Troyettes excited to showcase drill skills

After a three year hiatus, the Troyettes, the drill team representing Morgan High, is back and ready to “showcase their skills” to their school, community and competition   Drill tryouts were held in April for the first time since 2020, and 27 girls are preparing to represent Morgan as Troyettes.  Led by head coach Tayler Jackson and assistant coach Kambria Rushton, the team is practicing all summer and attending camps to prepare to perform and compete.

“These girls are going to kill it,” Coach Jackson commented in an interview last week following practice.  “They have a solid foundation of dance techniques.  We have really flexible girls and many of them are strong turners.  It’s going to be so fun to work as a team while highlighting individual strengths and showing what these girls can accomplish.”

Three years ago the decision was made to move away from a drill team and form a Spirit Squad that incorporated a dance team with the cheerleading squad.  The Spirit Squad took state for two years before changes to the competition structure the past year as cheerleading received sanctioning from the Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA) caused the program to re-evaluate options for the Spirit Squad and Dance Team.  

“The new structure of sanctioned cheerleading doesn’t really cater to dancers,” Jackson explained.  “It’s a great time to bring back the drill team and let our dancers show their talents and compete in the area just for them.”

“We compete in military, show and dance competitions.  Since we’ve been doing pom for the past three years our dancers who were on the Spirit Squad will have a very strong background for the military dance. Military is like pom but less cute,” Jackson joked.

The coaches explained, “We are going to be strong in hip hop.  We’ve had some Cougarettes [national championship team dance team from BYU] working with the girls, and our girls are going to rock it.”

Drill team members, like cheerleaders, practice year round.  Their competition season is January through February, but they constantly work to prepare for competitions and performances.  The Troyettes have been practicing from 7 a.m.-10 a.m. this summer as well as putting in some nine hour choreography days. They will attend a drill camp at Hillcrest Junior High for several days this summer, and once school starts they will practice daily starting at 6am and working through their first hour drill class for the first two trimesters.  

“These girls work hard,” Coach Rushton explained.  “They work all year to prepare.  We’re excited to perform for the community and invite everyone to watch our performances during half time.  We love the support of the student body and the community.  Make sure you take time during halftime to watch these girls perform.”

The 2023-2024 Troyetts will be young with only two seniors, nine juniors, eight sophomores and eight freshmen, but the coaches are excited about the girls’ abilities.  “We have a high level of rigor, and our goal is to get all of the girls to the same technique level.   Our girls come from a lot of different studios, and we are grateful for the dance studios in the area that help train the girls so well.”

Jackson and Rushton bring years of experience and expertise as coaches.  Jackson, who teaches chemistry and material science at Morgan High, served as an assistant coach with the Dance Team as part of the Spirit Squad. She was also a four year member of the Jordan High drill team and lifelong dancer.  Rushton, a North Summit graduate and four year drill team member, has also danced since childhood and always wanted to be a drill team coach.

In addition to strong coaches, the Troyettes will be led by senior head captains, Lainey Hansen and Emme Palmer and junior co-captains Chevelle Dickson and Emma Nilsen and  junior social media captain Teagan Polad.  Palmer, daughter of Robert and Kelti Palmer, is a three year member of the Spirit Squad, and Hansen, daughter of Dan and Angie Hansen, has participated since her sophomore year. They are both excited for their new opportunities with drill.

As captains, both senior dancers have the technical dance skills honed from years of practice and competitive dance experience and are prepared to lead.  Hansen shared, “We are going to work to help the girls stay focused at practice and give 100% to the team all the time.”

Palmer added, “Mental is a big part of dance.  I want to help the girls be mentally strong and really have fun.”  

Hansen’s and Palmer’s enthusiasm for dance is infectious, and they are eager to lead their team as the drill team returns to Morgan High.  

Junior members of the team are Chevelle Dickson, Emma Nilsen, Tessa Whimpey, Abbie Briggs, Lovelle Skoglund, Taegan Polad, Kynzie Zuech, Madison Penrod,  and Sariah Johansen.   Mae Godfrey, Brynn Garner, Miley Martinson, Gracie McGregor, Gracie Orton, Violet Webster, Chaselyn Weeks, and Lucy Montgomery represent the sophomore class.

Freshman embarking on their first year of high school drill team include Jaylie Sorenson, Chanel Christensen, Kadence Hutchinson, Anessa Dickson, Karlie Hoffman, Skylyn Bond, Elle Vogt, and Liv Sandoval. 

With the Troyettes return, there are also challenges, especially in the costuming area.  The team is holding a new fundraising event this summer to help them restock the drill closet.  The drill closet usually contains uniforms from previous years that the dancers can use for different performances, but the Troyettes’ closet hasn’t been restocked in 10 years, and some of the uniforms are 30 years old. 

“We want to make sure our girls feel as confident as possible as they present their routines.  We don’t want them performing an awesome routine with no costumes,” Jackson explained.

The fundraiser, Troyette’s Annual Golf Classic at Round Valley, will be held Aug. 9 at 5 p.m.. In addition to a delicious dinner and raffle prizes, there will be "a party on every hole” as the drill team members host activities for the golfers as they play .  There are still open spots for sponsors and participants.  Interested parties can contact Coach Jackson at [email protected].

“It’s going to be a fun year,” Jackson concluded. “Come out and support these dancers as they work hard and give their support to the other teams at Morgan High.  Our show routine has a Wednesday Adams theme, and our other dances are going to be great!”  Welcome back Troyettes! λ