BROADFORD-BASED marching group Mitchell DrillDance Club hopes to host a round of state competition in March.
The club, which was formed in 2019 by Broadford resident Dianne Pungor, is hoping to attract new members to participate in DrillDance Victoria competition.
DrillDance Victoria, which was formed in the 1990s, had its roots in the female-only Australian Marching Association competition before being rebranded as a unisex sport.
It emphasises teamwork, coordination, good posture and physical activity through technical drills and thematic dance aspects.
Mitchell DrillDance Club secretary Coleen Lazaric said the group was looking to expand in 2021 and were seeking council approval to host a round of domestic competition. The club will also compete at the state titles in Geelong on the last weekend of March.
“It’s a good sport and it’s easy to do,” she said.
“We’ve got ladies in the masters team who are up into their 60s, and I know of other ladies in other teams who are in their early 70s, so it’s a sport you can join when you’re young and pretty much do it your whole life.
“We have nine members in our masters team, an under-13 team with six members, and our committee members and affiliated members plus a coordinator for each team, so there are probably 25 members in the whole club.
“Our plan is to continue to grow, ideally. We had a stall set up [last week] at the Broadford festival and there was a lot of interest from the younger age groups. We had a bit of interest in the under-eight age group and a couple of kids interested in the intermediate age group from 13 to about 15.
“We also had a bit of interest in the masters age group, and the more people you have, the better the spectacle.
“March will be the first time either of our teams have competed at a state competition. They’re all very excited, especially the little ones.”
Ms Lazaric said hosting a round of the state championships would be a good chance for Mitchell Shire residents to discover what DrillDance was all about.
“If all goes well with council and COVID restrictions aren’t too tight, we hope to make use of the Broadford Leisure Centre on either March 7 or 14,” she said.
“We thought if there is going to be a competition in the area, we could encourage people to come along and see not only us, but all the other teams from around the state as well.”
