Monday, November 28, 2011

Latasha Ruffin

Latasha Ruffin is a 23 year old drill team director from Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. Her drill team, the Talented Youth Cavaliers, is also located in Upper Darby and has been in existence since 2008. She co-directs the team with her fiance Walter Morton.  Ruffin and her team were 2011 Pennsylvania State Champions for the American Marching Association (AMA). Talented Youth Cavaliers consists of three sections: Peewees (ages 3-9), Juniors (any age up to 13) and drummers (any age).


How long have you been in the drill team industry ? 


I've doing drill team for fifteen years, 5 years directing it.


What style would you consider your marching routine?


I consider my style dramatic with a pinch of fancy and sassy.  :)


How did you first become involved with drill team ?


I was brought in to drill team by the late Angela, director of the Wister Townhouse Elite Steppers Drill Team. She was the first person to introduce me to the drill team sector. It gave me a place to have fun and keep out of trouble.


What made you want to direct your own team ?


I wanted to help kids and keep them off the streets.  I also love being able to see my creativity on the [competition] floor while competing against other teams.


What do you hope to accomplish with your drill team ?


I want to able to have kids look up to me as a role model , and be able to say that I helped them succeed in a part of their life.


What do you like to do in your spare time ?


I like to make up routines on the toilet.


Lol, she be trippin though right ?


Do you have any advice for people who are interested in starting their own drill team?


Drillteam is one of the sports that keeps kids going. If you don't have anything that you like to do off hand, I'd advise you to try drill team. It's alot more than just marching and competing. Drill team is a good learning experience; it teaches you leadership, social skills and interacting with peers. If you're trying to become a director: once you start,  finish. Never give up, it's always going to be hard in the beginning.


Love the Advice.


One thing about Latasha and her fiance that makes them great at what they do is determination. Both of them have been apart of a drill team for majority of their lives but recently became directors....and you all know how much teams struggle in the beginning. She and her fiance tweaked their style, kept motivating and recruiting members and morphed into one of the top drill teams on the east coast. If you have kids live in the Upper Darby area, I highly recommend you enroll your child(ren) as a stepper or drummer if they aren't involved in some type of activity (and only if their interested obviously). Not only will your child learn a new skill, they will learn to be confident, sociable and disciplined, trust !






                                                        Talented Youth Cavaliers at PA State Competition

Talented Youth Cavaliers Junior and Peewees




Want to contact Latasha Ruffin ? Interested or know someone is who interested  in drilling/drumming for her team ?  Contact her !


Facebook:
Talented Youth Cavaliers


-andweout

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