Guadalupe County Agricultural & Livestock Fair Association True Women Drill Team
History and Purpose
The Guadalupe County Fair Association (GCFA) True Women Drill Team was formed in January 2002 to be ambassadors for the association. Former Seguinite and nationally known author Janice Woods Windle granted the team permission to use the title of her first novel, True Women, in our team name as we strive to honor the spirit of the pioneer women who helped settle Guadalupe and the surrounding counties.
Sponsors
The 2011 Drill Team sponsors are Marion Animal Hospital, Parkview Animal Hospital, Heath Septic Service, the U.S. Army Recruiting Station-Seguin Texas, Flanagan Chiropractic, Corner Post Realty and the Lester Meier Rodeo Company!! We are proud to carry their flags and thankful for everything our sponsors do for our organization.
Parades and Performances
We, the ladies of the GCFA True Women Drill Team, volunteer our time and horses to promote the Guadalupe County Fair and PRCA Rodeo. We enjoy exercising our creativity while decorating our horses for an average of ten parades annually ranging from the small town La Vernia Bluebonnet Festival Parade to the Schertz Festival of Angels lighted night parade to the City of San Antonio Battle of Flowers Parade, the parade that never ends, and of course our own Guadalupe County Fair Parade. We love seeing people stand out of respect for Old Glory, hearing small children say; "Your horse is pretty!" and waving to the crowds. The icing on the cake is when we win an award!
As much as we love parades, nothing compares to the adrenaline rush of performing our precision drill at "rodeo speed" (really fast!) before an appreciative audience. We advertise our County Fair and Rodeo by performing for the Lester Meier Rodeo Co. and Triple R Rodeo Co. at rodeos within a two hour drive of Seguin. Of course the event we look forward to most is our own Guadalupe County Fair when we ride for the Triple R Ranch Rodeo (the first weekend in October) and Thursday and Saturday nights of our PRCA Rodeo (the second weekend in October).
Membership
GCFA True Women Drill Team members are first and foremost Guadalupe County Fair Association members. We each volunteer a minimum of thirty hours per year working to prepare for and hold Fair Association events and maintain the Fairgrounds.
Each member provides her own horse, equipment, and uniform. Additional expenses include fuel and decorations.
Our current members come from a wide variety of backgrounds including business owners, health care professionals, administrative assistants, educators, domestic engineers, and more, but our common love of horses and performing keeps us focused on providing the best possible performance and entertaining the crowd.
The 2011 GCFA True Women Drill Team members are:
Captain: Debra Lehmann
Lieutenants: Sharon Villalpando & Renee Ilse
Members: Heather Elliott, Kayla Fitch, Ginny Fox, Mendi Hartung, Sue Hollinshead, Vera Lane, Terry Mayfield, Christie McLendon, Elisha Snavely, Brenda Spaulding, Melissa Underwood, Jessica White, Carrie Wilbert, Lynn Wilson, Terry Young & Leslie Yohe
Ground Crew: Zack Douglas & Tom Fox
Join the Team/Book a Performance
If you are interested in joining the Guadalupe County Fair Association True Women Drill Team or booking us for a performance or to add that cowgirl spirit to your event, please contact the Fair Association office at 830-379-6477.
We are often asked the criteria for whether or not we book a particular event. These are the considerations:
- Does it conflict with another event we currently have scheduled?
- Do we have enough members available to perform for the event?
- How far away is the event and can we get there in time?
We do not charge for performances. Occasionally, the team receives donations in return for performances. These donations are used to defray our travel expenses or to fund the annual Drill Team scholarship awarded as part of the Fair Association's Scholarship Program.
We look forward to seeing you during our Fair the first two weekends of October. Please contact our Captain, Debra Lehmann, if you have additional questions and giddy up!
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