Utah high school drill teams mix military precision with drill-down game

Rachel Sherman followed the 31-member Corner Canyon Charelles from Draper to Sandy, Utah, as they rehearsed and competed at the Rocky Mountain Invitational on Feb. 2, 2026. The Times describes two traditions that make Utah drill team distinct: military dance, with tight fists, blade hands and martial expressions, and drill down, a caller-driven elimination game like Simon Says that the article says is most practiced in Utah and has attracted millions of viewers on TikTok.

The Charelles rehearsed long hours — the piece says they had been up since 5 a.m. and had danced 14 hours that week — transforming from smiling students into warrior-faced performers. Coach Brittany Nordhoff, who also judges national competitions, contrasts “cursive” contemporary movement with military’s “block letters, with exactness and punctuation,” and the article includes a team tradition of a state cap of 20 hours a week for drill practice.

Drill down caller Lauralyn Kofford led the competition at Alta High School, calling rapid, increasingly complex commands that eliminate dancers who hesitate, laugh or look away. The Times reports about 3,400 people attended the invitational, and Cozette Williams of the Charelles won the drill-down crown while fans watched the intense, rowdy rounds.

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