressing emotions with the body. This generally allows for larger team sizes, with most teams having about 20 or more members.
- A Military Drill Team is marching unit that performs routines based on military drill. Military drill teams perform either armed or unarmed.
- A Dance Team that creates routines based on dance movement rather than military drill. These teams usually do not carry anything and may perform to recorded music.
- A team that execute routines carrying either one or multiple flags or pom-poms. This team's movements are also based in dance and may also have a heavy influence of gymnastics as well. These teams also may perform to music, either live or recorded.
- A team that is mounted (horse, motorcycle, etc.) or advances some type of mobile object (library carts, lawn chairs or even garbage bins). May also include teams of dogs and handlers.
Military Drill Team
A Military Drill Team is a marching unit that performs routines based on military drill. These teams often perfect their proficiency and then choose to compete against other programs. These competitions are generally called "Drill Meets", and are held all across the world. The top American bladed (bayonet-only) independent drill meet is Pro America http://iaxd.org/index.htm and the top American independent armed drill meet is the Isis World Drill Championships http://www.i-w-d-c.com for post high school professional exhibition drillers in the nation. There is also the National High School Drill Team Championships http://drill.thenationals.net held in Daytona Beach, Florida for high school students where schools from across the US descend on Daytona Beach and the Ocean Center for a wonderful weekend of competition and camaraderie. Also see high school "military" drill teams in high school. Washington, Idaho, California.United States
All of the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
military service branches have an official drill team part of their respective service Honor Guard
Honor guard
An honor guard, or ceremonial guard, is a ceremonial unit, usually military in nature and composed of volunteers who are carefully screened for their physical ability and dexterity...
. The service academies
Military academy
A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps of the army, the navy, air force or coast guard, which normally provides education in a service environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned.Three...
have drill teams, as well as many college and university ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) and high school JROTC (Junior ROTC) units. Additionally, many community-based organizations such as the Army Cadet Corps, Naval Sea Cadets, Young Marines
Young Marines
The Young Marines is a youth program in the United States, open to children from the ages of 8 years old through the completion of high school.- Role and purpose :* To promote the mental, moral, and physical development of its members...
and Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol is a Congressionally chartered, federally supported, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force . CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded membership that includes people from all backgrounds, lifestyles, and...
maintain military drill teams. Formerly, some of these units were called Crack Squads.
Canada
The Canadians have the Canadian Cadet Organization. The organization consists of the Royal Canadian Sea CadetsRoyal Canadian Sea Cadets
Royal Canadian Sea Cadets is a Canadian national youth program sponsored by the Canadian Forces and the civilian Navy League of Canada. Administered by the Canadian Forces, the program is funded through the Department of National Defence with the civilian partner providing support in the local...
, Royal Canadian Army Cadets
Royal Canadian Army Cadets
The Royal Canadian Army Cadets is a Canadian national youth program sponsored by the Canadian Forces and the civilian Army Cadet League of Canada. Administered by the Canadian Forces, the program is funded through the Department of National Defence with the civilian partner providing support in...
and Royal Canadian Air Cadets
Royal Canadian Air Cadets
Royal Canadian Air Cadets is a Canadian national youth program for persons aged 12 to 18. It is administered by the Canadian Forces and funded through the Department of National Defence with additional support from the civilian Air Cadet League of Canada...
. All three branches of the organization have drill competitions throughout the year. Some of these competitions are hosted by the Regional Cadet Support Units
Canadian Drill Competitions consist of the following:
- Fall in
- Drill Team dress and deportment
- Drill Team Commander’s dress and deportment
- Compulsory drill procedures at the halt
- Compulsory drill procedures on the march
- Drill performance in a precision routine (optional)
Norway
The Norwegian military consist of only one single drill team, consisting of a band and a drill platoon. The team is one of five infantry companies that are assigned the mission to protect His Majesty the King of Norway aswell as the castle, his family and are also used to represent the norwegian armed forces at state-related matters such as state-visits, cemeronies, national festivities and were also prominent in the winter world cup 2010 as guards. These five companies make up His Majesty The King's Guard (Hans Majestet Kongens GardeHans Majestet Kongens Garde
Hans Majestet Kongens Garde is a battalion of the Norwegian Army. The battalion has two main roles; it serves as the Norwegian King's bodyguards, guarding the royal residences and Akershus Fortress in Oslo, and is also the main infantry unit responsible for the defence of...
