2017 Fall Twirler Announcements - UT Permian Basin

Hello Texas Twirl Fans!

It is that exciting time of year where twirlers are auditioning for twirling spots for the Fall. This blog hopes to help spread the excitement by announcing the selections for the lovely twirlers we will see on the field very soon.

Today we get to announce our very first twirler selection for the upcoming season! The University of Texas Permian Basin, lead by Coach Marlene Torres, held their live auditions earlier today and selected five lovely young ladies to represent the Falcon Marching Band for the 2017-2018 season.

We are so excited to see returning Falcon Twirlers Cristina Sanchez, Emily-Ann Brito, and Kaden Ellison, and we want to give a warm collegiate welcome to the newest additions, Madison Clement and Deanna Reyes. This will be only the second season that UTPB has had twirlers, and we are already loving the growth of this program.

For more information about the Falcon Twirler program, please visit the Falcon Twirler's Website. Please also take a moment to check out the amazing endowment program Falcon Twirler Coach Marlene is working on. Help support the growth of collegiate twirling in West Texas.

Congrats to these ladies. We can't wait to see you all on the field in the Fall!

We hope you have enjoyed this blog post. 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? Contact us at texastwirlcontact@gmail.com and we would love to hear more about it. 

Contest Calendar Series - 2017 Spring Fling Twirling Competition

Hello Texas Twirl Fans!

We are on to another weekend of twirling with many of our Texas twirlers performing at either Twirl Mania or the North Texas Valentine's Twirling Festival. Good luck to everyone competing!

Make sure to keep your eyes on the entries due for the March competitions as they are coming up quick. This contest is especially important as it occurs on my birthday, and if you know me, you know there is no way I would rather spend my birthday than at a contest! Hope to see you all there!

Today for our Contest Calendar Series we will be discussion the 2017 Spring Fling Twirling Competition.

*DEADLINE THURSDAY* Please note that the deadline for this competition is Thursday, February 23rd. You must have your entries postmarked by this date. Click here to download the entry form. For more information, please contact the contest director at vickiray911@charter.net.

Who? what? When? Where? Why?
Who: Contest Director, Vicki Ray, and Contest Host, the V.R. Eaton Sapphires Drill Team.
What: 2017 Spring Fling Twirling Competition
When: Saturday, March 11th, 2017. Doors open at 8:00 am. Contest begins at 9:00 am.
Where: V.R. Eaton High School, 1350 Eagle Blvd, Haslet*, Texas 76052
              *PLEASE Note: Your GPS may locate the HS in Fort Worth, not Haslet, but the zip is the same.

Why: The Spring Fling Competition is a great NBTA contest that serves as a perfect warm up for the Southwest Regional Competition occurring only 3 weeks later. Contestants from all over Texas, as well as other states, will join us March 11th to compete in front of licensed NBTA judges.

Facility Note: VR Eaton High School is the same location where the 2016 NBTA Southwest Regional competition was held. Most of the pictures included in this blog post are from that competition to show the facility. The school is very new with wonderful facilities including plenty of bleacher space, super high ceilings, and great practice gyms. (Above = competition gym. Below = practice gyms and gym entrance).

CONTEST HASHTAG: #springflingtwirl2017
For this event we strongly encourage our Texas twirlers to utilize the hashtag #springflingtwirl2017 when posting photos of this competition on social media.

History of this Event: The Spring Fling contest is a long-standing Fort Worth tradition. The only thing new is the location. Last year was the first time to use this facility for the 2016 NBTA Southwest regional competition and working with the V.R. Eaton Sapphires Drill Team was seamless. They are a group of hard working young ladies.

Unique Feature: The awards for this event are very nice and include tiaras, trophies, and banners, as well as great Spring Fling medals. This contest will not have a formal awards presentation. All awards will be posted due to the number of contestants and because the director recognizes that some parents have a long drive home, and we want everyone to have a safe trip. The Pageant winners WILL have their picture taken with their awards after they pick them up at the trophy table.

Any Last Comments: This contest has consistently been concluded by 5:00, and we will try our best to do the same this year. Hooray for an efficient contest!

Want to attend this event? Please download the Spring Fling Twirling Competition Entry Form, or contact the director at vickiray911@charter.net.

