CEDAR CITY, Utah (December 4, 2025) - The Larry H. Miller Utah Summer Games will host the 2025 'Cafe Sabor Thunderbird Drill Invitational' on Dec. 12-13 in the America First Event Center.
"Our department has great excitement in welcoming 30 of Utah's best high school drill teams to Cedar City and Southern Utah University for this year's 'Cafe Sabor Thunderbird Drill Invitational'," said Jon Oglesby, Executive Director of the Larry H. Miller Utah Summer Games. "We are excited to showcase the beauty of Cedar City in December, while featuring some of the state's best high school dancers and celebrating their accomplishments on the SUU campus."
Among this year's top-notch participants are local schools such as Canyon View High School and Parowan High School, as well as other teams from across the state ranging from the 2A to 6A level.
The two-day event will begin with solo performances starting on Friday at 2:00 p.m. and running throughout the evening. On Saturday, team competition will include 5A and 6A beginning at 7:30 a.m. and 2A, 3A, and 4A following in the afternoon. The full schedule of events can be found on the USG website.
Fans interested in attending the invitational can purchase tickets online. Tickets will be sold separately for solo and team competition.
The 'HOPE Award' is a special award that will be given at the Café Sabor Thunderbird Drill Invitational, recognizing the drill team in each classification who brings the most weight in food items to be donated to the Southern Utah University 'HOPE Pantry', meaning 'Helping Our People Eat'. The Pantry on the SUU campus serves SUU students who are experiencing food insecurity.
Items requested by the Pantry include: Peanut butter, Canned meat (tuna, chicken, etc), Canned soup, Full-sized toiletry items (soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, deodorant), Pasta and Pasta sauce.
Each participating school in the Café Sabor Thunderbird Drill Invitational will have a box in the SUU Student Center Rotunda to drop off donations on Saturday, December 13. Donations will be accepted for the competition until the end of the Military routines for each pod and classification, at which point each school's contribution will be weighed to determine the winner of each classification in that pod.
Parents, fans, and team supporters are encouraged to participate in donating food for this fun competition to benefit SUU students who are struggling with food insecurity.
The winner for each classification will receive a special trophy, including a special social media post highlighting the team and associated school community's generosity toward the SUU HOPE Pantry.
Fans are reminded a clear bag policy is in place for this event. More information on the policy can be found on the SUU website.
About Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University is a caring campus community where students realize their potential through personalized mentorship from people dedicated to help them soar. Offering a wide range of undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs, SUU provides hands-on, career-focused learning to prepare students for the future. Located in the world's best backyard, SUU's safe and vibrant campus offers a welcoming atmosphere where everyone feels supported and inspired by both the natural beauty and a strong sense of community. Whether on campus or online, SUU provides an education that is competitively priced and highly valued, giving students the skills and confidence to thrive in any professional setting. This is where students soar.
About the Larry H. Miller Utah Summer Games
The Larry H. Miller Utah Summer Games is one of the premier sporting competitions in the state, drawing a considerable variety of teams and athletes to Cedar City each year. The Olympic style sports-festival has been conducted at SUU since 1986.The SUU outreach department focuses on three goals - 1) providing educational outreach and opportunity, particularly at Southern Utah University; 2) promoting economic development through sports tourism in Cedar City, Iron County, and the state of Utah; and 3) encouraging lifelong healthy lifestyles and healthy communities.
