The Nation Drill Squad and Drum Corp came home in triumph this week, after snagging its 12th national championship title.
The squad spent last week in Atlanta, Ga., competing against about 15 teams at the Elks World National Drill and Drum Competition. It came home with three trophies — one bigger than most of the kids — and $600 in prize money.
The kids gathered Monday at the Charles Street Substation to grab white champion T‑shirts, pose with their trophies, and demonstrate their skills for the press. The shirts boast “Wacka Flocka Swagg” — meaning they’ve got “swagger,” or style.
The drill team, founded 22 years ago, is run by Dixwell community activist Doug Bethea. He oversees a no-nonsense program based on hours and hours of practice. Every year, the top steppers and drummers pile into a bus and head to a U.S. city to compete with other teams. (Click here to read about last year’s trip to Kansas City.) More often than not, they come home as champs — earning them the nickname “Unstoppable Nation.”
This year, Bethea took 40 of his 85 kids to Atlanta — a junior stepping team between ages 8 and 13, a senior stepping team aged 13 to 19, and a dozen drummers. They won first place in the junior and senior fancy trick division, the title of best marching band, and — most prestigious of all — the national championship title.
Melissa Bailey Photo
This year’s champs included Milani Glass, who has been on the team since she was 4 years old. Now 13, she competed on both junior and senior teams. She’s pictured at right with her mom, Darshell Peters, who has watched her daughter compete in nine championship competitions.
The all-female junior drill team donned black boots with purple tassles and champion T‑shirts Monday and performed to the beat of the boys’ drumming.
As is his role, 2‑year-old Julian Threadgill (pictured), Bethea’s grandson, kicked off the performance with a few drumbeats. (Click on the play arrow at the top of the story to watch.)
Marquasha Shaw (in foreground), who’s 12, led the junior team off the blacktop in a modified congo line. She said the moment her team’s performance ended in Atlanta, she felt the championship belonged to the Nation.
Bethea was asked what the squad’s secret is. “They way you make a child work for something, rather than just give it to them,” he said.
“They don’t like losing,” he added. “Winning is not everything — but it’s the only thing for us.”
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