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 we don't want anyone to miss out!

Photo Credit: The source of the photos in this blog post are credited to Edward Obias, Texas Touch of Class, Twirl ATX, Vicki Ray, and Chrissa Brotherton. Thank you!

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? Contact us at texastwirlcontact@gmail.com and we would love to hear more about it. 

Contest Calendar Series - 2017 Southwest Regional Championships

Hello Texas Twirl Fans!

We hope everyone had a great time competing on Saturday at the #dallastwirlfest2017, and we are only days away from the North Texas Valentine's Twirling Festival... but don't forget to look ahead! The next two weeks are very important for the Texas Twirling Community because they contain the entry deadlines for THREE upcoming contest!

Today for our Contest Calendar Series we will be discussing the 2017 Southwest Regional Championships and Miss Majorette of the Southwest.

*DEADLINE SATURDAY* Please note that the deadline for this competition is Saturday, February 18th, 2017. You must have your entry postmarked by this day. Click here to download the entry form. For more information, please contact the contest directors at gvjohnson61@yahoo.com.

Who? What? When? Where? Why?
Who: Contest Directors: Gretta Johnson, Shelia Pierce, Brittany Ashcraft, Summer Johnson
What: 2017 Southwest Regional Championships & Miss Majorette of the Southwest
When: Saturday, April 1st & Sunday, April 2nd, 2017  Doors open at 7:00. Contest begins at 8:00
Where: First United Bank Center, 3301 North 4th Avenue, Canyon, TX 79106

Why: This is the first major competition of the season. The Southwest Regional Championships is a qualifying event for the National pgeants and provides the opportunity for competitors to represent the Southwest Region at AYOP this summer at Notre Dame University.

CONTEST HASHTAG: #swregionals2017
For this event, we strongly encourage our Texas twirlers to utilize the hashtag #swregionals2017 when posting photos of this competition on social media.

Highlighted Event: There are two traveling trophies at this event that are in memory of two important people to the twirling community.  The College Miss Majorette of the Southwest is awarded the Tony Pierce Memorial Award. This award was started in 2008 by Janice Jackson Seamands and supported by the Pierce/Johnson/Ashcraft/Mayben Families. The Teenage Miss Majorette of the Southwest is awarded the Shane Downey Memorial Trophy.  This award was started in 2012 by the Mickey and Payne Families.  Both are very prestigious awards and a special part of the Southwest Regional Championships.

Unique Feature: The competition is centrally located in the southwest region and held on The West Texas A&M University campus with state of the art facilities. The Southwest Regional Competition has been family ran by the Pierce and Johnson family on a rotation basis since 1984.

Any Last Comments:  The Pierce and Johnson family look forward to having everyone back in Canyon, TX!  Thank you for your continued support!

Want to attend this event? Please download the Southwest Regional Entry Form, or contact the directors at gvjohnson61@yahoo.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 out 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. 

*Update #1* 2017 Texas Collegiate Twirler Audition Guide

Hello Texas Twirl Fans!

For those that caught the first post of the 2017 Texas Collegiate Twirler Audition Guide, you got to see our one stop shop for Collegiate Try-Out information. 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. We hope it has been helpful!

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 updates as new updates become available, and today we were able to add the Texas State University and Stephen F Austin University information (edited to add Sam Houston State University as well!

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 1st – Stephen F Austin FEATURE *NEW*
*March 1st – Sam Houston State University *NEW*
*March 15th – University of Houston
*March 24th – Texas Tech University LINE
*April 13th - Texas State University *NEW*

Set Live Audition Dates

*February 26th – University of TX, Permian Basin

*April 1st – Sam Houston State University *NEW*
*April 7th & 8th – Texas Tech University 
     - Feature & Line Auditions
*April 22nd - Texas State University *NEW*

*April 28th & 29th – Angelo State University 
     - Feature & Line Auditions
*May 6th - Stephen F Austin University *NEW*
     - Feature & Twirl-O-Jack Auditions

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

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

2017 Texas Collegiate Twirler Audition Details:

HUNTSVILLE: Sam Houston State University *NEW*
*Live Auditions will be held April 1st
    - Submit materials to bxg012@shsu.edu or
     to kelleymccormick5@gmail.com by March 1st
          1. Twirling/School Resume
          2. 2 letters of recommendation
          3. Photograph in twirling costume

