DILLON - At the Dillon fairgrounds, meet the nine-time state champion Ramblin’ Rose Drill Team.
Members of the team prepare for their season filled with performances and competitions with their trusted partners, their horses.
"We’re at the beginning of the season right now so everything is a walk and a trot. By the time we hit the rodeos, we’re at full speed," said Lyndee Fogel, President of the Ramblin' Rose Drill Team.
The drill team was formed in 1985 as a non-profit organization in Dillon. The team performs choreographed maneuvers to music in front of spectators at rodeos or at competitions.
Lyndee Fogel has been on the team for 34 years. She says she isn’t tired of the rush that comes from performing and competing.
"The rodeos are an adrenaline rush. They're fun, we love to entertain the crowd," said Fogel.
For the past two years, the team has been participating in virtual national competitions. In-person competitions were canceled because of the pandemic so a virtual event allowed teams all across the country to compete.
"Normally we would just compete against teams from Montana so we’ve gotten to compete against teams from California, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Florida. . . so that’s actually been a really fun thing too," said Fogel.
Ramblin’ Rose placed third in the 2020 virtual competition and Fogel says it was great but is glad to be back in arenas with crowds of people cheering the team on.
"You know the more the crowd applauds the horses enjoy it and I always figured that the day I don’t get an adrenaline rush at the rodeos is probably when it’s time to not ride anymore," said Fogel.
Catch their first performance on July 8 and 9 at the East Helena Rodeo.