Benton Rangler Girls Dance Team

Back to IDTA. The next several years saw continued success with the squad never getting anything less than first place in 3 minute routines and with our 8 minute show in regional competitions. We were going places and getting noticed. So was I. I was a male sponsor having a great degree of success in a female based activity. Most female sponsors thought I was the bus driver for the group. So for the first two years I always made the point of going up to the trophy table and collecting our first place trophy. Along the way I would make eye contact with the sponsors sitting in the stands. I’m sure they were thinking ‘Why is the bus driver picking up the trophy’? Well after the first two years of competition they all got to know me and eventually respected what I was able to do with the Rangler Girls and their success.

Things continued to improve and our abilities sharpened leading to the eventful year of 1983 when, in a bold move of getting the state finals staged right here in Benton and making all the teams from Chicago drive 6 hours our way, we captured the 1983 State Championship in the small school division of the IDTA. Now why is that a big deal? Well back then if you wanted to prove you were the best in the state you had to perform an eight minute show routine. Eight minutes! That is an eternity! Not to mention very expensive. No three minute routine state champs like they do now (3 minute routines were only judged for ratings). AND there were only two teams crowned as state champs. One for large schools and one for small schools. That trophy, hopefully, still sits in the trophy case in the Commons. It’s not really fancy like the ones they give out now. The IDTA didn’t have big money to spend early on. But the young ladies that earned that trophy spent an incredible amount of time, sweat, and effort to win it. Something I’ll always respect those girls for to the day I die.

1984 happened and we maintained our record of never getting anything less than first place in any 3 minute routine and our 8 minute show up to the state contest that year. That year saw a 2nd place finish in 8 minute show at state contest. 1985 came and went with the same results. That was the year we should have taken home the big prize for 8 minute show but got beat by mops and buckets from Stillman Valley in an 8 minute novelty routine (my and others opinion). Not an 8 minute show. Many of the IDTA chiefs said that was a mistake and we were clearly 1st place material but the judges had their say. Training for judges was changed the next year.

A few more years and lots of first place trophies went by and in 1987 I saw the need to give up on an experience I’ll never forget. I was burning the candle at both ends between the Rangler Girls and the band and medical problems were cropping up from the heavy time spent at the high school. One or the other had to go. I’m a musician first and foremost so I had to say goodbye to the girls. It hurt.

For me, I went on to work with the management of the IDTA serving as regional rep and on special projects helping to start a number of things. Selling merchandise at the state tourney was my idea in ’83. Also did a lot with PR and the organization. I went on to judge contests serving as head judge and then took a number of turns at judging at the State Tournament for IDTA. Just for the record there are a fair number of ‘Bill King’ inspired rules in the rule book as I always looked for the grey area. They are still there to this day!

On a personal note I cannot begin to describe the pride and respect I had for the young ladies I was able to work with. They believed in themselves and they believed in me. That’s a serious responsibility and I knew it. There was pride and motivation in every move they threw out on the floor. I never made a point to buy them jackets announcing they were Rangler Girls. I wanted their performances to say it all. And they did. Along the way I hope I showed all the ladies I worked with the value of hard work, strong beliefs, mutual respect and dreaming that a person can aspire to high goals and seeing those dreams come true. Thanks to Carol Bean who, while we were at the old Holiday Inn having a celebration dinner the night we won the ’83 championship, leaned over to me and whispered “You were right Mr. King. Just like you said, dreams do come true”. Right then and there I understood what it was to be a teacher and the power and responsibility that goes with that when working with young minds. I’m glad that lesson came early in my teaching tenure as I never forgot it for the rest of my career.