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 …
Exhibition Drill Application Levels
Performance Measurements When a Driller or team performs, there are four aspects of a performance that should to be measured. The level of education, training and skill is evidenced in a performance. You need to ensure that your solo or your team’s performance has all of the following aspects locked in at your team’s level of performance. Performance Aspects Drill: the …
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 …
How Drops Affect Scoring
Many Drillers who I have had the pleasure to meet over the last few years have talked with me about drops (when the equipment leaves the Driller’s hands completely- not on purpose) or hits (when the equipment leaves the Driller’s hand but is immediately recovered- also not on purpose) and how they affect scoring. Usually the thinking is a hit …
Ask DrillMaster- About WDA Adjudication System
Question: From Zachary: Random question about your score system- I know one section of it is labeled “equipment,” does that involve just the weapon or the uniform as well? Answer: “Equipment” is the catch-all term for flag, rifle, sword/saber and guidon. There is at least one unarmed team that used their hats during their performance as a piece of equipment. …
Why The WDA Adjducation System?
Why should a drill meet use the WDA Adjudication System? It’s the only complete adjudication system that is specifically geared toward military drill. It is based around a written standard from two books: The World Drill Association Adjudication System and Rule Book and Continuing Education For The WDA Adjudicator. It took just over two years to develop from a sister …
WDA Adjudication System
‘We won with 13 million points! Second place had a score of 12,000.” I pose this question to you all: In all of the military drill competitions across the USA, and probably into other countries as well, what do the scores mean? What do the point gaps mean? I have an answer: The scores and point spreads mean nothing. Then …
Drill Pad Sizes
Call it what you want, “drill pad,” “drill area,” “drill floor,” or “drill deck,” we need to get some standardization in the American (and beyond) military drill world. For a drill competition (drill meet) there are different phases to the competition and each phase has a measured off area in which to compete. Exhibition and Regulation These drill phases both …
How to Become a Certified Visual Judge
The World Drill Association and DrillMaster now offer a training and certification program for judges for the military drill world. All aspects of military drill come under the visual category and should be judged as such. That is where the program comes in. There are four visual captions: 1. Overall Effect 2. Composition Analysis 3. Movement 4. Equipment Also a …
Tulane 2012 Solo Commentaries
The Mardis Gras Drill Meet at Tulane University 2012 was a great success! I was there judging solos. There were 12 competitors and all did a great job. The cadets from West Point, University of South Carolina NROTC and Norwich all pulled away from the others with great routines. I forgot my digital voice recorder, but used my Android phone’s …