Drill team is a very important part of my life. So important, in fact, that the first few days of my summer for the past three years have been dedicated to the adventurous challenge of Officer Camp. For those of you who don't know what is required of dance officers at officer camp (or maybe your school doesn't have a drill team at all), I will explain. Officer (and/or Sergeant/Social Representative) lines from around 30 different high schools gather for an entire weekend to learn two dances (one of choice from a selection and one that the entire camp performs), choreograph one (which must be evaluated and has many technical restrictions), and evaluate one other dance that they will compete during drill team competition season. Dancers arrive Friday to learn the Camp Dance, and then proceed to pull two roughly-19-hour days in a row (Saturday and Sunday) because all of their practice time is during the night, followed by evaluations on Monday morning. Yesterday afternoon, I returned from what I can unfortunately say was my very last officer camp. After years of being completely afraid of officer camp, here are the ABC's of lessons I learned and important qualities to have in the face of this from my sophomore year until now during this life-changing weekend.

A - Accountability
As you begin to become more mentally exhausted, you are more prone to mistakes. As an officer, you must be extremely careful and cognizant of these mistakes, but sometimes, they do happen. In the case of a mistake, you must be able to be accountable for your actions; own up to what you did, fix it, and do NOT try to make excuses based off of your lack of sleep. Just do it.

B - Bravery
Walking into officer camp takes an extreme amount of courage. I learned this important lesson my first year as an officer - If you can't step up to responsibilities then, will you be able to step up in front of your team?

C - Communication
Your line will get tired. You will get tired. But it's always important to make sure that you're communicating with your team in a way that not only shows them that you care, but doesn't come across as demeaning or belittling. As a leader, it is your job to always communicate not only director's instructions, but motivation for the other girls on your line to keep pushing through.

D - Drive
You WILL be mentally drained. But if you keep going, you will motivate the other girls to keep going as well. Remember how badly you wanted your position. How badly do you want to succeed in your position now?

E - Exhaustion
Have I mentioned yet that you will be tired? You will be tired. Your line will be tired. And exhaustion leads to another "D", delirium, that is the sole cause of many of the memories you make. Look at your exhaustion as a good thing. If you can push through it at camp, you can push through it later in the year. Eat well (BRING FRUIT) and drink water. The more, the better. I learned this the hard way.

F - Friendship
Having to sleep in a bed with someone just as delirious as you are (or even more so) can lead to many unforgettable memories. Long night practices will not only make you better but bring you closer as a team. There are stories that I still tell the team from my first officer camp because they successfully brought the other officer (there were two of us at the time) and I just a little closer.

G - Growth
One of the main purposes of officer camp is to grow your line's trust, care, and work ethic. And looking back at every camp I've been to, I can say that each long weekend definitely did just that.

H - Health
I'm not talking about the 3 pounds I lost at my first officer camp. I'm talking about your eating choices. If you're not eating and drinking right, camp is going to be that much harder. Eat breakfast EVERY SINGLE DAY, even if you don't normally. Eat fruit. Eat things with a lot of protein. Last but not least, keep 3-4 water bottles in your bag every day. My first camp I hardly drank two. Now I can easily finish three before lunchtime even hits. Water and good dietary choices are what can make or break you at officer camp. Plan out your meals so you aren't scavenging for food last minute. Also, divide up snack purchases (to keep in your room) between your line so you don't end up with four packages of gatorade and no substantial food. Also, bring a cooler - there's an ice machine in the hotel hallway, delegate who will get the ice daily so you can bring a wider selection of food, not just things that don't require refrigeration.

I - Independence
For the majority of the day, you and your line are without your director in classes and leadership sessions. You (especially as Captain) will need to learn to be independent when your director is absent so your line doesn't argue or stumble through the day cluelessly like newborn horses wearing blindfolds.

J - Jitters
There will be nerves before you evaluate a routine you learned less than 24 hours ago. But you need to learn to let them go. If you're scared it will show on the floor in front of the judges, and you're more likely to mess up. Shake them out and smile. It's two minutes of your time. You can do it.

K - Kindness
When we're tired, we're much more likely to say things we don't mean. Remember that kindness is key at all times, and especially here, where you're learning to strengthen your officer line. Don't say or something you'll regret the rest of the year. This is about bonding, not sleep. You should know that going into it. If you have a strong officer line, you're more likely to have a strong team. Don't ruin it early in the game for everyone else.

