We changed things up this week and decided to chat with one of the lovely ladies of lacrosse, Kalie.
The Drill Crew dancer has been with the team for five seasons and has been apart of the team calendar in each year. This year, she graced the cover alongside teammate Ashleigh. For the past two seasons, she has had the pleasure of dancing on the team with her younger sister, Raynie.
We asked Kalie about the Drill Crew practices, her favourite memory, and more.
On the practice regiment:
“It is a bit before [the Roughnecks season]. We have our auditions at the end of September and then we start weekly practices from there.”
“We practice every Monday for three hours and every game day we have a one-hour field rehearsal.”
On her game day routine:
“The day before, I get a spray tan at Fabutan. They’ve sponsored our team for two years now and they’ve been really great. Then I get to the Saddledome for four o’clock. We practice until five and then we go to the change room where we get ready, do our hair, and stretch.”
On the time commitment of the Drill Crew:
“Everyone on the team is either a student full-time or has a professional career going on, so it is a lot to give up our Monday nights. We also do a bunch of promos and charity events throughout the year as well. Obviously we all love to dance, love to perform, and love the game, so it’s not a big deal for us. We all enjoy being there 100%.”
On her favourite memory:
“Honestly my favourite part of the season is our first game. We initiate the rookies a little bit by having them dress in funny costumes during our field practice. That has definitely been one of my fondest memories.”
“At my first game, I had to wear a pair of fluorescent pink shorts and a frilly lime green top with a rainbow headband around my head. It was a good time.”
On the Calendar:
“Every girl is in the Calendar every year, which is cool because most cheer organizations don’t do that. It’s awesome.”
On being on the field:
“It’s awesome. I feel very, very fortunate. So many people don’t have the opportunity that I do. It’s really cool getting to be down on the floor level of the ‘Dome and getting a behind the scenes look at how things come together on game day. It’s really cool, for sure.”
On being part of the team:
“We like to think of ourselves more as brand ambassadors, we’re not just the dancers. We truly care about the organization and every time we’re out at an event, we’re getting people excited about the game and letting them know when the next game is, and things like that.”
