2017 Texas Collegiate Twirler Audition Guide

Hello Texas Twirl Fans!

Welcome to a very special new feature for the Twirling is Catching Blog! We know senior year is a very exciting time for many twirlers, but it is also a little nerve wracking as twirlers try to decide which University to select. While this is already a hard decision, when you have a dream of twirling on the collegiate level, it adds an addition level of pressure for picking the right place. There are also many current college students that may be deciding between auditioning at their school or other schools. So many choices! Our goal with this feature is to present as much audition information for Texas universities in one place as possible to at least make the process of knowing how to audition easier for our Collegiate twirler hopefuls.

If you have any information to update any of these listings, or have information for a University not listed, please email texastwirlcontact@gmail.com. We will be posting 2-3 follow-up posts to this one as new information and updates become available.

We also hope to be able to announce many of the Twirler selections for these Universities as the decisions are made, so make sure to stay tuned! You can always follow us here, but to make sure you are notified every time there is a new post, we also have a Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/twirlingiscatchingtx and can be found on Instagram @twirlingiscatchingtx.

2017 Texas Collegiate Twirler Audition Quick Guide: 

Electronic Audition Submission Deadlines
*February 1st – Baylor University
*February 6th – Texas Tech University FEATURE
*February 15th – University of TX, Permian Basin
*March 15th – University of Houston
*March 24th – Texas Tech University LINE

Set Live Audition Dates

*February 26th – University of TX, Permian Basin

*April 7th & 8th – Texas Tech University 
     - Feature & Line Auditions

*April 28th & 29th – Angelo State University 
     - Feature & Line Auditions

Audition Information Coming Soon:
(Will be available by Mid-February)
*Sam Houston State University
*Texas State University

No Audition Info Available At This Time:
*University of Texas – San Antonio
*Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi
*Texas Christian University
*Stephen F. Austin University

Not Holding 2017 Auditions:
*University of Texas, Austin
*Southern Methodist University

2017 Texas Collegiate Twirler Audition Details:

WACO: Baylor University

*Audition videos for 2017 due on February 1st. 

*Email all materials to lynndell@heilp.com

*2015 Audition Info for Requirement Reference

LUBBOCK: Texas Tech University

*Live Audition for Feature & Line - April 7th & 8th

*Email all materials to btolley@sbcglobal.net

*2017 Audition Info for Feature & Line Positions

*Link to Feature & Line Audition Promo Video

*Feature Twirler Audition Information:

     - Online submissions due by February 6th

     - Submit materials to btolley@sbcglobal.net:

          1. DVD/YouTube Video of live twirling    
          2. Resume & HS/College Transcripts

          3. Letters of Recommendation

          4. Why you want to twirl at Tech

          5. Two Pictures: full length & close-up

*Twirling Line Audition Information:

     - Electronic submissions due by March 24th
     - Submit materials to btolley@sbcglobal.net

          1. Resume & HS/College Transcripts

          2. Letters of Recommendation

          3. Why you want to twirl at Tech
          4. A Picture

ODESSA: University of Texas Permian Basin

*Live Audition for Twirlers - February 26th 

*Email via Drop Box to harris_c@utpb.edu

*Materials must be submitted by February 15th

*2017 Audition Info for Falcon Twirler positions

     - Please submit the following materials:

          1. Resume (Info/GPA, Twirling, Coaches)

          2. Profile picture of yourself

          3. Medical Release Form 

          4. Application/acceptance to UTPB

          5. 2-3 minute audition video
              (2&3 spins, toss illusions, multiple baton)

HOUSTON: University of Houston

*Electronic Materials are due by March 15th

*2017 Audition Info for U of H Feature Twirlers

     - Submit materials to coach@uhtwirlers.com

          1. Completed Candidate Form

          2. Verification of U of H Application

          3. Video <5 minutes of live twirling

SAN ANGELO: Angelo State University

*Live Auditions will be on April 29th at 9:00 am

*A Required Clinic will be April 28th from 6-8 pm

*2017 Audition Info for San Angelo Line & Feature

 HUNTSVILLE: Sam Houston State University

*2017 Audition Information coming Mid February!

