Oiler Drill Team Wins Big in Japan

There were many signs that the young women from Huntington Beach High School were a hit during a recent international drill team competition in Nagoya, Japan.

The audience in the huge indoor sports arena frequently broke into applause when the Oiler Drill Team performed its snappy routines.

Nonetheless, winning the top award in the competition came as a surprise to the 32 young women on the team.

“When they announced that we had won the top award for military drill, we all started crying,” recalled Heather Humes, 16.

The team came away from the early August competition with two first-place trophies, one runner-up award, and the Mayor of Nagoya’s Award for the team garnering the most points in competition.

“These will go to the high school’s trophy case and join our other trophies there,” Brande Dunn, 18, the drill team’s captain, said, noting that the 1989-90 drill team had already won about 30 other trophies in regional, state and national competitions that preceded the trip to Japan.

The drill team’s sweep of titles came under the leadership of “walk-on coach” Linda Stewart of Arcadia. Stewart, 25, became a walk-on, or part-time coach, at Huntington Beach High School last fall. She took the job while completing her studies at Cal State Long Beach.

“It was my first year, and my only year, and a great year to remember,” said Stewart, who added that she will be leaving the team this year because she has enrolled at Nevada Las Vegas to pursue her master’s degree.

Drill team members said they enjoyed seeing the Japanese countryside and meeting Japanese people.

“It was really hot and humid but a lot of fun,” Humes said. “We went shopping and touring around, and we got to see the Hard Rock Cafe in Tokyo. And also the Imperial Palace. Everyone treated us really nice.”

Stewart said the drill team members were treated almost like movie stars by many Japanese youngsters.

“The Japanese girls, all dressed in uniforms, would come by buses to the stadium, and they would surround our girls and ask them for autographs,” Stewart said.

“The first half of our lives is ruined by our parents and the second half by our children.” --Clarence Darrow (1857-1938)