) batallion, and is a part of the Norwegian army.
The band is hand picked through interviewes and playing tests prior to the draft date. The band consists of signal horns, a drumline, a pit and the main band. Most of the members year goes to practising and basic military training as the year is a part of their military service. The band is probably the only troop that almost never have "green" duty (as in field duty). Also, the band never stand guard at the castle nor the other guarding posts around Oslo (the capital), neither does the drill platoon.
The drill platoon consists of 30-40, first-year servicing soldiers. These are all hand picked through a rigerous selection progress that usually lasts from start of october till christmas. The soldiers go through much more military training than the band does and have to prove themselves worthy a spot on the drill team, as these soldiers will be representing the state internationally. Everything from the bed, room, facilities, closets, uniforms and physique needs to be at excellent standards 24/7. These men strive for perfection in all that they do and are often seen running around the various woods nearby the base aswell as working out at the gym. Their uniforms are spotless and wrinkleless, in addition their boots are so well polished that you can literally reflect yourself in them. As opposed to what one might think, these soldiers draft year have been compared to as even harder than what the first-year service in the special forces is. Though most likely not as hard physically, the mentality and the pressure in being the best of the best puts these soldiers under a tremendous amount of pressure every hour of every day, every day of the year. Their rigerous training results in being one of the best drill teams in the world.
The band and drill platoon (3rd company) is the only drill team that have been invited to the legendary Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo seven times.
The Drill Meet
A Drill Meet is a competition for Military-style Drill Teams. The US military’sMilitary of the United States
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
Honor Guard
Honor guard
An honor guard, or ceremonial guard, is a ceremonial unit, usually military in nature and composed of volunteers who are carefully screened for their physical ability and dexterity...
units have drill teams; however they do not compete against each other in a drill meet such as this. The only exception to this is Pro America http://www.IAXD.org where individuals compete, but not the full drill teams. What is common across the US is high school JROTC and college ROTC teams competing against each other.
Phases
Each meet has different phases:Many drill meets differ regarding what events are offered and what divisions of competition are presented. Drill meets generally include both an armed and unarmed divisions. Events offered generally include several different phases: Inspection, Color Guard Regulation Drill and, in addition, (drill based on a service's manual) and Exhibition Drill
Exhibition drill
Exhibition drill is a modified routine that involves complex marching sequences that usually deviate from standard drill.Teams performing exhibition drill are often affiliated with military units, but the scope of exhibition drill is not limited to the Military Drill Teams...
in which they march intricate maneuvers along with manipulating equipment including rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
s, sometimes with fixed bayonet
Bayonet
A bayonet is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit in, on, over or underneath the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar weapon, effectively turning the gun into a spear...
s.
- Inspection (I) : Each team goes through a standard military inspection for an up-close critique of their bearing, knowledge and overall appearance.
- Regulation Drill (RD) : A fixed list of verbal commands, armed or unarmed from a service’s drill and ceremonies manual (see also Military parade), given by a single cadet commander. This cadet commander must memorize these commands at most every meet and the team must perform these movements as per regulations.
- Exhibition DrillExhibition drillExhibition drill is a modified routine that involves complex marching sequences that usually deviate from standard drill.Teams performing exhibition drill are often affiliated with military units, but the scope of exhibition drill is not limited to the Military Drill Teams...
(XD) : XD is based in RD, but is then infused with a Driller’s imagination. XD has different categories: - Solo (A single Driller)
- Tandem (2 Drillers)
- Small Team (4-8 Drillers) (Note: this category replaces Tetrad and Squad)
- Platoon/Flight (9-26 Drillers)
- Color guardColor guardIn the military of the United States and other militaries, the color guard carries the National Color and other flags appropriate to its position in the chain of command. Typically these include a unit flag and a departmental flag...
Regulation Drill (CGR): The military color guard is not to be confused with a marching band’s color guard (see Color guard (flag spinning) for more information), although music-related color guards have their roots in the military version. This is similar to the drill team RD phase in that there is a fixed list of commands from a service’s drill and ceremonies manual that the cadet commander must memorize and execute with his/her color guard unit. Units are often required to "case" (commands required to cover the colors for transport/storage), and/or "uncase" (commands required to uncover the colors for competition/display) as a part of the competition.
Weapons
Each of the above phases can be marched by an armed (with a military swordSword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
, saber, or rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
) or unarmed team. NOTE: Many drill meets allow the use of a sword in the unarmed division, but never a rifle of any kind. All drill teams can march a guidon (United States).
