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In 1939, Dean Masters, the vice president of Kilgore College contacted Mrs.
Davis and asked her to start the first drill team for the college. They
decided to call the group the Rangerettes because the name of the football
team was the Rangers. On September 12, 1940, the Rangerettes had their first
ever performance. They had forty-eight members with five officers. The
Rangerettes became very well known and there was a great demand for their
special performances ("History " n. pag.).
These women made drill team
what it is today. Many changes have occurred in drill teams but Kay Crawford
and Gussie Nell Davis made the first model of what a drill team should be.
Drill teams are a little different today. In the early forties, the skirts
had to be one inch above your knee at most, anything less was considered
risque. Now, skirts are worn much shorter and some have replaced the skirts
altogether with tight-fitting bodysuits. Also, the beginning drill teams
only performed at halftones at football games. Currently, drill members
perform at halftones for football games, basketball games, and for
competitions.
Jacquelyn Fairweather was
born on April 28th, 1947 in Altadena, California. She attended Marshall
Junior High in Pasadena, California where she first became interested in the
pom-pom squad. She became a member of the team in 9th grade. The next year,
she attended Pasadena High School and became interested in the drill team.
But becoming a member was no easy task. In her freshmen year, she had to
tryout in order to take a class for the drill team. Jacquelyn was one of the
476 girls that made it into that class. During her junior year, the girls
would learn the routines for the year to come. At the end of the year, the
coach, Mrs. Owens, held tryouts for the actual team. Out of the 476 members
of the class, Mrs. Owens would only take 116 girls on the squad. That year,
Jacquelyn made it on to the drill team. Mrs. Owens was a very fastidious
coach, who watched the girls with binoculars from the stands during
performances. If she saw a mistake, the girl was taken out of the next
routine.
The girls wore red corduroy
outfits with satin lining. They also wore buck shoes, which were white on
the top with red rubber soles. If the shoes got dirty, little pillows with
powder in them were dabbed on the shoes to make them clean. Also, their
socks had to be rolled to exactly an inch and a half. When they went to
competition, they would have a forty-five minute standing inspection. This
was when the judges went to each girl individually and inspected the
uniform. They would get out a ruler to make sure the socks were rolled to
exactly an inch and a half. The girls were not allowed to speak and they had
to hold their smiles until the entire team was inspected. That year, the
Pasadena drill team received third place at the competition in Corona and
third place at Hawthorn, which was a parade.
Jacquelyn’s inspiration for
becoming a teacher was from her teacher, Mrs. Van Horn. Jacquelyn attended
Pasadena city college for 2 years, all the while helping Mrs. Owens with the
drill team. She then attended San Diego State. She married Frank Graham and
moved to San Jose where she graduated. Her husband Frank got transferred to
Albuquerque, New Mexico and settled down for good. She went to the
University of New Mexico to get her MA degree. After that, she substituted
for APS for three months before getting a position as the physical education
teacher. She was also asked to take on the Del Norte Castelles, the dance
and drill group at the time.
The Castelles at the time
had pom-poms and black and white outfits. They also had captains that were
in charge of the squad. In order for there to be a club or organization,
there had to be a sponsor. The drill team did not have one so they used Mr.
Thibbert’s name in order to have the squad. Once Mrs. Graham came, things
started to change. They ordered new uniforms that the squad decided on. They
obtained white ruffles with blue and black trim with a blue tie in the
front, a turquoise jumper, black shoes, and pig tails wrapped with a thin
blue ribbon. They also had black and white pom-poms. Mrs. Graham kept the
captains for one year but decided that there was no need for them. Also, the
pom-poms they used the first year got left behind and the black shoes were
exchanged for white. In the beginning, the team was both drill and dance.
But after three years, the team became just drill. In order to show what
drill was suppose to look like, Mrs. Graham had films sent to her of her old
drill team in Pasadena. The girls would put the film on a projector and play
the moves in slow motion in order to learn them. After a couple of years,
they were able to make up their own moves.
Every year for twenty years,
the Castelles participated in Christmas Parades and several State Fair
Parades. In 1974, they represented New Mexico at the Cinco de Mayo Parade in
Guaymas, Mexico. Then next year, they were in the Tournament of Roses Parade
and also marched in the Disneyland Christmas Parade. In 1986, they were the
only entire drill team invited to perform at the Closing Ceremonies of the
Statue of Liberty. They were part of the 800-member drill team, which
performed at Giant Stadium. They were also selected to perform at the Dukes
Stadium two times along with several other drill teams in town. They were a
prelude to the performance of the Beach Boys.
In 1984, Mrs. Graham was
inducted into the Let’s Cheer of America Cheer/Drill Coaches Hall of Fame,
of Let’s Cheer Magazine. The next year she hosted the New Mexico State
Cheer/Drill Competition at the UNM Arena. She has also been one of two 5-A
representatives for Drill Team for New Mexico. She has served on this
committee for 31 years. She also served on the Activities Committee for
three years and the Executive Board for 2 years, both of which for the New
Mexico Activities Association. In October of 1992, she was named APS/
Wendy’s Teacher of the Month. An article and her picture appeared in the APS
football program. She was named Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers in 1994
and was selected to Who’s Who Among New Mexico Teachers in 1995 (Graham
interview). During halftime at the Boys State Basketball Tournament on March
8, 1996, Mrs. Graham was inducted into the NMAA Hall of Fame. Selection to
the NMAA Hall of Fame is considered the highest honor bestowed upon anyone
devoted to and associated with interscholastic education (Del Norte yearbook
96).
