The “drill world” is a place populated with wonderful individuals from all walks of life. Drill-Team Dynamics Inc. will spend the next several weeks introducing you to some of these amazing people, all of whom have unique insight and experience to share with others. There is a lesson to be learned from each of these drillers and we hope that you find their words both motivating and useful as you seek to improve yourself or your team!
Second Lieutenant Justin Delaurier
“If you can keep yourself and your team disciplined, there is no limit to the things you can accomplish. You will make in 30 minutes what takes undisciplined teams 3 weeks. That is one of the true secrets to success in drill as well as in life.”
Our next featured driller is Second Lieutenant Justin Delaurier. 2LT Delaurier has a strong background in drill. Beginning as a cadet in the highly competitive city of San Antonio, Texas, 2LT Delaurier competed nationally and continued his drill career as a “fish” in the prestigious Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets.
2LT Delaurier’s drill career is highlighted by impressive performances at a wide variety of post-high school drill competitions. This culminated in a World Championship at the 2013 Isis World Drill Championships. Within the span of several days, then-Cadet Delaurier won a World Championship title, graduated from Texas A&M University, and commissioned as a United States Army officer. Definitely impressive!
What are some of your accomplishments/achievements to date?
I placed first in solo at the Pro-America Drill Competition in 2010 as well as third place in tandem at the Pro-America Competition in 2011. I also placed third place in tandem at the Isis World Drill Championships in 2011 and culminated all my achievements with a World Champion performance at the Isis World Drill Championships in 2013.
As a team member I was the soloist (aka the “Nut”) for the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Fish Drill Team class of 2013. We managed to barely edge out the competition in 2010 at the Tulane Nationals to capture the title of National Collegiate Champions.
How long have you been drilling and how did you first get involved?
I believe I’ve been drilling for almost 9 years now. I first got involved in JROTC at John Marshall High School. I was inspired to join JROTC by a demonstration from Warren High School my 8th grade year in middle school.
What motivates you to keep drilling?
I want to be able to pass on all the knowledge that has been passed down to me over the years to new and upcoming drillers. It’s also something I don’t think I’ll ever be able to completely let go of, no matter how hard I try.
When you were first learning, who were your inspirations?
Shawn Piner and Adam Obregon. I watched their videos for hours on YouTube trying to figure out (at the time) very complicated sequences. It was a thrill to finally meet the two in person at Daytona my junior year of high school. If there was one team that really inspired me, it was the Black Watch Drill Team from Winston Churchill High School. Their level of excellence and precision was unmatched at the time.
Tell us about a moment in your drill career that was especially memorable.
My favorite moment in my drill career by far is walking up on the stage at the Awards Ceremony for the Isis World Drill Championships to receive my trophy. I was surrounded by the people that supported me the whole way through: my mother, my girlfriend, and most importantly my fellow drillers, many of which the opportunity would have never been possible without. The feeling was surreal. I don’t remember walking down to the stage. I only remember staring down at the crystal trophy and thinking, “I actually did it.” I was sure the experience was a dream; there were so many talented drillers on the floor that day that I almost couldn’t believe I had beaten them.
What is your favorite move, trick, or sequence and why?
My favorite move has got to be the Triple Ninja. If I were to have to describe it, it’s a triple that is thrown on your right side and caught with your left hand behind your head and your right hand facing backwards caught with the full length of your right arm. I’ve just always loved the move since I saw Mr. Corey Hartog perform it at the NHSDTC in 2008. It came easily to me and I’ve never stopped doing them since. It was also my finishing move at Isis in 2013.
What advice do you have for today’s drill team members?
My greatest asset this past drill season was visualization. To picture yourself walking up on that stage is a powerful tool. If you already envision yourself as a champion, then you can take the steps necessary to become one. If you don’t see it happening, it never will. Before each practice I did at home, I would visualize myself nailing the routine I had created out on the Isis drill floor and I imagined how it would feel to walk up on that stage. Surely enough, my dreams became a reality. But if you can imagine it, you can make it come true through hard work and persistence, but you have to know you can do it first.
Another important part of drill is discipline. If you embrace the military roots that drill comes from, you’ll be able to max out your score sheet. You have got to force yourself to practice like you plan to perform. During Fish Drill Team practices, they taught us to perform the way we were going to at Tulane and every time we didn’t, they made sure we suffered for it. But the concept stuck and I was fortunate enough to carry that concept with me for the next 4 years of my drill career and I still do to this day. If you can keep yourself and your team disciplined, there is no limit to the things you can accomplish. You will make in 30 minutes what takes undisciplined teams 3 weeks. That is one of the true secrets to success in drill as well as in life.
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