See it. Say it. Do it.
The six-word motto written in maroon on the grey T-shirts of the 12 members of the W.F. West High School equestrian drill team is a silent reminder of what it takes to be a great drill team, not just a good one.
Ask any coach or athlete about the keys toward a successful drill pattern performance, and the overwhelming response is communication. With this weekend’s Pacific Northwest Invitational Championship in Redmond, Oregon, looming, the Bearcats are honing in on that final element before their last competition of the season.
The equestrian team is made up of athletes from W.F. West, Centralia, Adna, Napavine, Winlock, Toledo, Mossyrock and Onalaska — many schools that rival each other in most sports. But any rivalry is left outside the arena and swapped for a collaborative energy that took months to blossom.
Seven of the dozen drill team members this season are newcomers. Head coach Crusita Joblonski said the rookies have grown over the last month and a half as they enter the regional competition against the top horsewomen across Washington and Oregon this weekend.
“Even our five returning riders aren’t on all of their original horses from prior seasons. It’s really impressive to watch the five returners step up and help the up-and-coming riders and their horses,” she said. “They’re encouraging them, and the new riders are adapting to what’s going on and willing to learn.”
Adviser Linda Elder described the season as a “growing year” after 10 seniors graduated last year, but this season’s group has surprised her and the coaching staff with its performance, particularly at the state finals in Moses Lake last month.
“The kids have really stepped up and have done a really good job. They don’t only practice here at the arena. In the beginning of the year, they have a walk through where they meet once a week and they walk the pattern several times on foot so they get used to the pattern,” she said. “Even at meets, they’ll do four or five walk throughs before they actually get on their horses. We start at the beginning of the season in practice and we’re like, ‘Oh man, I hope they’re ready.’ But they go out and surprise us every year.”
Part of the team’s recipe for success is its simplistic goals set at the beginning of every season. Every rider aims to be a little better than their last ride, and, eventually, trophies will come.
“The only thing we ask the girls is to go out there and give 110% of what they have to give,” Joblonski said. “Put the best ride we can in the dirt, and let practice pay off.”
Hailee Heinricher, a former four-year rider with the team who helps the team at practice, concurred with that sentiment and added the girls’ deep bond and friendship with one another has done wonders for their competitive drive.
“Not every rider and every horse is going to be feeling 100% for every ride. You have to fill in for your teammates when they need it,” she said. “If someone can only give their 20%, it’s making up that other 80% with the rest of the team and all of them pushing together and working cohesively.”
Drill captain Cyndle Haller, a recent graduate from Boistford Online School, has used years of learning lessons from both the roses and thorns of riding to help the newcomers get up to speed. When she was young, she bought a horse named Sassy that bucked her off, causing her to break her wrist and creating a deep fear of horses. Haller’s grandmother signed her up for horse lessons, and five days later, her fears had absolved and her love for horses returned.
“It was terrifying. I was honestly really scared,” Haller said of riding after the injury. “I didn’t even want to get on. But the person that taught me how to ride put a lead rope on the horse and she made him go fast. Then I learned it was OK.”
Through her four years with the W.F. West equestrian team, Haller said the biggest lesson she has learned is that everything is about the horse. According to Joblonski, the team has mastered that skill, and the rest is perfecting the drill pattern with lots of complicated maneuvers that would appear overwhelming to the untrained eye.
“The last things we’re fine tuning are our spacing, timing and alignment. They’ve gotten their drill down pretty good. If you watch drill, it’s pretty intimidating to watch,” Joblonski said. “You really become a big family in a drill team and you learn to come out of your box.”
With the majority of the drill team starting the season as newcomers, Joblonski said it took about half the season for the team to come into form and communicate like a team capable of competing at the state and regional level.
“Our first meet was in February, and they went in there scared to death and came out a whole different team,” she said. “We came back to practice and they were talking and communicating. It was such a cool switch.”
Adna High School sophomore Preslee Hellem, who will be the drill captain next year, said communication during a drill performance is more than just declaring spacing and alignment. When they hit their maneuvers, the riders will often yell in celebration and encourage one another, but Hellem believes the team can take their communication to another level, starting with regionals.
“Communication has been one of our biggest hangups with this team. I feel like if we can all communicate and talk about how everything’s going with controlling our speed and paying attention to the smaller things, I think that will really set us apart,” she said.
In total, the equestrian team includes 16 athletes. Of the 12 drill team members, several will also compete in individual events at regionals.