*2016 SHSU Twirler Audition Info for Reference

SAN MARCOS: Texas State University

*2017 Audition Information coming Mid February!

*2016 Bobcat Twirler Audition Info for Reference

 CORPUS: Texas A&M – Corpus Christi

*No Current 2017 Audition Info Available

FORT WORTH: Texas Christian University

*No Current 2017 Audition Info Available

NACOGDOCHES: Stephen F Austin University

*No Current 2017 Audition Info Available

*2016 SFA Twirler Audition Info for Reference

SAN ANTONIO: University of TX San Antonio

*No Current 2017 Audition Info Available

AUSTIN: University of Texas – Austin

*No positions available for 2017

*Will not be holding auditions for Fall

*2017 Feature Twirler: Erica Kuntz

DALLAS: Southern Methodist University

*No positions available for 2017

*Will not be holding auditions until Spring 2019

*2017 Feature Twirler: Alex Bridges

Contest Calendar Series - Dallas Twirling Festival 2017

Hello Texas Twirl Fans!

We are back! We had a a bit of a break as the new year began and the competition season kicked into gear, but no worries. We have some really exciting posts coming up, as well as some amazing contests to look forward to. 

Today, for our Contest Calendar Series we will be discussing the 2017 Dallas Twirling Festival!

*DEADLINE THURSDAY* Please note that the deadline for this competition is Thursday, January 26th, 2017. You must have your entry postmarked by this day. There are two entry forms available: one for Individual Entries and one for Team Entries. Both can be downloaded and printed from these links. For any additional questions, please contact the contest directors at texastouchofclass@gmail.com. 

Who? What? When? Where? Why? 
Who - Contest Directors Shirley Payne & Sheila Payne Rigelsky
What - 46th Annual Dallas Twirling Festival
When - Saturday, February 11, 2017. Doors open at 7:00am. Contest begins at 8:00am
Where - DeSoto High School (Freshman Campus), 620 S. Westmoreland Road, DeSoto, TX 75115

Why - This competition is a legacy competition. Not only is it in its 46th year, which is something to be said on it's own, it is directed by a mother/daughter duo. Twirlers from all over Texas and surrounding states come to this competition. The contest is known for frequently having out of state judges, to allow for a wide variety of comments. The directors have had years, and years, and YEARS of experience directing competitions; therefore, the event runs smoothly and timely. They also bring an upbeat element of fun throughout the day!

CONTEST HASHTAG: #dallastwirlfest2017
For this event, we strongly encourage our Texas Twirlers to utilize the hashtag #dallastwirlfest2017 when posting photos of this competition on social media. Below are some of the photos found on Facebook that mentioned the Dallas Twirling Festival in their captions from previous years. Shout out to Emma & the Mickey's Majorettes, Khloe, and Paige & Abby! Hashtag your photo this year and you might just see your picture in the contest follow up blog post!

Highlight Event: A highlighted event of this competition is the Mother/Daughter Duet category where mothers and their daughters compete in a duet routine for the judges. Since this contest is directed by a mother & daughter, it is a fitting contest for other mother & daughter pairs show off their talents!

Unique Feature: The awards are beautiful and PINK!  Nice sized trophies, unique first place pageant awards, and beautiful tiaras are awarded. You also can't forget the special ratings trophies and the vintage medals awarded to runners up.

Any last comments? Miss Shirley and Sheila appreciate all the support over the last 46 years, and look forward to many more!  See you on February 11th!

Want to attend this event? Please download the Individual Entry Form and/or the Team Entry Form, or contact the contest directors at texastouchofclass@gmail.com for more details. 

Also, don't forget to check out http://www.texastwirl.com/contests.html for information and entry forms for many upcoming contests in and around the State of Texas. There are many great contests heading our way, and you don't want to miss out!


We hope you have enjoyed this edition of the Contest Calendar Series. We are always looking for great new stories about Texas twirlers. Do you have an idea or some information we could use to help highlight our sport? Please contact us at texastwirlcontact@gmail.com and we would love to hear more about it.