What is it that makes a routine grab the audience by the eyeballs and yell at them, “Don’t miss this or you’ll regret it!” Audience engagement, my friends, audience engagement. What is it and how do you get some?
Service Drill Teams Attend Annual Training Camps
Each year around the end of February and the beginning of March, each of the service drill teams (Army, Marines, Navy and Air Force- not sure about the Coast Guard*), leave their duty station and head out to train for about 30 days to work on the upcoming season’s routine. Before the teams leave for training there is a challenge time or, …
My Cadet Hero
The best reason for JROTC, in my view, is that high school cadets can wear a military uniform and participate in different activities no matter their physical issues. I have worked with JROTC units for many years and have had the opportunity to work with many, many cadets. Of those cadets I have seen some with physical issues that would …
“Team Canadia” and Eau Gallie High AFJROTC Compete!
The Canadian team from Alberta, 2313 South Alberta Light Horse Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps, or “Team Canadia” (at right) as they were affectionately referred to, competed at the second annual Florida Air Academy Drill Competition along with Eua Gallie High School’s Air Force JROTC drill team and color guards. Just two teams competing? Yes. We had six teams on …
Astronaut War Eagle Drill Meet Performance Critiques
Astronaut High School’s Army JROTC hosted the 2015 War Eagle Drill Meet at their school in Titusville, FL on the 21st of February. I judged Unarmed Squad, used a new score sheet as a trial and recorded my usual commentary as the performances progressed. These recordings are standard in pageantry arts with music and visual judges giving feedback. My recordings …
The DrillMaster JROTC Competition Study Sheet
This is a beginning for you, it is not the be-all and end-all of study sheets. Use it or take it and modify it and use that. Whatever you do, you need to be prepared for your inspection and have answers at the ready. Actually, your response and not just the answer itself, is more of your grade. Download the …
Exhibition Drill Performance Levels
When a Driller or team performs, there are four aspects of a performance that should to be measured.
January: Drill Season is Here!
While some JROTC units have a busy first semester that includes drill meets, for many across America January is when the competitions begin. Some states, like Florida, do not have any drill meets until the end of January, leaving the first semester to Raider meets. Maybe, like the school where I teach, Merritt Island High School, you have been having …
Angel Solis Spinning with The DrillMaster Bayonet
When I first had the idea for the bayonet in early 2012, I created five prototypes with Angel receiving one.I went through a couple of different titles: The Drillmaster Training Bayonet and The DrillMaster Driller’s bayonet. It’s safer since it does not have a tip or sharp edge and I was thinking that Drillers would want to use it when …
What do judges look for in a military drill team performance?
What do judges look for in a military drill team performance? I get this question quite often. Here is the answer: it doesn’t matter “what the judge is looking for,” it matters what the standard is. I put that in quotes, because obviously, a judge is going to be looking for something, but what that something is has nothing to …