“We’re so excited about it, and we’ve already heard from a lot of people,” Coeds director Carolyn Zangri said. “They say, ‘Oh, my mom was a Coed or my cousin was, so I’m going to call them.’ Some of them are out of state, and they’re coming in.”
The Coeds were formed as a drill team in 1960 under Marilyn Rice and through the years won three drill national championships and performed for two presidents, Zangri said.
Carol Corbin Wilcox, a 1973 Centerville graduate, said her Coeds squad had a robust 77 members, in part because only a few sports teams and extracurricular activities were available for girls.
“There are so many more opportunities now,” Wilcox said. “Back then, if you had a daughter on the Coeds, it was like having a son on the football team. I loved every second of it.”
Over the years, the Coeds moved away from the military drill team style, and the 17 current Coeds are preparing for their competition dance season, doing double turns and switch leaps as they try to defend their Showcase America national championships in the hip-hop and kick categories.
At the March 6 invitational at Centerville High School, the current team will join the returning Coeds to perform the standing fight song at about 5 p.m.
“There’s a sense of pride because I know that (the Coeds) have been here for such a long time,” current captain Katy Steele said while looking at decades-old photos. “What they did was really cool — the style they had. And it’s fun to look back and see how it’s evolved.”
Much has changed — no more height and weight requirements — but Zangri said the group still performs at Centerville football and basketball games, and still uses the old drill team’s call to attention and dismissal commands. The team has had second-generation Coeds, and has sent dancers on to collegiate dance teams and ballet programs.
“Fifty years is huge; so few organizations make it to 50,” Zangri said. “This is my 11th year, and I love every minute of it. ... It’s been an awesome experience, and I love being with the girls.”
Coeds returning for the March 6 event are asked to contact Zangri at Caro43@aol.com or (937) 434-6420. The group is also looking for old team photos, stories and costumes to display that weekend.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2278 or jkelley@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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