In Texas, football is a way of life. Small towns shut down,
and the stadiums are packed to watch the Friday night game during the fall. The
marching band, cheerleaders and drill/dance teams are ready to help cheer and
support their team to victory. However, the halftime shows at these games have
not always been as entertaining as they are now.
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| By Joe Scherschel |
In 1939, Kilgore College hired Gussie Nell Davis.1
She was in charge of finding something so spectacular for halftime that the
spectators would stay in their seats and more women would be drawn to the
crowd. She introduced on September 12, 1940 the Kilgore College Rangerettes.
The Rangerettes were a high precision dance group that
performed at halftime with the band. They wowed the crowd with high precision
routines and long beautiful high kick lines. The high kick line would soon
become a trademark of drill teams all over the country, especially in Texas.
The response from the crowd was enough for high schools and colleges to notice.
From that time on, a number of dance/drill teams started sprouting up in high
schools and colleges everywhere and now have become a traditional part of every
football game.
Celebrating their 75th anniversary in 2014, the Rangerettes are
still wowing crowds all over the world and are now the most famous college
drill team in the world. Now, young teens flock from all over the country in
hopes to help continue the halftime tradition and legend of the Kilgore Rangerettes.
2 Vine, K. (2004). Alive AND Kicking. Texas
Monthly, 32(9), 114-221.
I never actually knew how drill teams came about. That is very interesting that one specific lady started the new trend. It is encouraging to know that everything has to originate from somewhere and to see how far drill teams have come since 1940 is truly spectacular. It makes me wonder what the new trend in the future will be. Dance has become so diverse in style that one can only imagine what new trends may come in the future.
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