Overview
There’s an old adage that asks, “How do you eat an elephant?”
The answer is, of course, “One bite at a time.”
When it comes to organizing your drill team and getting everyone on the team credibly involved and invested in the success of the team OFF the floor, a “divide and conquer” approach can go a long way!
Here are 3 “teams” every drill team needs!
Uniform Team
Preparing and working on uniforms isn’t a “sometimes” task, it’s an on-going monster requiring constant care and attention.
By creating a specific team of cadets responsible for tracking, maintaining, and dealing with all issues relating to the drill team’s uniforms, you centralize the flow of information. Cadets now know who to report to when it comes to missing items such as ranks or name tags. The instructors know who to double-check with to ensure everything required for the upcoming meet has been packed.
This team is indispensable in the operation of the drill team and is one every program should devote a number of cadets to staffing!
Logistics Team
Who measures the drill decks for practice? Who makes sure all the boxes of gear are moved effectively to and from a drill competition? Who ensures the armory and supply room are properly situated once gear is moved back to home base following a meet?
The logistics team, of course! This is an incredibly important team of cadets responsible for the movement, storage, and upkeep of all items requiring transportation.
By assigning specific cadets to these duties, your team stands a far better chance at having an organized, efficient way to transport gear on trips but also a team of cadets who make sure that drill floors get measured and items needed for practice always make it to the drill area day in and day out!
Armory Team
For drill teams using rifles and other equipment, having a specific team of cadets responsible for their upkeep is critical. Now, there are specialists in the construction, rebuilding, taping, etc. of rifles for practice and performance ensuring that all equipment coming from the arms room is always in tip-top shape!
Furthermore, cadets now have someone to report to when a rifle breaks or becomes otherwise unusable. And while the armory team may not directly work on that rifle, they can certainly mentor and supervise each cadet as they perform basic maintenance.
This ensures that cleanliness, preparedness, and quality of the team’s armory is always at the highest level. And, after all, the state of the armory is the state of the drill team!