Randolph-Macon Academy’s Yellow Jackets Drill Team is a truly unique part of life at our private prep school. Owned and led by R-MA students, the AFJROTC Drill Team combines an emphasis on family, camaraderie, and overcoming adversity. Better yet, it’s also a team that has several championship titles under its belt. Not only do our students gain greater knowledge about the Air Force and the drill movements that are typically performed, but they also learn how to be part of a team and show the utmost support to their fellow cadets.
Here are some more details about our school’s Drill Team to explain why students should take part in it!
What Being On Our Prep School’s Drill Team Involves
Led by Coach Technical Sergeant Tina Laing, our cadets take part in our Drill Team while having varying roles and responsibilities to be accountable for. Cadets from a number of AFJROTC performance teams are considered part of the Drill Team, which include:
- Armed and Unarmed Exhibition
- Armed and Unarmed Regulation
- Color Guard
- Inspection
With our prep school Exhibition teams, cadets build their routines more or less from scratch, though their movements do take inspiration from precision drill rather than military drill. Our Regulation teams perform marching routines based on the latter, and ones that come from military drill cards that already exist. Color Guard members perform drill movements from a particular card, with two members carrying a flag and two others carrying a rifle. Lastly, our Inspection Team performs Open Ranks Inspection, reporting to a judge who tests their knowledge on the Air Force and AFJROTC, as well as ensures the uniforms they wear are compliant with Air Force Instruction regulations.
Check out the video below to see our Drill Team in action:
Our AFJROTC Drill Team’s Past Accomplishments
Students at our boarding high school are encouraged to take part in Drill Team not simply because of the skills and movements they’ll learn, but also for the amazing opportunities they’ll have to showcase those moves in a competitive setting. For two straight years from 2018 to 2019, our team has been named AFA Virginia State Drill Team Champions—including winning first place in both Armed Exhibition and Color Guard in 2019.
Our Drill Team also took first place in the Unarmed Regulation and Inspection components of the 2018 competition. This is in addition to previous successes in the 2016 Wolverine Drill Competition and the 2018 Yellow Jackets’ Invitational Drill Meet (where they placed second overall), as well as finishing eighth in the 2019 AFJROTC National Drill Meet. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has meant that the team could not defend their state championship title, but our Drill Team continues to show grit, heart, and perseverance in the face of such adversity!
Why Students at R-MA Should Consider Taking Part
According to Technical Sergeant Laing, the work ethic, strong values, and commitment to teamwork are central reasons the Drill Team cadets have been able to find success. Beyond learning about the ins and outs of drill and the movements performed within it, our students gain valuable soft skills that they carry with them through their university years and beyond. Participating in our Drill Team at R-MA teaches cadets the value of not only leadership, but how to demonstrate excellent followership, too—practiced successfully on-campus, as well as in state and national competitions.
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