Miss Dance Drill Team TexasLogo

The Miss Dance Drill Team Texas (MDDTTexas) Competition is one of Texas’ oldest dance/drill team competitions. Founded by the late Dr. Kay Teer-Crawford, MDDTTexas has provided numerous opportunities for drill team members both nationally and internationally. To honor her memory, Dr. Crawford’s family is continuing her legacy through the continuation of Miss Dance Drill Team USA.

For over 30 years, MDDTTexas has served as the qualifying competition for participation in the MDDTUSA National Competition held in California in the Spring of each year.

The MDDTTexas Competition is composed of team, officer, ensembles, and two types of solo divisions. Current members of public high school drill teams, age 16 or older are eligible to compete for the Miss Dance Drill Team Texas title. The Top 3 Texas finalists will qualify for the competition in the MDDT-USA contest at both the Kingwood Park/Oak Ridge contests.

The History of MDDT Texas

The first contests for MDDTTexas were in the early 1970's and were designed for only soloists to compete at the national competition. Dr. Crawford had two contests - one in Dallas and the other in Nederland. The winner of each area went to Calif. to compete. In the late 1970's (1976) - Cathy Arellano took her first officer group from La Marque HS to the officer camp at UH where she met Dr. Crawford. Cathy's team was small and it was a rough year. Kay mentored her and help her through the bumps of learning how to teach drill team to a group of ladies. Cathy's first contest with Kay was in 1980, when she brought the entire team to Nimitz for competition. Only a few teams were there but there was a cheerleader division , as well as a dance division. Cathy took La Marque to nationals in 1981and was hooked on going west!! The girls had a great time and the contest was so different! Teams were able to compete in any division small, med., or large team. Directors chose the strategy they felt best suited their team.

When Cathy became the director of the Klein Oak Strutters, she continued taking her team to  compete in California. She and Dr. Crawford became very close and she asked Cathy if she would like to take MDDT Texas over and establish it as a major contest for teams. She was redesigning MDDTUSA and wanted to concentrate on that and the challenge of having dance in the Olympics. Cathy was flattered and scared! A company with such a great mentor and roots deeper than any other company was a huge legacy to continue. Kay and Cathy revamped KayTeethe competitions and when Kay passed away in 2001 at the age of 89 - Cathy knew that she was proud of the work Cathy had done. Two weeks before she died, she told Cathy that she had given MDDTTexas to her because she knew how much she loved drill team (as much as she did)! She never wanted the love of drill team to die and she was very sure that Cathy would hold on to her dream.

"I promised Kay that I would keep her dream alive and was honored when I was asked to give her eulogy. I hope to continue to make her proud."

The Philosophy

Cathy's Philosophy:  "I cherish the drill team experiences. I believe that my mentor, Kay Crawford had the right idea in regards to her love of Drill Team and healthy competition. It makes a student grow in dignity and integrity. It's not about the trophy. It's about what develops from within that builds the character. I continue to pursue her dream and I hope it influences students in developing self-esteem and pride in hard work with dedication. As an administrator, I can see the need for programs like Drill Team where students have structure that is wholesome and real. MDDTTexas is an avenue that teaches hard work and good sportsmanship."

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