MADE UP OF ALL female riders who range in age from 18 to 55, the Diamond Dust Drill Team not only participates in numerous equestrian drill events, but is also like a family, according to Co-Captain Tonya Weed. In addition to practices and competitions, team members also do non-horse trips, including their annual weekend beach trip.
When people first hear about a drill team, they usually think of horses, matching outfits and drill competitions.
Although the Diamond Dust Drill Team is involved with these different aspects of drill, Co-Captain Tonya Weed said the team is also “like a family.”
“We are all very close and we have a lot of fun together,” Weed said. “We also do non-horse trips like our annual weekend beach trip that is held in March. We all go to the beach, rent a house and enjoy the weekend in Lincoln City.”
Now in their fifth season competing as a drill team, Diamond Dust is an all-female riding team and members range in age from 18 to 55. Weed said Diamond Dust has members from areas in Washington and Oregon, from Woodland to Corbet, OR. She also said the team will be looking for new members for next season and tryouts for the team start in October.
Diamond Dust Drill Team is currently made up of team members Adonica Simpson, Tia Petit, Tonya Weed, Kimm Roberts, Mary Hauer, Staci Shoemaker, Stacy Raften, Susan Bozarth, Kim Brooks, Anna Back, Kristen Ricks, Joan Cooper, Alex Carlton, Annanissa Patterson, Katie Phillips, Trena Kelley, Jordane Green. Simpson is currently captain of the team and Kelley is the coach.
Weed said the ladies in the Diamond Dust Drill Team are members of the Washington Ladies Riding Club Association (WLRCA) and the Pacific Northwest Drill Team Association (PNWDTA) and the team tends to follow the guidelines set forth by these associations in the sport of Equestrian Drill. The competitions are made up of five different drills – short program, which is limited to six minutes and required maneuvers are drawn every year; freestyle, which is not limited to length or types of maneuvers, but the more difficult, the better the score; compulsory, where all teams perform the exact same drill to the same music; impromptu, in which maneuvers are drawn and the drill is created and performed within 48 hours and a theme is chosen by the team to help with “spectacularity” and scoring; and parade, which is another drill that would generally have a theme and music chosen, but is the only drill performed at a slow pace.
The Diamond Dust Drill Team members are currently looking forward to five competitions in 2013, one in May, two in June, one in July and one in August. Last season, the team placed pretty well in their competitions, including first place in freestyle at the Show and Shine Spring Classic; first in short program and first overall highpoint at the CC Riders competition; first in freestyle at the PNWDTA competition; and in the top four in various drill categories at the WLRCA competition and the Clark County Fair competition.
Weed said Diamond Dust members are currently doing a plant sale fundraiser and anyone wanting vegetables or flowers can contact a team member and order. The sale ends April 5 and plants will be available for pick up April 28.
Anyone interested in joining the Diamond Dust Drill Team can contact any member or Adonica Simpson at (360) 910-2275 or by email at adonicas1@aol.com. The team also has a Facebook page that people can visit, under Diamond Dust Drill Team. In order to join the team, interested individuals must have a Western-gated horse and be dedicated to practices every Tuesday from 7-9 p.m. They also occasionally do a walk through or two to learn the drills.
