The sun beats down upon the dancers on the east side of Prosper High.
Sweat runs down perfectly made–up faces – without ruining the sparkle of their black sequin uniforms.
The turf crunches against feet raised in relevé, as the dancers walk in synchronized order onto the field. Finding their yard line, the girls take their starting positions, breaths held as they anticipate the first note of music. The song begins to play, the dancers count “five, six, seven, eight” – and then they dance.
The school district and program directors established the Junior Varsity Drill Team, also known as the Eaglettes, as a way to bridge the divide between varsity and drill team prep. This year’s team is made up of 14 girls.
“I like to call it like a baby varsity because they kind of do everything that varsity does, just on a smaller scale,” assistant director Ashley Sharp said. “They have half the games that varsity would do if they didn’t make it to playoffs.”
As a member, each Eaglette is expected to perform at four to five JV football games, and other various events such as basketball games, competitions, and spring show.
“I’m really excited for competition season,” sophomore Eaglette Kaitlyn Anderson said. “It’s obviously my favorite, and I just like spending time with the team, and the coaches, and it’s just all so fun.”
Not only is the team coached by head director Colleen Hunt and assistant director Ashley Sharp but senior Avery Mattox, captain of the Talonettes, is also the JV Liaison for the team.
“(Mattox) very much helps us bridge the gap between the two teams, and helps us be able to teach things that we may not even know, like fight song, entrance, and exit,” Sharp said. “We know it. But, we don’t know it because we don’t do it. So it’s easier to have her there to help.”
The Eaglettes practice on ‘A’ days during third period in the dance room.
“I pretty much run most of the class,” Mattox said. “I stretch them once they get in there, and I make sure everyone’s here. Right now, we’re working on cleaning dances for football season, but we’ll also start on contest season soon, and we’ve also learned some of the basics, like entrance and eagle beat. And just like learning the ways of being an Eaglette at Prosper.”
The Eaglettes’ first football game will be on Sept. 26 at the PHS Turf and Track at 5:30 p.m.
“I absolutely love being on JV, and I am more than appreciative for the amazing opportunity,” freshman Eaglette Leah Lopez said. “I think that being on JV is a great growth and learning experience.”
At the game, the team will perform a streamer dance to the song “Runaway Baby,” which was choreographed by Crowd Pleasers (CP) staff members. They will be wearing their standard uniforms, which are picked out by Sharp and Hunt.
“First we like to think what’s flattering for our team members and what everyone will look good wearing,” Sharp said. “We always take that into account. And sometimes we just like to think about what we can do. What can we put a person in that helps tell the story a little bit more (and how) is this costume adding to the story.”
Besides dancing at sporting events, Sharp said the Eaglettes are expected to be spirited ambassadors for the school and spirit advocates for all programs here at PHS. For those who are interested in joining the drill team, Sharp said she recommends taking dance classes such as drill team prep, looking up YouTube videos, and getting outside help.
“Eaglettes is great,” Sharp said. “It’s a great place to be. And we encourage everybody to at least try, and if you don’t know anything about drill team and you want to learn, then get into drill team prep and always try out, because you never know what can happen.”
