PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Hard work and dedication paid off for the youngsters of the Crags Drill Squad who shone brightly at the Port Elizabeth Drill Marching Competition last week.
The squad not only finished second overall out of 15 high schools but raked in several other awards along the way. There were also 14 primary schools entered in the competition, but the Crags Drill Squad was entered in the high school category.
“The competition, which was held at the Gelvandale Stadium, was tough and of an extremely high standard, but the children gave it their all and were magnificent,” says squad spokesperson Yvette Wilschut.
The squad was established as part of the Drilling Against Crime initiative which forms part of the police's Safer Schools Programme. The programme was initiated by the Crags police sector manager Sergeant Byron de Vos, alongside Wilschut, and is now fully supported by Plettenberg Bay station commander Colonel Nolan Micheals.
Small beginnings
The initial team included 27 of the prefects of the Crags Primary School. With the assistance of Working on Fire in the Crags, the squad was formed and trained.
“Sergeant de Vos noticed the increase in crime in the area and what alarmed him was that the age of the children who were exposed to and committing these crimes was getting younger and younger at an alarming rate. The discipline at school was also becoming a problem. He started the programme with the prefects of 2017 and this proved to have a marked improvement in the whole school. The drill squad have given the younger children better role models to aspire to,” Wilschut says.
Many of the children in the squad then went on to high school last year, but did not want to give up the drill activity. Wilschut says a decision was therefore made to include primary and high school learners, and the squad now includes 55 members.
During the prize-giving ceremony in Port Elizabeth, the squad were delighted when they found out that they had received second places in the best-dressed, drum major, exhibition and grand march pass categories. This led the team to second overall in terms of points scored.
Best-dressed prize a boon
The best-dressed prize was a highlight for the youngsters as they had never been in contention for this prize. “In the past, the youngsters competed without blazers, which is actually a judging criterion and therefore counted against us at previous competitions,” Wilschut says. Bitou Municipality, however, came on board recently and sponsored each child with a blazer.
There were also 14 primary schools entered in the competition, but the Crags Drill Squad was entered in the high school category.
“We would like to thank all our amazing sponsors for their support. Our first competition has been done and we qualify for a Cape Town competition in October this year. This would not have been possible without you. We would also like to thank the police and the SA National Defence Force (SADF), along with Big Blue Promotions, who are the organisers of the event. What a wonderful day, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and the event was really successful.”
She also congratulated Harvester Primary of Mitchell's Plain who came first in primary school category and Chapman High School from Port Elizabeth who were the overall winners.
Drill guru Dawood Davids from Harvester Primary visited Plett to assist the local team in honing their skills.
Read a related article: Crags squad show off their skills
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