Saturday, May 19, 2018

2018 Fall Twirler Announcements - Abilene Christian University

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. If you have an announcement for new twirler selections for 2018-19, please email texastwirlcontact@gmail.com so that we can help spread the word!

Today's post is extra special, because it announces a University that has not had a twirler in over 30 years! We are super excited for the selection of the 2018-19 Abilene Christian University Twirler, Ashlyn Morris!



ACU, located in Abilene, TX, is the home of the "Big Purple Marching Band". While they have a rich history of educating great musicians, their program has not had a twirler in decades. It was Ashlyn's dream to attend ASU, and to twirl in college, so with the dedication she has learned as a competitive baton twirler, she convinced the band directors to give her a chance. 

We are so happy that ACU has opened this opportunity for Ashlyn, and we know she will do an amazing job proving to them that they made the right decision. Go Wildcats!


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. 

Monday, May 14, 2018

Texas Twirlers Abroad - Alessandra in Ireland!

Hello Texas Twirl Fans!

Today we have a very special interview for you! As we all know, baton twirling can take you many places, and sometimes that even means overseas. International travel can be due to competition, but it can also be for performance opportunities. In this Texas Twirlers Abroad post we will be talking to a San Antonio twirler that was given the opportunity to perform in Ireland!


Alessandra Marotta, coached by Melinda Mann White of the Texas Gems, is the Feature Twirler at Central Catholic High School in San Antonio. She is a sophomore at Providence Catholic School. In March, the CCHS band and JROTC traveled to Ireland. Alessandra twirled with the band under the direction of Mr. Danny Solis and Mr. Alex Sanchez to their 2017 TAPPS Texas State Championship show, “Fuego Azul” at the Titanic Museum in Belfast, and in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Limerick. She even had to twirl in the snow in Limerick! We asked Alessandra to share her experiences with us from this once in a lifetime trip!

Give us an overall view of what you did in Ireland: "We visited both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, in which we took a tour of Dublin, Belfast, Galway City, and Limerick. In these cities we saw castles, the Titanic, the Cliffs of Moher, Rock of Cashel, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Republican Falls Road, and the Loyalist Shankill Road."


Of everything you got to do, what was your favorite part of your trip? "My favorite part of the trip would have to be signing the peace wall with “Love from Texas”. Not only did I get to learn more about the history of Ireland, but I now have a deeper understanding of why the events that transpired happened. I was able to see what the community did to promote peace, despite their disagreements between the Catholics and the Protestants."

What an amazing learning experience. One I am sure you will carry with you. I hope all of it wasn't as heavy as that, though. What would you say is the funniest story from the trip? "The funniest story I have from my trip is getting to watch the boys from the band learn how to Irish dance. Although they were shy and at times awkward, they did their best and had fun with it."


I bet that was hilarious! Traveling to another country can always be a little bit of a shock. What part of the experience was not what you expected? "When we were packing for the trip, we were told that the weather would be chilly, but nothing too bad, even for us Texans. Upon arriving at the parade, we noticed that snow was beginning to fall, and would eventually turn into a light blizzard. We were freezing, but I enjoyed twirling in snow. It was something I never expected to happen!"

Twirling in snow had to be quite the experience for a Texan! Just not our normal weather. Besides twirling while freezing, of course, what moment will stick with you long after the return from Ireland?  "I will never forget getting to perform at the Titanic in Belfast. The museum was beautiful, and I was able to hear the story behind the Titanic. I learned about how it was constructed, its design, and the aftermath of the ship sinking. It was an honor to twirl at such an iconic historical landmark."


How cool! Such a widely known story, but what a neat adventure to get get to learn more and be a part of the museum's history. While abroad, I am sure you missed many things at home. What “home comfort” did you miss the most in Ireland? "We spent a lot of time traveling on buses to get to the different places we visited, and I would have greatly appreciated a better internet connection that allowed me to send my friends and family all the pictures I had taken."

You don't often worry about the internet when preparing for a trip but I can see how that would be frustrating. I can also imagine the packing situation was equally stressful. What advice would you give another twirler preparing for a similar performance in another country? "I would advise another twirler to prepare for any kind of weather. Going to a foreign country, you do not know what to expect, so I would recommend bringing costumes and warm ups for extreme temperatures. It is always better to be safe than sorry! I would also say that if the opportunity arises, to meet any other twirlers that you see when you are there. You never know who you will get to meet, and the friendships you could create, even while being in another country!"


Great advice! In fact, pictured above is Alessandra living out her own suggestion as she poses with the Vestavia Hills High School twirlers from Alabama! A little bit of USA twirling coming together across the pond! A big thank you to Alessandra for sharing her experience with us. We are so excited that she was able to have such a great trip representing her high school and our sport!!!

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. 

Thursday, May 10, 2018

2018 Fall Twirler Announcements - Lamar University

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. If you have an announcement for new twirler selections for 2018-19, please email texastwirlcontact@gmail.com so that we can help spread the word!


The Lamar University Cardinalette Twirling line is a young line that only returned to the field less than ten years ago with the return of football and a marching band to Lamar University. In 2017 the line received a new name, a new coach, and a new look! This years tryouts were held March 24th and April 7th.

