Although the challenge of a serious storm impacted the International Pathfinder Camporee, many of the activities continued or adjusted to continue successfully. One of those activities was the drill and drum competition that started on Tuesday, August 6, 2024, at noon and ran until Friday, August 9, 2024, in the afternoon.

More than 200 teams registered to participate from all around the world, teams from each of the nine unions in the North American Division, and more than 10 international teams. Representatives from the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Korea, China, Puerto Rico, Tanzania, and more took part in the competition.

Drill teams could compete in three categories: basic, advanced, and freestyle. But what are the differences? Depending on the category chosen, they were given three to seven minutes to exhibit their newly learned moves. If a team chose the basic or advanced category, they were given a list of required commands to exhibit. If a team chose freestyle, they were required to exhibit the basic commands as well as a custom freestyle routine.

A drum corps consists of at least eight members and must include three snare drums, two pair of cymbals, two bass, and one multi-tom (septs, quints, quads, or trios). They are also required to be able to demonstrate specific rudiments for this competition. They are encouraged to build their performance based off of this.

The drill teams and drum corps were judged on several criteria, including uniform, knowledge of Pathfinder information, the team/corps ability to command the team effectively, creativity, precision, and routine.

During the uniform inspection, Pathfinders were asked different questions from the required knowledge provided ahead of time. These questions ranged from the Pledge of Allegiance to the aspects of the Pathfinder emblem.

As with any other skill, it takes practice, and teams have been preparing for months and even years for this moment. “We’ve been preparing since January,” said Sisi Sasa from the Cedar Rapids Timberwolves in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. "My team has been preparing for about a year and a half,” said Ethan McKenny from the Visalia Pioneers in Visalia, California.

When competing, many Pathfinders experienced nervousness, but they used different strategies to overcome them. “I handled the nerves by praying and just remembering that I'm not doing this to win, but I and my team are doing this in honor of God,” said McKenny. “We are like a big family, so we always check on each other physically and mentally,” said Keondre Culley from the Seabrook Seahawks in Lanham, Maryland.

Drill and drum is a valuable aspect of the camporee as it allows clubs to exhibit the precision movements they have worked so hard on in between camporees in a fun way.

Due to the uniqueness of this camporee, these competitions even helped clubs keep their morale up after the storm. And although the bad weather brought slight sickness to some, they were able to work together as a large family and pull through.

Author's note: I was privileged to participate in the drill competition. After practicing for months, when we received that trophy and everyone congratulated us on the placement, it was all worth it and truly amazing. I thank God for helping all the teams through the drill and drum experience.

— Elijah Crawford is a 9th grader from Columbus, Georgia, and part of the Phenix City Falcons Pathfinder Club in Alabama.