Copper Hills drill team looks tough as they head into Region 3 match-ups

The Copper Hills drill team, the Azurettes, is gearing up for region and state battles. The region competition will be Jan. 26 and the state tournament will held on Friday, Feb. 4 at Utah Valley University.

The squad has done fairly well thus far for the 2011-12 season, garnering first place in both the Davis Valley Classic and the Jordan Beet Classic competitions. The Murray Classic is next in mid-January, and the team hopes to continue the caliber of performances it has been issuing out thus far.

The drill team participates in three divisions: military, dance and character, performing a routine for each division. The team practices 15-20 hours per week, sometimes practicing twice a day and amassing six or more hours of prep work. They practice as early as6 a.m., often on Saturdays, giving up their morning and the Friday night before.

They work hard to earn their hardware according to their coaches.

“These girls are dedicated and hardworking; it’s not easy for teenagers to give up their weekends to practice,” co-head coach Shannon Mortenson said.

Mortenson and co-head coach Meghan Honey have been at it with the drill team for two years now, and are having a lot of fun. They won last year at Nationals and are focused on earning a state title this year. “We are really focused on state--that is what we eat drink and sleep,” Mortenson said.

The team is made up of 23 girls. There are seven seniors, seven sophomores and the rest are juniors. The leadership of the team, other than its coaches, comes from team president Kinzi Corral and team captain April Stowe. Both are seniors and both are three-year members.

The team not only works hard during practice, but also do very well in school. All of the girls have a 3.0 GPA or higher, and many of them will receive academic all-region recognition for having a GPA higher than 3.7. “These guys work hard at school as well as practice. They excel in competitions and in academics,” Mortenson said.

Mortenson and Honey own a dance studio together. Many of the girls currently on the drill team have come up dancing through their studio. They build bonds with the girls and are hopefully teaching drill teams of the future in their studio. “I love teaching the girls as the move up,” Mortenson said. “We have eight-year-olds who are jaw-dropping good. Hopefully they’ll be a part of the drill team.”