The Durbanville Junior Majorettes (Durbanville Drummies) may not have had an easy march to Nationals, but together they defied the odds and even went on to win the championship!
South Africa (18 July 2024) — The Durbanville Junior Majorettes (AKA the Durbanville Drummies) defied the odds in more ways than one to claim their crowns as the National Champions of 2024 for Small and Large Drill.
This marked the first time that the Durbanville Junior Majorettes have won the National Championships of the Federation of Dance Drill, Cheerleading and Majorette Sport South Africa as Tygerburger reports—a title they fought long and hard to claim.
For proud mom and Club Secretary Janien Ryk, the win was about far more than just beating out the competition; shining as a victory for the value of sisterhood, friendship and supporting each other even when the chips seemed down.
“Drummies is an extremely underfunded sport,” Janien tells Good Things Guy, adding that the majority of the funding comes from the girls’ parents—many of whom face the tough task of making a plan beyond their financial means.
“These young ladies come from all walks of life and most parents do not have the means to financially support their daughters, but also do not want their daughters to give up this sport.”
For many young girls, it’s a space where they can grow, learn to persevere beyond their circumstances and access a special sense of belonging.
“Through drummies these girls learn respect, integrity, love for each other and themselves and how to share and be supportive of each other,” Janien says.
But despite all the sports’ merit, the journey leading to the 2024 Nationals (which took place over the June/July holidays) was far from a smooth march for the Durbanville Drummies.
Sponsorship support was limited, and only spare change had been raised on the squad’s BackaBuddy campaign as Janien shares. However, the saying “where there’s a will there’s a way” is cliché for a reason as it is so often true.
“[The limited support] was quite disheartening, but nevertheless, the girls made it to Nationals and the FREKKING WON,” Janien beams.
Now that the girls have proven their talents and tenacity, Janien and the other proud are hoping to drum up more support so that the girls won’t have to march in the same uniform for the next five years and won’t have to stress about not being able to make a competition due to the many costs that come with the territory.
The team have a crowdfunding campaign running and hope that their community beyond the Northern Suburbs will lend their support to this beloved sport.
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