- Standard drill team rifles in the United States are the M-1 Garand, M-14 or the M1903 Springfield rifle. Armed teams usually use a demilitarized version of the rifle or a facsimile, which may be light-weight for spinning (such as for marching show band use).
- Unarmed teams concentrate on varied body and arm movements with intricate steps. Armed teams then add manipulation of the equipment, known as "manual of armsManual of armsA manual of arms was an instruction book for handling and using weapons in formation, whether in the field or on parade. Such manuals were especially important in the matchlock and flintlock eras, when loading and firing was a complex and lengthy process typically carried out in close order...
" in regulation drill events.)
Judging
- The current system used almost all military drill competitions includes multiple military judges each looking at the unit as a whole while they are competing at differing angles. These judges then grade every aspect of the performance on their own score sheets. This grading is based strictly on the military drill manuals in use for the meet (i.e., Army FM 3-21.5, Marine Corps Order P-5050.20, Air Force Manual 36-2203, etc.) Using this evaluating technique closely parallels what most of these individuals have done throughout their military careers at various levels throughout their training (most of these evaluators come from military training facilities and/or base honor guards). Judges score teams within ranges from POOR, to AVERAGE, to EXCEPTIONAL. Most meets using this system have a "Judge's Notes" section where judges are either encouraged or required (depending on the meet) to write some candid notes for the team to utilize to interpret the numerical scores delivered on the score sheets.
- A single person in the drill community has pushed forward a different scoring system which is paralleled largely from the scoring system used during band and other related competitions. This system is used in less than 1% of all of the military drill competitions currently held around the world. This system requires each judge to ONLY judge a single aspect of the routine (see the World Drill Association Adjudication Manual). The judges are divided into different captions for judging. The system is based on a written standard that is related to the military drill manuals that remain the guidelines for all military drill. This system believes that their scores are more meaningful because they have a detailed itemization of exactly what is scored by each judge and how it is scored. This system tends to downplay the military background aspect of the competition judges, believing that sheer training can prepare anyone with the ability to judge a military drill competition. While many believe in theory that this may be a superior system if budgets for training, real-world time pressures and expenses were also unlimited (i.e., to allow multi-angle camera reply systems and unlimited time for scoring), the actual application of this scoring technique is impractical on a drill event hosting more than a small number of teams along with the fact that the system currently focuses mainly on the more subjective exhibition phases of military drill competitions.
Dance Teams
School drill teams were started in 1928 by Gussie Nell Davis. She created the first drill team, then called a pep squadPep squad
Pep squads are found in high schools, middle schools and sometimes, elementary schools in the United States. The pep squad's main duty is to promote school spirit. Pep squad members make posters, cheer for school sports teams, and help with pep rallies. During games, pep squads lead cheers and chants...
, at Greenville High School
Greenville Independent School District
Greenville Independent School District is a public school district based in Greenville, Texas .In 2009, the school district was rated "academically acceptable" by the Texas Education Agency.-High School :* Greenville High School...
in Greenville, Texas
Greenville, Texas
Greenville is the county seat, and the largest city, of Hunt County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,557....
. They were called the "Flaming Flashes" and they performed at every halftime show
Halftime show
A halftime show is a performance given during halftime, the period between the first and second halves, or the second and third quarters, of a sporting event. Halftime shows are not given for sports with an irregular or indeterminate number of divisions , or for sports that do not have an extended...
. After creating the Flashes, Davis was called to Kilgore College
Kilgore College
Kilgore College is a community college located in Kilgore, Texas. It has an annual enrollment of more than 5000 students.The school was established in 1935 at the height of the East Texas oil boom...
to form a college drill team. She created the world famous "Kilgore Rangerettes
Kilgore College Rangerettes
The Kilgore College Rangerettes are a precision drill team from Kilgore College in Kilgore, Texas. The team was created by Gussie Nell Davis in 1939-1940 and made their debut on September 12, 1940....
" to perform at halftime at the college. The Flaming Flashes and the Rangerettes now consist of a line of performers with the officers in front of the girls leading them at every game. The second college drill team to be created in Texas was the Tyler Junior College Apache Belles in 1947. Ever since then there has been a fierce rivalry between the Apache Belles and the Rangerettes. Most high schools in Texas are either an Apache Belle Style team or a Rangerette style team. The only four year university in Texas to offer a drill team is Texas State University with the Texas State Strutters.
