FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS
Whitehouse dancer kicks up dust in Kilgore
BY SUZANNE LOUDAMY Staff writer

Whitehouse graduate Maghan Bridges honed her dancing talents as a First Lady and is now captain of the Kilgore College Rangerettes.

Don't let that blonde hair fool you. Underneath that perfectly tilted white hat is the brain of a bright young lady, well on her way to success in this world.

Maghan Bridges is in college, preparing to be the best member of society she can be. It has taken a few kicks here and there, but she is making great strides. Many of those strides have been taken in sparkling white drill team boots. Bridges is the captain of the Kilgore College Rangerettes.

The Kilgore College Rangerettes were the creation of Miss Gussie Nell Davis in 1940, pioneering the field of dancing drill teams now seen across the nation.

As a freshman in high school, Bridges saw, first hand, a performance of the Rangerettes and set her goal right then and there. She had taken dance classes at Candy Crocker's for 14 years and was developing into quite a dancer. But this was beyond her wildest dreams.

In high school Bridges honed her talents as a member of First Ladies Drill Team at Whitehouse High School.

"I always knew that I wanted to do more so I started with drill team," Bridges said. "After I made drill team and started being very involved, I knew that I wanted to do something after high school, but I didn't know what."

Bridges said she had great influences as she made the big decision about auditioning for the team.

"The main person who encouraged me to try out was Mrs. Johnston, the First Ladies director," she said. "She was a Rangerette lieutenant and started talking to me about Rangerettes from day one. I also went to Revels which is the Rangerette's spring show, for the first time my freshman year. When I cried when they performed their production at the end of the show I knew that I had to try out."

Graduation came and Bridges' summer was filled with hours and hours of dance practice to prepare for her try-outs in Kilgore.

"I didn't really know what to expect either time," Bridges said. "Trying out for the team is a week full of kicking and studio style combinations. You are marked ever y day on the dances you have learned and then picked by the directors, the sophomores, and a panel of judges."

The process for officer tryouts included learning the history of the Rangerettes as well as an interview process. Judges, fellow sophomore team members and the directors all play a role in choosing the officers. After months of preparation and teamwork, the day of announcements came.

"On the day of the actual announcements, the judges watch the candidates do the strut in groups of five," Bridges said. "They make different combinations and you do the strut over and over until they have made their decision."

The days are long and practices grueling to achieve the precision the Rangerettes are well-known for.

"We practice every day from 1 p.m. to whenever everything is accomplished," she said. "That is normally between 3-4 p.m. During football season, we practice on the football field every day and then during the spring, which is what we call Revels season, we practice in the auditorium. During Revels there are a lot of extra practices in the afternoons for the different dances that you are in."

Bridges said she has met some amazing people and made some wonderful friends through the entire experience as a Rangerette and now as captain of the team. And she really gets excited when talking about the trips and extra performances they have done.

"We went to Chicago last Thanksgiving and are going to New York this year," she said. "We have done a lot of hospital galas and different shows and we have a few exciting performances coming up. We actually have a great opportunity to dance at the Crystal Charity Ball in Dallas this December. It is one of our first times to perform in anything but our uniform but the client wants us to look similar to the Rockettes."

This 20-year-old student leader is currently majoring in elementary education but thinks she would like to try her had in the business world as an event planner. Her college aspirations may take her to the University of North Texas which would put her in the Dallas vicinity. That would work out well with her other future plans. She plans to try out for the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders in April.

She says she misses her family and friends back in Whitehouse and comes home as often as she can.

Being the leader of such a prestigious group has its load of responsibility and leaves one with a wealth of experience to feed off of the rest of your life. Bridges reflected on what she has learned from her years as a First Lady and a Rangerette.

"Being a First Lady really taught me about teamwork and revealed to me a lot about what being a true leader is," she said. "I never knew that when I came to be a Rangerette I would learn so much about myself. I have learned to truly respect the people around me and appreciate what I have and the opportunities I have been given."

"I am able to take constructive criticism gracefully and apply it to improve myself," Bridges added. "I have matured a lot as a young woman and I think that everyone who comes through Kilgore does. You leave as a different and more stable person who usually knows more about herself and her goals in life than most college sophomores."

Bridges had great praise for her directors, Dana Blair and Shelly Wayne.

"These ladies are the most perfect examples of truly beautiful woman, inside and out, whom I look up to and all of us aspire to be like."

Positive people have certainly played an important role in the life of this young lady, something that can serve as a reminder for everyone: there is always someone watching. Act like it!