The 2018-2019 returning Cardinalettes are Co-Head Kyndel Spoonemore, Co-Head Lauren Cole, Morgan Lewallen, Kaitlyn Marley, Emily Sterling & Tiffany Bassett. We would like to welcome our new twirlers: Kerstyn Lemoine, Catarina Tran & Shakira Willis.

This year the Cardinalettes will be performing exhibition shows with The Showcase of Southeast Texas Band at the 6A area F marching contest, and after finals at the BOA Super Regional in San Antonio! 


Front Row: Co-Heads Lauren Cole & Kyndel Spoonemore
Middle Row: Morgan Lewallen, Catarina Tran, Shakira Willis
Top Row: Kaitlyn Marley, Kerstyn Lemoine, Emil Sterling, Tiffany Bassett

We are so excited to learn more about this program and wish the Cardinalettes an amazing season!


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. 

Thursday, May 3, 2018

2018 Fall Twirler Announcements - Southern Methodist University

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. If you have an announcement for new twirler selections for 2018-19, please email texastwirlcontact@gmail.com so that we can help spread the word!

Today's post announces the selection of the 2018-19 Southern Methodist University Twirlers. SMU, located high on the hilltop in Dallas, TX, is the home of the "The Doll" - the SMU Feature Twirler, who is a centerpiece to the Mustang Marching Band. The Doll is a prestigious position that has been held by some amazing Texas Twirlers since its creation.




Since Fall 2016, the SMU community has been lucky to have the 2017 Collegiate Miss Majorette of the Southwest, Alex Bridges, in the roll of "The Doll". We have all cheered her on at competitions, adored her "running mustang" costume, and have enjoyed seeing her growth on the SMU field! We are so happy to announce Alex will be returning to the Mustang band this Fall for her third season as "The Doll". We wish Alex an amazing year. Enjoy every minute!




This upcoming season, the SMU Mustang Band has also selected to take on a freshman twirler to learn the ways of the program and become a new part of the SMU tradition. We are excited to announce that for the 2018-19 season, the role of the SMU freshman twirler has been awarded to the 2017 & 2018 Miss Majorette of the Southwest, Rachel Hutchinson. Rachel, who is from The Woodlands, is thankful she gets to "Pony Up" at her "dream school" with Alex showing her the way. 



Congrats to Alex & Rachel on what we know will be an amazing season at Gerald J. Ford Stadium!

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. 

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Contest Calendar Series: 2018 Texas State Championships

Hello Texas Twirl Fans!

Welcome to May! It honestly feels like it was January a month ago, but instead we are only a month away from Summer. Good luck to everyone competing in the San Antonio Twirling Festival this Saturday. It should be another great contest, but it is also a very important deadline for Texas Twirlers!

 As we are now into May, it is time to focus our attention to June, and today's Contest Calendar Series post, on the 2018 NBTA Texas State Championships and Miss Majorette of Texas Pageant!



*DEADLINE SATURDAY* Please note that the deadline for the State Championship is on Saturday, May 5th. You must have your entry postmarked by this day. As a reminder, your entry must be sent with a Cash, Check, or Money Order. Entries will not be processed without payment. Click here to download the entry form. For more information, please contact the contest director at btolley@sbcglobal.net

Who? What? When? Where? Why?
Who? Contest Director Bethany Tolley
What? NBTA Texas State Championships & Miss Majorette of Texas Pageant
When? Saturday, June 23 & Sunday, June 24, 2018
Where? Lubbock Memorial Civic Center - Exhibit Hall. 2322 Mac Davis Lane, Lubbock, TX 


Why? State is a qualifying event for AYOP in several categories, especially the National Pageants. This competition will decide who represents the State of Texas in the Beginner and Intermediate National Pageants as well as the Miss Majorette of America pageants!

Unique Feature: Whenever State is in Lubbock you expect a great facility and awards. The ceiling is triple height, with a great big lobby for hanging out. Plus, there are so many great photo op locations within the Civic Center and around the Texas Tech campus.

CONTEST HASHTAG: #txstatetwirl2018
For this event, we strongly encourage our Texas twirlers to utilize the hashtag #txstatetwirl2018 when posting photos of this competition on social media. Lets see if we can get State trending in Texas that weekend!


The Tex-An Award: At State each year we celebrate the hard work of all athletes, as well as the time, commitment, and passion put forth by the athletes' parents and coaches. As a State tradition, we will once again acknowledge one special coach who has given back to baton twirling and made it an even better and more positive sport for all the athletes by awarding them the Tex-An Award. We are looking forward to presenting the award to that special coach this year!

Majorette Lines: The High School Majorette Line & Jr. High Majorette Line divisions were left off the contest entry form. If you have a group wanting to enter either division, please just write it on the entry or email Bethany directly at btolley@sbcglobal.net.

Any Last Comments - The contest director wants us to remind everyone that you will be sent a confirmation for your entry shortly after it is received. If you have not received a confirmation within a reasonable time, please reach out to the Director. Also, make sure to triple check your confirmation. There will not be any changes made on contest day, so be certain your confirmation is correct!


Want to attend this event? Please download the 2018 NBTA Texas State Championships Entry Form, or contact the director at btolley@sbcglobal.net 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 and camps in and around the State of Texas. There are many great camps 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? Contact us at texastwirlcontact@gmail.com and we would love to hear about it.