It was a full-circle moment when Taylor Griffeth took over as head coach for the Herriman High School drill team for the upcoming school year.

As a young girl, Griffeth loved watching the Mustangs perform and participated in the HHS mini-drill team, learning to love the precision and athleticism of drill. When she attended HHS as a student, she made the drill team as a sophomore and stayed with the team for three years, serving as one of the team captains before graduating in 2019.

But even then, drill was in her blood. As COVID was winding down, she reached out to HHS drill team head coach Arial Larsen to see if there was a chance she could work as an assistant coach with the team. She got the job and worked for two years under Larsen before applying for the head coach position. 

“After going through that whole interview process, I got the job and it’s just been such an awesome experience and I’m just excited to see what the rest of the season holds,” Griffeth said. “It’s honestly been a dream come true.”

Griffeth knows the girls on this year’s drill team, and she understands how to elicit the passion, dedication and structure needed for the team to succeed. She wants people to recognize drill as a competitive sport and defines the team members as top-notch athletes.

“You have to be such an incredible athlete to execute the movements and all of the skills and requirements the judges require on the competition floor,” she said. “If anyone is able to look at the requirements, I think they will consider it a sport and you have to be an incredible athlete to be a dancer.”

Her goals for this year include team growth, not only in competition but also in the classroom. Griffeth wants team members to become the best version of themselves in all areas. By creating a positive, supportive and trusting environment, she hopes to demonstrate to the girls that they have a safe place to train and develop. 

Trust is vital to the success of any program. With 27 girls on the drill team, Griffeth said the team is determined to demonstrate unity and it’s been fun to watch them come together this summer. 

“Whether learning choreography or cleaning routines, they’ve all been extremely positive and they’ve been really good at working together,” she said. “I think it’s important to not only have positive interactions with them inside of practice, but also have positive and uplifting interactions with them outside of practice, as well.”

Griffeth has had a busy summer. Not only did she take on this new role, but she recently got married and operates her own film photography business. Her Instagram page @taytebbsfilm shows examples of her unique and whimsical viewpoint. She also gave a shout-out to Gridlee, her chocolate Lab and favorite thing ever. 

She’s excited to get the year started and help her athletes succeed as a team and as individuals. 

“I think getting to know your team is the most important way to get them to buy-in and know that you care about them as a person,” Griffeth said. “I just feel really blessed to be part of the program. It’s been such a crazy experience. I’m surrounded by such amazing parents and amazing dancers and I’m just so thankful and excited that I’m able to work with them.” λ