The crowd cheers as they shake their poms and smile hard, strutting onto the field, ready to entertain. 

The drill team’s mission is to boost school spirit and performance. Much like the band and cheerleaders, the drill team attends every game, rain or shine, and puts in a lot of hard work that often goes unnoticed. 

Juniors Ellen Hawkins and Madison Henderson have been drill team co-captains for the past two years. 

“[Drill team is] a way for me to express myself and get my creative side out in a safe space,” Hawkins said.

“It’s definitely made me more open to different people and how they act and everything,” junior Addy Wohl said. “I’m definitely more confident performing in front of other people.”

The team practices twice a week.  Tuesdays focus on working with the marching band, while Thursdays are reserved for choreography practice. Outside of these sessions, team members are expected to continue practicing choreography and refine their marching skills.

The drill team and band carefully choreograph steps dictated by the field lines; drill team members learn these steps to ensure their formation and timing look uniform. 

“The marching is just hard for new members to get it down super quickly, because it’s very specific,” Hawkins said. “And it’s also really hard to remember all of the drills for every single song.” 

 Another challenge the drill team members face is they have only seven members this year.

The small size of the team makes it difficult to raise money. The team must pay out of pocket for travel for performances, like an upcoming one to Nashville, which costs around $400 per person.

Coach Dana Kuenzel hopes to see the team grow so they can obtain new gear and opportunities. Increasing membership to at least 10 members next year would allow the team to qualify for flag routines and pay less out of pocket. A new senior member joined this year, which has brought some momentum.  

The drill team upholds several traditions that make game days special. Before performances, Addy Wohl recounts some of the fun traditions. 

“We like to dance with each other,” Addy Wohl said. “Some games people bring in and snacks or cookies. The coach brings in gifts, and we’ll do each other’s hair and face painting for themed games.”

According to Coach Kuenzel, the drill team hopes to expand its performance opportunities to include winter events like pep rallies and basketball game performances. 

“We are always looking for people to come and join the team,” Kuenzel said.  “It’s a really great opportunity for students to make great friends and perform under the Friday night Lights.”