In 1979, the Castelles did
their first ever black-light performance. The assembly was held in the
secondary gym. Everyone was very surprised when the Castelles strode onto
the floor and the lights went out. But the black lights proved to be
efficacious. Since then, the Castelles have had one black-light performance
a year, usually for the winter assembly.
In 1985, Mrs. Graham teamed
up with John Fannin, the band director at the time, and became the band’s
color guard. The girls went out with flags, one dark and light pink and the
other purple. The next year, the NMAA decided that in order to win a state
trophy, they would have to do two routines out of dance, drill, prop, or
pom-poms. Mrs. Graham wasn’t too big of a fan of dance and she disliked the
idea of pom-poms. So they decided to use the flags they used while they were
in color guard. They used those flags for a couple of years before switching
to nicer flags. One was a dark and light shade of pink and turquoise with a
silver stripe and the other is all silver.
For the 25th Anniversary of
Del Norte, it was decided to have an all staff and faculty assembly. The
staff had to sign up to be in any of the following: relay races, modeling
show, band, ROTC, or the Castoffs. The Castoffs were a group of 27 women who
imitated a drill routine from the Castelles. Mrs. Graham organized it and
helped with the routine. The ladies had a week and a half to learn the
routine before the assembly. They wore a turquoise 25th Anniversary t-shirt,
black shorts, white shoes and white socks. The women with long enough hair
also put their hair in pigtails. The Castoffs were at the very end of the
assembly and they were well anticipated. And they did not disappoint. They
delivered a magnificent performance and received a standing ovation from the
student body. After the performance, the staff in the Castoffs also had a
greater appreciation for the Castelles and all the hard work they do.
During the past 32 years,
the Castelles have never received lower than a third place trophy in the
state competition. They have received three third place trophies, fifteen
second place trophies, and fourteen first place trophies. Over the years,
the Castelles have won the following awards at the American Dance Drill
Competition: Division I and Double Division I, Best Overall Presentation,
Best Overall Choreography, Best Overall Precision, Best Overall Technique,
the Team Judges Award, and the Dr. Driebodt Award for Military routine.
Throughout the years, the
competition for the Castelles have changed. In the 1970’s when only a few
drill teams were around, their main competition was the Sandia Las Toreras.
Then in the 1980’s, the drill team from Eldorado, La Cuadrilla, also became
one of the main competitions. Later on in the 80’s, the drill teams from
Manzano and Cibola came onto the scene. The coach for the Sandia squad
switched to teach at La Cueva where she started another drill team in the
1990’s. Much of the competition has changed, some have ceased to have a
drill team, and some altered what they did and became dance. But the only
one that has remained the same is the Castelles. They have made minor
adjustments to the uniform such as going to a thicker ribbon, changing shoes
to go with styles of the year, and in 1993, added sparkle to the uniform.
The new uniform had sequins around the neckline and the bottom of the skirt
and sequined cuffs were added for extra affect. In 1998, the Castelles
decided the pigtails were too juvenile for the squad and thus switched for a
single ponytail. But in 2001, they felt they needed the pigtails to match
the mascot and switched back. The Castelles have always had such pulchritude
when it comes to their uniform.
Tryouts for Castelles are
held once a year in the spring. They are open to 8th, 9th, 10th, or 11th
grade students with at least a 2.0 GPA without more than one F. A clinic is
held for usually two or three days before the tryouts occur. At the clinic,
the current Castelles teach the girls a short routine to be judged by four
to five judges. Teacher recommendations are also a large factor as to
whether or not a girl will be let into Castelles.
Castelles must attend all
home and away football games in town. They are also divided into groups
where they attend other events such as: volleyball, boys and girl’s
basketball, wrestling, and baseball.
During the summer, the
Castelles have practices on predetermined Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:30
to 3:30. During the school year, the Castelles meet every morning at 7:00 AM
and again during 6th period and after school until 3:00. Once State
practices begin, they have Saturday practices ranging from three to four
hours and Wednesday night practices for two hours.
Mrs. Graham has had over
1,350 girls over the 32 year in Castelles. A Castelle must have commitment,
dedication, enthusiasm, and pride. They must display exemplary behavior at
all times. Castelles is more than just a drill team; it is a family, joined
together by a common bond and by love. When asked to describe Castelles in
one word, Mrs. Graham did not hesitate before saying, "Love." Jacquelyn
Graham is an ingenuous, sagacious woman who has made the Del Norte Castelles
what they are today. This year’s Coach of the Year for the New Mexico Spirit
Association has been recognized for her commitment, kindness, humor, and
caring to each task she undertakes. Her teams have always maintained and
promoted school spirit, dedication, and sportsmanship. The proudest moment
in Mrs. Graham’s life was when she sent a videotape of the State Flag and
Military routines to her drill team coach, Mrs. Owens. After viewing the
tape, Mrs. Owens called Mrs. Graham from long distance, saying, "I loved it,
you have the best drill team in the world," (Graham Interview). The
Castelles have proven to be the acme of drill teams over the years. |
