Bronco Battalion members attended the Billy Ryan High School Drill meet in Denton on Oct. 6. They won four first-place trophies, one second-place trophy and earned overall grand champion of the meet.
Lieutenant Colonel and senior Solomon Davis lead the male color guard team. At drill practice every week, he demands discipline and preciseness in practices, so the team can master the concept of drill.
“I was worried about preparing the team for the inspection phase and spinning rifles during unarmed exhibition,” Davis said. “A first-place performance needs to come as close to perfection as you can get.”
Command Sergeant Major and Senior Carson Keeley leads the Armed Exhibition Team and participates in every other event except first-year drill. The Armed exhibition team spins rifles to prepare a routine.
“Armed exhibition is a crucial part of a drill meet and truly displays the amount of work a team puts into practice,” Keeley said. “I was surprised because the team surpassed my expectation. However, I know there’s still much work to do as a team.”
Every year, the special teams attend 5 drill meets where 25-50 teams compete in JROTC events and plan to compete in the Brigade Drill meet in January. The Battalion spends $50-$100 for entry fees and travel expenses. According to Keeley, they are expected to handle these competitions with maturity and focusness.
“We’re trying to prepare for regionals in San Antonio,” Davis said. “The drill meets help us get more experience so we can know what to fix early on.”