*2017 SHSU Twirler Audition Information 

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

SAN MARCOS: Texas State University *NEW*

*Live Auditions will be held April 22nd

*Audition Materials are due by April 13th

*2017 Bobcat Twirler Audition Information

     - Submit materials to krg60@txstate.edu

          1. Completed Application

          2. 2 letters of recommendation
          3. Full length photo included

          3. Video <10 minutes of live twirling

NACOGDOCHES: Stephen F Austin *NEW*

*Live Auditions will be held May 6th

     - Same requirements at 2016 info

*2016 SFA Twirler Audition Info for Reference

     - Submit application materials by March 1st

          1. Completed Form & Resume

          2. Optional letters of recommendation
          3. 2 Photos including headshot

          3. 2-6 minute video of live twirling

*2016 Twirl-O-Jack 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

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

WACO: Baylor University

*Audition videos for 2017 due on February 1st. 

*Email all materials to lynndell@heilp.com

*2015 Audition Info for Requirement Reference

Contest Follow Up Series - ATX Holiday Twirl Fest 2016

Hello Texas Twirl Fans!

This post is running about a month late, but I wanted to make sure we still introduce this new series, the Contest Follow Up Series! This is where we do a post after a contest summing up the winners, some of the highlights, and sharing any fun post-contest information from the Contest Directors.

Our first follow up is the ATX Holiday Twirl Fest that occurred on Saturday, December 10th, 2016.

Fun Facts!
*This contest was attended by 86 twirlers from all over Texas.
*The Contest Directors were Ashley Wood & Whitney Coons
*Judges included Head Judge Shirley Payne (Dallas), John "Baton" Mitchell (Las Vegas), Deb Akins Herbster (Austin) Marlene Torres (Odessa), Dr. Coral Noonan-Terry (Austin), and Vicki Ray (Fort Worth).
*Awards handed out included over 130 medals, 26 tiaras, 20 rhinestone headbands, and 110 trophies

Pageant Winners! 
For each Contest Follow Up Series post, we will take a moment to recognize the winners of the Modeling/Mini and Twirling pageants. Congrats to the following twirlers for doing an amazing job.

If you are interested, check out the full results from the ATX Holiday Twirl Fest.

Hashtag Shout Out!
As was mentioned in the Contest Calendar Series post, if you use the contest hashtag, #atxtwirlfest2016, you might see your picture here on the blog. Shout out to Victoria, Josie, Anna, & Ginger, Breckyn, and Payton! We loved seeing all your tagged pictures.

Featured Event
This contest features a special event called the Laura Craft Honorary Best Costume Award. This event was created to honor Contest Director Ashley Wood's mother who successfully battled breast cancer in 2015. Since Ashley's mom made all her costumes when she competed, her mom called the "Best Costume" award the "Mommy Award", thus it was only fitting that this be the event to honor breast cancer fighters.

As part of this event, the $10 entry fee was donated directly to Twirling for the Cure. Between the 34 twirlers that competed in the Best Costume event and additional donors, the contest was able to donate $475.00!

The event was judged by John Mitchell, Marlene Torres, and Dr. Coral Noonan-Terry. They selected the Top Ten Finalists from the 34 and awarded the overall Best Costume Winner title to Miss Jenna Bowen.

The award was presented by Ashley's mother - Laura Craft, TFTC Representative - John Mitchell, and Twirl ATX Moms/Breast Cancer Survivors - Shannon Sorenson and Michele Burton.

Final Note
The contest was attended by awesome photographer, and iblogbands blogger, Rebecca Lyon Hedges. Rebecca is a former twirler who has a knack for catching crystal clear action photos. Rebecca took quite a few great shots which are all available for purchase as digital downloads or prints.

To see, and order, the photos from Rebecca taken at the contest visit Artsy Lyon Photography.

2017 Event Save the Date
Currently the tentative date for the 2017 ATX Holiday Twirl Fest is Saturday, December 9th 2017 at Vista Ridge High School in Cedar Park, TX. Make sure to mark your calendar for this weekend!

We hope you have enjoyed this edition of the Contest Follow Up 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.