Friday Night Lights Feature - Richard King High School Twirlers

Hello Texas Twirl Fans! Sorry for the late edition of this weekend's feature. I was having wayyy too much fun at the Fall Twirling Festival this weekend and wasn’t able to finish the post in time, so this weekend we get a very special Sunday edition of the Friday Night Lights Feature.

Today we travel back to the twirling hub of South Texas, Corpus Christi, to meet the two awesome twirlers from Richard King High School – Madalyn Molina and Kayla Flournoy.

These two twirlers audition annually for their role. While it can be pretty nerve-wracking to audition to be your High School's twirler, they both have found successful ways of handling it. Madalyn tells us that while she was very nervous, “once I went on with my routine I realized all I had to do was give it my all!” Kayla had a similar experience. She says “I was very nervous, but I remembered that my Coach, Keely Davis, told me that I was an amazing twirler and no matter what she would be proud of me”. We know everyone is proud to have both of these girls representing our sport during the RKHS half time shows.

They have done a great job helping with the overall effect of their band, and the band gets huge responses from the crowd. Madalyn says her favorite thing about twirling with the band happens when they are “marching on the field. The drum majors call the band to attention and the crowd goes crazy!” Conversely, Kayla says her favorite moment is when they show ends. “My favorite moment is when after we finish... our show and hearing the crowd cheer for our band”.

Being part of a band that gets such an excellent crowd reaction must mean they spend a lot of time together practicing. Madalyn says she loves their practices. “Everyone has such funny times together! Kayla and I also have had many crazy unforgettable moments together as twirlers!” When asked what the most fun tradition the band has, both girls mentioned the dances and cadences the band has for their stand tunes. They also mentioned that the Pep Rallies are amazing! Kayla says “(they pep rallies) are a lot of fun and everyone has a lot of spirit!” Keeping in the spirit, Madalyn tells us that “everyone goes crazy for that spirit stick!!!”

Besides pep rallies and dancing to stand tunes, we know these two girls have great twirling stories. Let’s learn a little more about these two Mustang Twirlers…

Madalyn Molina, Sophomore
Madalyn has been twirling for 7 years with coaches Kim Berger, Keely Davis, and Daniel Ramos. Her favorite twirling tricks are her toss illusion, toss leap, and 2 baton. Growing up, she most looked up to baton twirler Karissa Wimberley. “She is truly a baton queen”. After she graduates from High School, Madalyn hopes to become the Feature Twirler for a major Texas University.

Kayla Flournoy, Freshman
Kayla has been twirling for 8 years with Coaches Kim Berger, Keely Davis, and Nancy Eisenhauer of the Nancy Eisenhauer School of Twirling in Corpus Christi, Texas. Her favorite trick is her 4 spin and her favorite moment in baton twirling was “traveling to nationals with my teammates and getting to share the experience with some of my best friends”. The competition title Kayla is the most proud of winning was when she was named the 2013 Divisional Winner at Twirl Mania. Growing up, Kayla was most inspired by one of her former coaches, Elizabeth Lawson. “She always encouraged me to do my best and she really helped to boost my self esteem when I started twirling”. After she graduates from High School, Kayla hopes to become a feature twirler at whatever college she attends.





Fun Facts!
Color = Purple (Kayla), Blue (Madalyn)
Movie = Tangled (Madalyn)

Favorite Quote =
•    Kayla = “How you practice is how you are going to perform"
•    Madalyn = "Practice makes Perfect"

When they are not twirling they love to…
•    Kayla = Spend time with friends and family
•    Madalyn = Play her instruments, the oboe & tenor saxophone. She also loves Colorguard!

Most Memorable Advice from their Coaches…
•    Kayla = “I believe in you, and you can do anything you put your mind to"
•    Madalyn = Throughout the years, all of my coaches I've worked with all told me to keep a smile on my face! No matter what. Along with lots of showmanship.

It was great getting to learn more about these two awesome Feature Twirlers. Who else really wants to listen to “Eye of the Tiger” right now? I know I do. We wish both of these girls good luck and great performances as the King football team continues their play-off run against Edcouch-Elsa HS this coming Friday! Go Mustangs!

We hope you have enjoyed another edition of our Friday Night Lights Feature. Have a favorite High School or Collegiate Twirler that you would like to see interviewed? Please contact us at texastwirlcontact@gmail.com with their name and email address so that we can reach out to them!