When the ladies of the Mercer Island High School Drill Team walked out onto the gymnasium floor to perform at their Homecoming assembly in 2010, they likely had no idea their routine would someday be seen over one million times.
But the Mercer Island, Washington students are also used to success. In fact, they were runners up in the state Drill championships in 2002 and 2016 and State Academic Champions in 2001, 2004, 2009, 2011, 2016.
It’s pretty clear that they expect a lot from themselves.
Homecoming 2010
While they might look like cheerleaders, drill squads are dancers first and foremost. And they get the crowd pumped up during halftime with their in-sync and well-choreographed performances.
These young women are trying to get their fellow high schoolers hyped during a pep rally and they look pretty confident in their abilities as they strut onto the floor.
The soundtrack for their epic performance in 2010 included Kanye West’s “POWER,” The Veronicas’ “Forever,” and Pitbull’s “Hey Baby (Drop It To The Floor).” A pretty eclectic mix, don’t you think?
As they take their positions, it’s pretty clear we’re going to see some energy.
Still, we wanted the crowd to get more invested in their moves. We think we were cheering louder at home than their classmates were! (Of course, not much impresses a high schooler.)
How do you not go crazy for this though?
In perfect unison
It’s one thing to “feel the rhythm” while you dance, but synchronized dance with nearly 2 dozen other people is something else entirely. Not only do you have to be able to feel the music, but anticipate the timing of the people around you. That means you’re dancing and counting amidst all your nerves.
But these women knock it out of the ballpark.
So often we forget the amount of athleticism that goes into women’s activities – but this is absolutely an athletic endeavor. Just imagine the coordination, flexibility, strength, and stamina required!
Take it from this commenter:
“My drill coach brings pillows to practice so we can put them in front of our faces and make sure our kicks are high enough to hit ourselves in the face.”
Creating fans
Once the video went viral, the drill team got a whole lot of support (and they still are!) from people who loved watching them perform.
“THAT is how a drill team works! EVERYONE on the same beat/tempo with sharp moves! Awesome job ladies!!” said one commenter.
And viewers took a moment to take a dig at cheerleaders as well, though we don’t see any reason why both sets of performers can’t coexist without competing with one another.
“Drill team is always way more entertaining then cheer idk why it doesn’t have as much hype.”
But we agree that drill teams should get more hype!
In fact, we feel more energized just watching them from behind a computer screen – and we’re not alone.
“Phew! I burned calories just watching them. And here I thought I do some intense workout at the gym,” said a commenter.
We can’t promise it’ll help burn calories, but this drill squad performance is one worth watching.
Be sure to scroll down below for the video.
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