L - Listen
Your directors know what's best. Your teachers know what's best. Your amazing staff buddies (shoutout to team S.S. Swag) know what's best. You will not always know. What you say will not always go. And that is okay. Make sure you're listening, especially during leadership sessions. The teachers there are speaking to help you, not to hear their own voices. Don't check out and take a nap with your eyes open. What matters to you more, 45 minutes of sleep, or a year's worth of success for your entire team? The answer is simple. It's about your team. Not about you.

M - Memories
Some of the best moments with your officer line will happen at officer camp. Make memories. Make friends. Love what you're doing. In five years you won't remember the dances you learned, but you'll hopefully be sitting next to some of the friends you've made.

N - Negativity is Costly
Not everyone is jumping with joy over late night practice. But one negative comment can spread bad feelings like a wildfire. Don't say anything that doesn't show how grateful you are for your position. There are probably girls on your team who would do anything to stand where your aching feet are right now. Don't take your position for granted. You earned it. Prove it.

O - Organization
Throughout the camp, especially as Captain or Head officer, you will receive many papers with instructions, maps, class times, and schedules. You CANNOt misplace them. It's one thing to lose your individual copy of your schedule (which you can hang around your neck, so you shouldn't....), but it's another to lose the class assignments of the entire line once workshops come around. Know where you are, what you are doing, and how you need to be doing it. Keep everything together, no matter how tempting it is to throw it on the floor at 1 a.m. after a long practice.

P - Patience
Not everyone will understand a dance at first while you're teaching it, and that's okay. Chances are, you were in their shoes once upon a time. Maybe you still are. But you know that each girl on your line would be patient while you persevere (another "P"), so do the same for them. Officer camp is a lot, especially for the newer, younger girls. Let them have their experience just as you had yours. Be patient, and good things will happen.

Q - Quick Eyed-ness
Dances will be taught fast, as each choreography session is only an hour and a half. Each room will have quite a few girls, and choreographers will rotate lines frequently. You as an officer need to always be watching, so you can get the choreography right when it's taught. Also, when cleaning your line at night, you need to make sure you catch anything that you could have points deducted for. The dances are fast and detailed, but one wrong arm could set you apart from the team who all has their left arm straight out from their shoulder at a "high V".

R - Respect
Respect your director. Respect your teammates. They are there for you. But in all honesty, I have gained immense amounts of respect for every single drill team Captain out there, past, present, and future - officer camp is a totally different experience for y'all that the rest of the officer line, and I didn't realize it until I wore those shoes.

S - Support
Your line MUST support each other. This is obvious. Sometimes, girls may become discouraged. And if this is the case, you need to support them even more. You're all in this together to better yourselves....together. There is no one person who should be working less than anyone else. Support, support, support. I can't stress this enough.

T - Teamwork
Again, you're all in this together. You go in together. You come out together. And you will repeat this exact process in two months...with your ENTIRE team. Teamwork makes the dream work. Work together, and there is no stopping you.

U - Understanding
Understand that this is not easy. Understand that it isn't meant to. Understand that sometimes, people will get stressed. Understand. You need to be there for others. Understand their needs. Understand what needs to be worked on. Understand the choreography, so that you don't have to re-learn it later on your own when you could've already taught it.

V - Victory
Keep all of these qualities in the back of your mind, and there is no way you as a line will not make it successfully through officer camp.

W - Work Ethic
Your line will only be as strong as its weakest link. Don't let that be you because you're "too tired to try." If you've got the work ethic (especially as Captain), than your line will have the work ethic, and your team at home will have the work ethic. Simple as that.

X - eXpress Your Love
It is an honor to be an officer. It is an honor to be at officer camp. And it is an honor to work with the girls who have been chosen to work with you, and vice versa. Express that to them, and let them know they're important to you. This will boost their morale and keep them going.

Y - Yearn to Learn
Yearn for the knowledge you will receive, because it will help your team when they receive it from you. Enough said.

Z - Zone In
Focus, focus, focus. It makes the time go by faster, and the night practices a lot easier.

Thank you, officer camp, for teaching me these incredible life lessons. I wish I'd known your importance when I started, and I very much wish my time every summer with you hadn't come to an end so soon.