Last week, I posted an iphone video that I made of a local drill team [1] that knocked my socks off- the Invincible Regulating Striders (I hate to call them by their initials- IRS, because, well you know). They were about to head to New Orleans for a national competition.
Well, they went- and they won. Here’s the direct quote from my Facebook post:
“WE JUST WON THE IBPOEW WORLD DRILL -A-RAMA IN NEW ORLEANS.”
I’ve got to admit, not only did I not know about the IRS- even though I’d seen them asking for donations on Gettysburg a few times, I also didn’t know what IBPOEW is- and so I did a little research:
The Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks of the World (IBPOEW). Currently boasting 500,000 members in over 1,500 lodges worldwide, the IBPOEW is the largest Black fraternal organization in the world. The IBPOEW’s stated purpose is “that the welfare and happiness of its members be promoted and enhanced, that nobleness of soul and goodness of heart be cultivated, that the principles or Charity, Justice, Brotherly/Sisterly Love and Fidelity be inculcated, that its members and their families be assisted and protected, [and] that the spirit of patriotism be enlivened and exalted.”
The Improved Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of the World was granted a copyright as an organization on September 28, 1898, in Cincinnati, Ohio. A Pullman porter, Arthur James Riggs, and Benjamin Franklin Howard, who were both members of another fraternal organization, met in that city, and they discovered that they both had dreams of forming an Elks organization for people of color. Their dreams and plans were realized when the first Lodge, Alpha Lodge No. 1, was organized in Cincinnati, as a result of the efforts of these two men. As the Elks prevailed, the organization struggled against many racist attitudes and legal efforts to deny the existence of the Improved Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of the World.
via Our History – Home [2].
I’m not a historian, but I find it fascinating how many organizations started out of this region around the turn of twentieth century- unions, political parties, fraternal groups, there seems to have been a culture of creating shared value organizations, which may also be why this region has way too many jurisdictions and overlapping non-profits all trying to do the same thing?
Back to the Striders- its great to see a Dayton group that’s put a ton of time and work to come out on top. For that, you deserve to be recognized. These drill teams, cheer teams, color guards abound in our area, yet, we don’t see enough performances making it out in public. Maybe we need to add these groups to Urban Nights, to our 4th of July celebrations, to our parks and rec programming (oh, that’s right- we don’t have a parks and rec program to speak of anymore).
There are a bunch of videos on Youtube of these amazing kids- check them out: IRS on Youtube link [3]
And you can watch mine again:
https://youtu.be/9bicdg3YdEc
Unfortunately, the only link I can give you to this organization is on Facebook: IRS on Facebook [4]
Like their page and try to get out and see them soon!
Congratulations again to the Invincible Regulating Striders!
Thank you kindly for this beautiful article. We are a group of young people who enjoy performing and community service. We’ve actual won 9 natioanl titles since 2001. We’ve received a proclamation from Mayor Leitzal “Invincible Regulating Striders is just aart of Dayton pride and heritage as is aviation and the writings of Paul Laurence Dunbar. We are honored for such acknowledgements and we will continue to serve our community. “IT STILL TAKES A VILLAGE”- HILLARY CLINTON
You can reach us at 937 329-2722 or via email [email protected]
Profile: Michael McCorkle. Michael McCorkle is the director of the Invincible Regulating Striders Drill Team (IRS) of Dayton, Ohio. He comes to the AMA via our expansion of going farther west and south. He had the opportunity to go to another organization but, after attending a meeting for Midwest teams in Cincinnati last year opted to come east to be a part of the BIGDAWGS. During that meeting Michael stressed that when he and CIA decided to come east they were going to bring something to the table. That they did and did well . Not only did they bring in a different style but, they came with their arms open to having new found friendships although they are long distance. Michael is a quiet talking and very observant kind of person in that he looks for things out of the ordinary and does not take anything for granted. He can sit and watch a competition and have a full conversation with you at the same time. The thing is that the conversation he has with you is a genuine I am interested one. This I know because I’ve talked to him on a few occasions and he remains the same. Confident! Michael has been appointed to the AMA Board as Ohio State Representative and is garnering more support for us as he is telling people of his experience of the AMA and implore them to join. Although this is only his second year he has shown dedication to bringing in friendships, class and style to the largest inner city styled marching organization in the nation. He is a recruiter in that he trumpets the AMA’s fairness and organizational process. Michael has an open door policy where as if you want to talk we can talk. He has taken his unit as did CIA and brought them east on two occasions in the same competition season in his first year which constitutes a very large amount of money. But, his determination to take the opportunity to become a BIGDAWG a success he persevered and did what he had to do.… Read more »
[…] sure there are other programs- one of my favorites is the what used to be called the “Invincible Regulating Striders” and now just the Dayton Striders. A champion drill team that keeps kids busy and gives them […]