In Washington state, the phrase "drill team" usually refers to high school performance/spirit teams that compete in the "Drill" and/or "Military" category at local, regional and statewide "Dance/Drill" competitions. Drill routines (sometimes referred to as "drills") typically entail (indeed some argue should entail):
- highly regimented procedures for entering and exiting the stage;
- precise symmetry and/or spacing in the teams' formations (a.k.a. line straightness);
- precise transitions between formations that do not compromise line straightness;
- perfect or near-perfect synchronization and sharpness in the teams' marching and other bodily movements; and
- interesting music selection.
- (Many drill teams incorporate kicklines into their routines; many other successful Drill routines have been accomplished without them.)
Judging is currently known as Ordinal judging and ratings categorized by Superior, Exceptional, Excellent,and Good.
The WIAA Dance/Drill competition is the annual Championship event for qualified dance and drill teams held annually in the last weekend of March.
A Washington drill team member, or "driller", is not a dancer, but a dancer can be a driller. Since the foci of Drill are presentation and spatial precision, drillers do not necessarily need attributes typically ascribed to dancers, such as a high level of flexibility (although this is a large portion of what many teams exhibit in their rouitines and part of their score) or an aptitude for expressing emotions with the body. This generally allows for larger team sizes, with most teams having about 20 or more members.
See also
- Ceremonial GuardCeremonial GuardThe Ceremonial Guard is an ad hoc military unit in the Canadian Forces with elements drawn principally from two Primary Reserve regiments of Foot Guards: The Governor General's Foot Guards from Ottawa and the Canadian Grenadier Guards from Montreal...
- Dance squad
- Equestrian drill teamEquestrian drill teamAn equestrian drill team is a group of horses and riders performing choreographed maneuvers to music. Teams typically perform at rodeos, horse fairs, parades, benefits, and drill team competitions. Drill teams are intended to entertain, show sportsmanship, horsemanship, team work and dedication...
- Pep flagsPep flagsPep Flags, also known as flaggies, short flags, small flags, or twirl flags is the performing art of twirling one or two flag as part of a choreographed routine. In recent years, some schools have implemented a third and even fourth flag in routines. This performing art is mainly prominent in...
- Marching girlsMarching girlsIn New Zealand and Australia, a competitive sport involving teams of marching girls grew up and became established from the 1930s.Marching combines military precision with formations and elaborate costumes....
- Parade (military)Parade (military)A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manouevering known as drilling or marching. The American usage is "formation or military review". The military parade is now mostly ceremonial, though soldiers from time immemorial up until the late 19th...
- Foot drillFoot DrillA Foot drill is an essential part of the training regimen of organized military and paramilitary elements worldwide. "Foot drill" or "Drill" stems from time since antiquity when soldiers would march into battle, be expected to gather in a formation, and react to words of command from their...
- Military parade
- Cadet KellyCadet KellyCadet Kelly is a 2002 Disney Channel Original Movie starring Hilary Duff. The film premiered with 7.8 million viewers. It was Duff's second film where she played the main character, her first being the film Casper Meets Wendy...
- Exhibition DrillExhibition drillExhibition drill is a modified routine that involves complex marching sequences that usually deviate from standard drill.Teams performing exhibition drill are often affiliated with military units, but the scope of exhibition drill is not limited to the Military Drill Teams...
- Pershing RiflesPershing RiflesThe Pershing Rifles is a military fraternal organization for college-level students, founded by then 2nd Lieutenant John J. Pershing in 1894 as a drill unit at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln...
- Blue Ridge RiflesBlue Ridge RiflesIn June 1861, the city of Dahlonega, Georgia sent their second group of volunteers, the Blue Ridge Rifles to the Civil War front under the command of Capt. Joseph E. Hamilton. The unit was organized as Company E, Phillip’s Legion Infantry. In 1864, the time for which the Rifles' enlistment expired,...
- ROTC
External links
- Official U.S. Marines Silent Drill Platoon website
- Official U.S. Army Old Guard website
- Official U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard Drill Team website
- Triphibian Guard at Seton Hall University (1959-1979)
- Official U.S. Air Force Honor Guard Drill Team website
- Regianal Cadet Support Unit (Central)
- Indian Air Force Drill team performing
- International Association of Exhibition Drillers
- Isis World Drill Championships
- Chicks in Chaps Rodeo Drill Team