50 Years & Still Struttin'

That was the theme for the Homecoming festivities Friday night. It was AWESOME!!! Friday marked the 50th homecoming game at my high school. Before the game started we had alumni walk across the field from the graduating class of 57-58 to the class of 06-07. The line of alumni stretched from the 50 yard line on the visitors side of the stadium all the way around the track to the home side of the stadium. It was amazing to see how much things have changed. (I was appalled at the bonfire on Thursday night, but I will save that for another post.) Anyway, the community I grew up in has grown tremendously since I was there. Anyway, after we walked across the field, the drill team alumni took the field with the current drill team girls. It was fun, but I will say this...if anyone ever suggests that alumni perform on the field ever again, with only one day to learn the dance and clean it, I will say NO! It was hot, humid, sticky and nerve-racking. After the game, there was a reception at the local hotel in our town. We had the lady who originated our drill team and 6 of the original line members there. I know that it was just a high school drill team, but Friday night it seemed like so much more. This little team that started in 1957 has meant so much to so many girls, ladies, women, whatever you want to call us. I can remember being little and looking up to some of those ladies that were there that night. Anyway, not only did we honor the first director, we honored a director that was there from 1962-1982 and the current director, who was my teacher/director/friend, she has been there since 1990. A week before the celebration, I got the news that I would be giving an award to my director. I agonized all week about what I would say about this woman; this woman who at times I hated, pushed me to limits I never knew I had, made me cry, but ultimately I loved unconditionally. So, I will share with you all what I said about The Director...

It doesn't seem like it's been 18 years since I met The Director. My freshman year was The Director's first year at "Our High School" and as a director and over the past 18 years, she has not only been my teacher and director she has become a very close friend. I hope she realizes how much of an impact she has on her students' life. She definitely had a huge impact on mine. For many of us, when we look back at high school the majority of our memories revolve around "the drill team" and for those of us, who were lucky enough to have her as a director, know that that was because of The Director. She taught us so many things that the average high school student will not learn until they are actually in "the real world." As a line member, she taught us to have pride: Pride for our country, our community, our team and ourselves. She taught us that with hard work and perseverance, anything was possible. She taught us the importance of team work. She helped our parents instill morals in us. She was one of those rare teachers that not only cared about her students, but also got to know them and their families as well. As an officer, she taught us the art of having tact. You learned how to keep the peace, and anyone who has ever been around 50 teenage girls at one time knows that this is no easy task. She taught us to be leaders not tyrants and she taught us that our critiques should be constructive not condescending. Because of The Director, I know the importance of lipstick, I know that PDA is not only tacky but also very unlady-like, I am one of a select few that know the meaning of "Mary Jane Curly," and I know that a sequined belt pinned in a V on a black unitard is not only fashionable but also quite slimming. I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you. Thank you for coming to our "town." Thank you for making us better dancers. Thank you for being such a positive role model. Thank you for encouraging us to dream. Thank you for always calling us ladies not girls. And thank you for never letting us settle for anything but our best. I sincerely hope that "the high school" knows how much you mean to this community and to your ladies, past and present.

Then the awards were over, there was dancing and a slide show with pictures of the last 50 years of our drill team. All in all, it was a pretty cool night.

Until next time...

Single Girl