Juan Diego CHS drill team members qualify for state

Friday, Dec. 16, 2016

Draper — All three representatives from Juan Diego Catholic High School’s Silverline Drill Team qualified during the 2016 all-state drill team auditions, a feat matched by only one other Utah high school.

On Nov. 9, the Utah High School Activities Association’s drill team state auditions were held. The judges selected about 20 of the 75 girls who auditioned to progress to the state competition of Feb. 4. 

The three Soaring Eagle girls chosen for the all-state team are Brenna Connely, Maddy Gough and Hailey Smith. Their coach, Meaghan Williams, was proud of their accomplishment, but she wasn’t surprised they did so well, she said. 

“Their technique was far and above everyone else that they performed against,” she said.

However, the girls weren’t quite so assured of their victory at first. 

“It started off very nerve-wracking,” Smith said, but as the day went on “we supported each other, we got more into it.”

After their nerves settled, they had no problem performing their very best in the auditions, they said. 

“When it comes to performing like that, we really excel. It lights us up,” Smith said.

According to the three girls, the success in the auditions gave them the boost they needed to keep up the hard work on the drill team. Gough said that this accomplishment gave her more confidence, as well.

The all-state drill team auditions were not just an affirmation of the girls’ skills, Williams said, but also helped them as performers and as members of the drill team as well. “It helped them to grow as leaders of their team,” she said.