In this two part series, LH Today highlights a number of Lake Highlanders who have a long history with the world famous Rangerettes.

The Rangerette Drill Team is currently in its 70th year at the Kilgore College in East Texas.

On July 24th, LHHS Highlandette Kathryn Elmore was selected as a member of the 2009-'10 Kilgore Rangerette Drill Team.

Out of 106 competitors, Kathryn was one of only 36 chosen to round out this semester's line of 65 members.

To secure her coveted spot on the team, she worked extremely hard to carry on the tradition of the talented Lake Highlands women who've gone before her.

One of her predecessors even includes her mother Kim, who kicked it up from 1974 to 1976.

In all began in 1939, with Kilgore College Dean B.E. Masters and his desire to attract more young women to the school. Noble goal!

He also wanted to keep people in their seats during football game halftimes. Practical!

Thus, the Kilgore Rangerettes were born, and under the direction Gussie Nell Davis were the first drill team to bring show business to the football field.

The trend Ms. Davis started has become standard operating procedure during halftimes throughout the country - and even worldwide.

The Kilgore Rangerettes are well traveled, having performed internationally in Venezuela, Hong Kong, Macao, Korea, Romania, Paris, Cannes, Singapore, and Dublin.

U.S. performances have taken the group to Phoenix, Chicago, Washington D.C., and the Macy's Day Parade in New York City.

The Rangerettes are one of the best known and most well respected drill teams in the world. They are the epitome of halftime show biz!

Lake Highlands senior Kathryn Elmore was so intent on becoming a Rangerette that she missed her all-night graduation party so she could travel to Henderson, Texas.

It was there that she trained with a former Rangerette for two weeks in preparation for the tryouts, in addition to summer dance lessons here in Dallas.

"When I actually got to Kilgore, I was so impressed with the dedicated atmosphere and extreme talent I witnessed at the tryouts," says Kathryn.

"All the hopefuls - myself included - were encouraging one another, even though all of us had the same ultimate goal of making the line."

Kathryn was inspired by her mom, and she had dreamed of becoming a Rangerette since she was little.

To that end she made it a point to become an LHHS Highlandette knowing she would grow as a dancer.

Grow she did, under the direction of recently retired Highlandette Director Shannon Carlton, who was on the Rangerette line from 1998 to 2000 and currently serves as the Board President of Rangerettes Forever.

Carlton's experience was a little different from Kathryn's, but certainly no less work. "I first tried out for the Rangerettes in 1997, immediately following my senior year of high school. Back then, Rangerette auditions were two weeks long and concluded three days prior to the first day of college."

"I was devastated when I didn't make the line, but I'd been bitten by the Rangerette bug, and I knew would try out again," says Carlton.

"I trained for another year, returned to Kilgore and was honored to make the 59th Rangerette line. My classmates selected me as their Freshman Sergeant, and two years later I was selected as the Captain of the 60th line. What a journey!"

Kathryn reported for Rangerette duty on August 14th and now stays on campus in the Gussie Nell Davis residence, built in 2005.

She says of her tryout experience, "The icing on the cake for me was Ms. Carlton surprising me with a special gift."

"She passed on her Rangerette hanging bag, which is all part of the Rangerette way of doing things!"

Tomorrow's installment of the Lake Highlands Rangerette experience will focus on LH ladies who were part of the team during the 1960's.

Photos courtesy of Kathryn Elmore and Shannon Carlton, pictured below on the line in 1999.