The doors have not officially opened at Frisco’s new Independence High School, but the IHS Royal’s Varsity drill team trophy case is already filling up! At competitions organized by Crowd Pleasers from June 12 – 15, drill team Officer Camp and Line Camp involved leadership training, bonding activities, choreography, and dance classes.
The days are long starting at 8am with the girls rehearsing until 1am the following day. The camp culminated with a performance by each participating school and an awards ceremony. To keep a “fun” aspect to the long nights, team coach, Ms. Brittany Shaver, had the girls dress up with a particular theme… Friday night was “The 1980’s” and Saturday night was “Princess.”
At camp, the team earned several awards:
- Outstanding Achievement Award
- Soul Sister Award (this group has noticeably bonded very well)
- Outstanding Showmanship
- Most Spirited Team
- Platinum Elite Team (based on performance score)
Independence High School is in east Frisco, at 10555 Independence Parkway and it serves the surrounding neighborhoods south of Eldorado, including several neighborhoods in west McKinney. This is a brand new school (not even open yet) with a brand new team. The dancers are coming from all different schools (re-zoned), and are together for the first time as a large group.
Coach Brittany Shaver grew up in Rockwall, has been dancing her whole life, and first became a drill team director 9 years ago. Shaver says “The Royals are comprised of 20 girls, with only 4 girls being returning drill team girls. I was incredibly proud of the girls determination and work ethic. They built an incredible bond working together, and I look forward to seeing the program grow!”
Way to go Royals!