Add to your team order
Light-Up LED Pom Poms
Metallic streamers with LEDs built into the pom, a rechargeable pack, and one remote that changes the whole team’s color at once.
$145 USD per pair
Drill team competitions run in winter and spring, after football: Miss Dance Drill Team, Texas holds its 2027 regionals on January 30 and February 6, and Utah’s 2A and 3A state drill finals were held on January 30, 2026. Teams compete by category, such as pom, kick, military, prop and novelty, and every contest sets its own prop rules, so order contest poms and costumes to each rulebook. Light-up poms belong to game season and your own shows: night halftimes, pep rallies and the spring show, at $120 a pair on 10 or more pairs.
When is drill team contest season?
| Contest | When | Where |
|---|---|---|
| MDDT Texas regionals | Saturday, January 30 and Saturday, February 6, 2027 | Kingwood Park HS; Oak Ridge HS |
| MDDT Texas state contest | Saturday, February 20, 2027 | Klein Cain HS |
| MDDT Texas championship | Saturday, February 27, 2027 | C.E. King HS |
| Utah 2A and 3A state drill finals | Friday, January 30, 2026 | UCCU Center, Utah Valley University, Orem |
| TDEA West Houston Drill Team Assessment | Reported November 13, 2025; 39 6A high school drill teams | Legacy Stadium, Katy |
Sources: Miss Dance Drill Team, Texas, KSL.com, Pearland ISD. In Utah, the state high school activities association has sanctioned competitive drill since 1983 (source: KSL.com). A typical Texas varsity schedule: one solo competition in the winter and two team competitions in the spring (source: The Buzz Magazines).
What categories do drill team competitions judge?
| Category | What the contest says |
|---|---|
| Pom | “Poms should be utilized for the (75%) majority of the routine” |
| Kick | Kicks make up a minimum of 75% of the performance |
| Military | Strong, sharp, linear movements, precise moves and formation changes |
| Prop | An object that leads the choreography |
| Novelty | An unusual or humorous dance, usually with a theme |
| Gameday | A fight song routine; the only props are spirit towels and poms, and spirit signs are allowed |
Category wording from MDDT Texas guidelines. Utah’s state finals score three categories: military, dance and show (source: KSL.com). Count your categories before you count your costumes: each one is a routine, and each routine may need its own look.
What prop rules should a director read?
- UDA Home Routine Rules 2025 (elementary, junior high and high school teams): “Props are not allowed,” and “Poms being used in a pom routine do not count as props.” Staging, backdrops and special effects that could alter the floor or the environment are prohibited (source: UDA Home Routine Rules 2025).
- Utah’s drill judging sheet: “The use of fire, fog, dry ice, water, smoke, and compressed air device not allowed” (source: UHSAA drill judging sheet).
- MDDT Texas Gameday: spirit towels and poms only (source: MDDT Texas guidelines).
None of these rules mentions light-up poms, and we don’t claim any contest rulebook approves them. If you want them in a judged routine, describe them to the contest director and get a written ruling before you build the routine around them.
What should you order for contest season vs game season?
| Item | Contest season | Game season |
|---|---|---|
| Poms | A matched set to each contest’s pom rules | Light-up poms for night halftimes and pep rallies |
| Costumes | One look per contest routine | The field uniform |
| Props | Built to each contest’s prop rules | Spirit towels and signs |
| Lighting | The venue’s, set by the contest | Yours: lights-down features, pep rallies, the spring show |
The two seasons share one thing: the team. Size once, in spring, and use the same measurements for uniforms, contest costumes and anything lit.
Where do light-up poms earn their keep in a drill team’s year?
On the nights you control. Halftime under the lights, the blackout moment at a pep rally, a holiday parade after dark, and the spring show, where the team owns the stage. At Texas High, the HighSteppers’ director starts on the spring show in November “because we do all seven contest dances in the show,” and the team runs it in costume “with lights and sounds” (source: Tiger Times, Texas High School). That is the night a remote colour change across the whole team lands hardest. See Texas high school drill teams for the full year.
How do you budget a contest year?
| Line | Who usually pays | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Contest entry fees | Booster club or member fees | Per routine, per contest |
| Contest costumes | Booster club or member fees | One per routine |
| Props | Booster club | Built to each rulebook |
| Travel | Booster club | Buses and meals on contest days |
| Light-up poms | Booster club or program budget | One set across football, pep rallies and the spring show |
Put the game-season gear on a separate line from contest costs, so it isn’t cut when contest fees run high.
How many pairs does a drill team need?
At our team rate of $120 a pair on 10 or more pairs:
| Group | Pairs | Cost at the team rate |
|---|---|---|
| Officer line of 8 | 10 | $1,200 |
| Drill team of 40 | 42 | $5,040 |
| Drill team of 60 | 62 | $7,440 |
Pair counts include two spares.
Who runs what on the day?
| Role | Job |
|---|---|
| Drill team director | Categories, routines and the contest calendar |
| Officers | Sizes, props and costume checks on contest day |
| Booster club | Entry fees, costumes and travel |
| Contest director | Rulings on props and costumes, in writing |
| School purchasing | Quotes and purchase orders |
Keep every written ruling from a contest in the team binder, with the date and the routine it covers.
How do you request a quote for a drill team?
Email or DM us with the team size, school colours, your first home game and your spring show date. We make our light-up products ourselves and will tell you plainly what fits your date. See team orders for how a group order works.
Frequently asked questions
When are drill team competitions?
In winter and spring, after football. MDDT Texas holds its 2027 regionals on January 30 and February 6, its state contest on February 20 and its championship on February 27.
What categories are there in drill team competitions?
Common categories include pom, kick, military, prop, novelty, jazz, hip hop, lyrical and gameday. Utah’s state finals score military, dance and show.
Are props allowed in drill team competitions?
It depends on the contest. UDA’s home routine rules do not allow props, though poms in a pom routine don’t count as props. Read each contest’s rules.
Can we use light-up poms in a drill team competition?
We don’t claim any rulebook approves them. Ask the contest director for a written ruling before you build a judged routine around them.
Is drill team a sanctioned high school activity?
In Utah, yes: the state high school activities association has sanctioned competitive drill since 1983. In Texas, the UIL says drill teams do not come under UIL rules.
How much do light-up poms cost for a drill team?
Our team rate is $120 a pair on 10 or more pairs. A drill team of 40 with two spares is 42 pairs, or $5,040 at that rate.
See also: band dance teams and dance lines, dance team pom poms and cheer competition season guide.
Sources: Miss Dance Drill Team, Texas, MDDT Texas guidelines, KSL.com, Pearland ISD, The Buzz Magazines, UDA Home Routine Rules 2025, UHSAA drill judging sheet, Tiger Times, Texas High School.
Team, school and contest names are used only to identify them. None is affiliated with or endorses Neon Cowboys.
Questions: info@neoncowboys.com.
