The First Ladies of Drill Team
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- Jausten
- JoyceP_2
- apachebelle
- DancingLyns
- KCKatz
- apachebelle
- KCKatz
- KighKickinSweety
This archived discussion is "read only".
» Jausten - Hi Kathryn, I found this very interesting because when I was
Hi Kathryn,I found this very interesting because when I was in high school, I was on the drill team for 2 years, and carried the "A" for Anaheim during my senior year. We were in competitions and even as a banner carrier, we competed. I still have a couple of trophies that we won. It was during the mid-60's, and just marching during half-time and at parades was the highlight of my high school years. Getting knocked down by a football player when I was standing at attention and he wasn't suppose to be on the field catching a football was my claim to fame in high school. When I was asked by my drill team instructor why I didn't move, I just looked at her and said that she had taught me to never move when at attention. The friendships that I made during high school and in drill team are still with me today, even though we are miles apart. It was a great time to be involved in drill team, and I still enjoy watching parades and half-time shows even now..I still have my old boots and one of my uniforms....Just have to keep the memories..
Jausten
Suite 101 Contributing Editor: Fibromyalgia
-- posted by Jausten
» JoyceP_2 - Joyce Pennington What a thrill it was to read about a hero of
Joyce PenningtonWhat a thrill it was to read about a hero of mine, Gussie Nell Davis. Although I was not a Kilgore Rangerette (I really wanted to be) it would be destiny that I would meet her and get to know her. At 16 years of age, I attended American Dance/Drill Team camp at SMU and saw her diminutive figure for the first time. I was in awe. She had so much energy and enthusiasm for her 'first and only love (drill team).'
Later as a dance/drill team director, I was asked to be an instructor for her company, American Dance/Drill Team. I was one of two non-Rangerettes asked to work at that time.
In 1982, she and Dr. Driebrodt approached me to take an executive position and in 1984 my husband and I bought majority stock in the company and industry we loved so much. What a privilege it is to carry on her name and ensure that each young dancer in the U.S. knows who and where it all began. We are proud to have completed forty years of her company in the industry and thank you for promoting Miss Davis as well.
Great, great web site! Keep up the good work!
-- posted by JoyceP_2
» apachebelle - drill teams
I give credit to Gussie nell David for being the First Lady of Drill Team but credit for shaping drill team to what it is today does not just lie with the Rangerettes. Tyler Junior College Apche Belles and Southwest Texas State University Strutters have also helped in shapeing and molding drill team into what it is know as today. You shold give these teams recognition on your site as well. I was priviliged enough to be a member of Apache Belles under the great director Mrs. Ruth Flynn. She was an insparation to me then and still is today. I am curently under the awesome direction of Mrs. Susan Angell who is also one of the drill team greats. Mrs Angell. took over Strutters after Mrs. Barbra Tidwell retired after being the Strutter director for 36 yrs. I just wanted to add these two great teams to your site and ask for them to be included in the shaping of drill team today.-- posted by apachebelle
» DancingLyns - About Mrs. Gussie Nell...
Hello, my name is Lindsay, and I am a Little Feather. (I would give out where I am from, but this is the Internet, and if anyone wants to know where we are from, just drop me a line...) Anyways, this past season the Little Feathers went to a competition at SE Polk in Iowa. We were awarded the Gussie Nell Award and the Dr. (excuse my misspelling) Deibrodt Award. I did not really know what those two awards meant, but then Mrs. Joyce Pennington explained who Mrs. Gussie Nell was and i felt really honored. I love Dance/Drill Team! It is hard work but it is so very well worth it. My team is so close and we all go through things together. That is the main point of Drill Team, well entertaining the cowd is too, but you know. I just figured I should give some sort of recognition to this website, and to the other messages. Thank you so much Mrs. Gussie Nell and everyone else for reading this message!-- posted by DancingLyns
» KCKatz - Re: About Mrs. Gussie Nell...
Lindsay,Congratulations to your team for winning a Gussie Nell Davis award of excellence! That's wonderful.
I agree, Miss Davis (she was a "Miss"... never married 
) was an amazing woman. I, too, am grateful that her idea has spread around the world.
Keep dancing! Take care of yourself.
-- posted by KCKatz
» apachebelle - Rewrite of First Ladies
I did not realize that you were going to post the e-mail I sent you regarding drill teams first ladies there were many grammatical errors. Will you please go back and post this one instead?Thanks,
apachebelle
I give credit to Gussie Nell Davis for being the First Lady of Drill Team but credit for shaping drill team to what it is today does not lie with the Rangerettes alone.
Tyler Junior College Apache Belles and Southwest Texas State University Strutters have also helped in shaping and molding drill team into what it is know as today. You should give these teams recognition on your site as well.
I was privileged enough to be a member of Apache Belles, who were founded in 1948 by Mildred Stringer, under the great director Mrs. Ruth Flynn. She was an inspiration to me then and still is today.
Southwest Texas Strutters were the FIRST four year college drill team in America and this year will be celebrating their 40th anniversary on Oct. 16, 1999. I am currently under the awesome direction of Mrs. Susan Angell who is also one of the drill team greats. Mrs. Angell took over Strutters after Mrs. Barbara Tidwell retired after being the Strutter director for 37 yrs.
I just wanted to add these two great teams to your site and ask for them to be included in the shaping of drill team today.
-- posted by apachebelle
» KighKickinSweety - Flaming Flashes (FIRST DRILL TEAM)
Hey im Kacie and I would just like to say that the Killgore Rangerettes were NOT the first drill team in the world. Before miss Gussie Nell Davis organized them she organized the Flaming Flashes at Greenville High School. We are often over looked and the Kilgore Rangerettes get all the credit. Last May we celebrated our 75th anniversary. We are still smiling big and kicking high. I think it is important to let everyone know the true history. This website is very accurate on its history of drill teams. http://www.dtda.org/insights/drill20.htmThanks for reading. Love Kacie
-- posted by KighKickinSweety
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