By unk

All Military Drill Teams

"The Drill Teams perform their breathtaking routines with bayonet-tipped 1903 Springfield rifles.

The soldiers are selected for the elite teams after six months of rigorous and competitive drill practice. Trim military bearing, strength and dexterity are mandatory for qualification to the Drill Teams. For those selected for the teams, the rigors of training never stop.

To execute their complicated routines as close to perfection as possible, the team practices constantly.

The Drill Team performs a variety of intricate maneuvers that have extremely high risk factors. One such maneuver is dubbed the "daring front-to-rear overhead rifle toss,' and it is deserving of such a glorified title. During this dangerous routine, four members of the Drill Team alternately toss their spinning, 10-pound rifles from the front rank to the back, often as high as 15 feet into the air and 12 feet to the rear. Then four soldiers in the back rank catch the revolving weapons one-handed in a true demonstration of courage and concentration. In most cases, revolution of the rifle ends as the bayonet arcs just past the soldier's right ear.

Other noted drill sequences in the Drill Team repertoire include the manual of arms in unison and the Queen Anne Salute - a favorite of audiences young and old.

Also, there is a specialty drill during which the drill master stands in the center of the formation surrounded by four soldiers who toss their bayonet-tipped weapons above and around his head.

Marching cadence of the drill team is 90 steps per minute, considerably faster than regulations march tempo.

Timing must be letter perfect, as all routines are performed without vocal cadence or musical cues. Only the team's superb discipline enables its members to continuously challenge fate, and win. "