Hello Texas Twirl Fans!
The last couple days of September are here, and we are ready for “Band-Tober” and all the fun that comes with a month full of marching band, football, and watching those collegiate twirlers rock it on Saturdays. We know today's featured twirlers did just that this past weekend and we loved following their Game Day experience on the Instastory Takeover.
This week’s Collegiate Twirler Spotlight is the Texas Christian University Feature Twirlers!
Texas Christian University (also known as TCU), located in Fort Worth, Texas, is the home of the Horned Frogs, and a long history of amazing twirlers repping the purple and white. This includes the awesome Fall 2021 Feature Twirlers: KK Tunnell, Stephanie McBurnett, and Haylee Chiariello!
We asked these ladies what brought them to TCU, and for all of them it was a mix of the culture and academics. KK told us she loved the atmosphere. “It feels like everyone here is a family and the university really supports and cares for its students.” Haylee had a similar feeling, and felt it was a place she could continue to grow. “The campus is so beautiful, and I was offered incredible academic scholarships. When I visited, I knew I would have a unique perspective and role on campus.”
While Stephanie also agreed with the campus being a very welcoming place, she also had a family connection that made her look further into whether the school would also be right for her, and it was! “I have loved TCU ever since my sister went here. When I got older and started to plan for my future, I realized they have one of the top business schools in the US, so that was also a major draw for me to come here.”
All three of these twirlers had an unusual experience being selected for their positions because their auditions were all in the middle of COVID shutdowns in spring 2020. Stephanie tells us the process was done virtually. “We submitted a video of uncut performances, an academic resume, twirling resume, and headshot & full body picture along with a cover letter expressing interest and why they should choose you.” It ended up working out for them because their videos were enough to earn them their spots as Feature Twirlers, a position that they get to hold for all four years.
Being a Feature Twirler and attending a Power 5 University is a great opportunity, and these twirlers definitely appreciate the experience. As Haylee tells us, being at TCU has been “such an exciting experience! I have loved getting to share my diverse perspective and represent my people in this sport!”
Now that we have learned more about what brought these three to TCU, let’s learn more about them!
KK Tunnell
KK is a sophomore from Rockwall, Texas, and is majoring in Movement Science and minoring in Religion. At TCU, in addition to being a Feature Twirler, she is in the PAC (a Bible study and discipleship group), on the Greet Team at Christ Chapel College, and a sister of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority. “I also go to Bingo every Thursday which is a lot of fun!” She has been twirling for 11 years with the Texas Touch of Class and is coached by Shirley Payne and Sheila Payne Rigelsky. The title she is the proudest of earning is the 2021 College Miss Majorette of the Southwest. Her favorite competition tricks are rolls, “especially back necks!”, and her favorite field trick is back neck rolls or toss walkovers. “The crowd gets excited by those tricks, and it is fun to see!” In baton twirling she has been most inspired by former UT Feature Twirler, Erica Kuntz. After college, KK plans to attend Chiropractic School and become a chiropractor.
KK is a sophomore from Rockwall, Texas, and is majoring in Movement Science and minoring in Religion. At TCU, in addition to being a Feature Twirler, she is in the PAC (a Bible study and discipleship group), on the Greet Team at Christ Chapel College, and a sister of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority. “I also go to Bingo every Thursday which is a lot of fun!” She has been twirling for 11 years with the Texas Touch of Class and is coached by Shirley Payne and Sheila Payne Rigelsky. The title she is the proudest of earning is the 2021 College Miss Majorette of the Southwest. Her favorite competition tricks are rolls, “especially back necks!”, and her favorite field trick is back neck rolls or toss walkovers. “The crowd gets excited by those tricks, and it is fun to see!” In baton twirling she has been most inspired by former UT Feature Twirler, Erica Kuntz. After college, KK plans to attend Chiropractic School and become a chiropractor.
Stephanie is a sophomore from San Antonio, Texas, and is Double Majoring in Finance and Accounting. At TCU, in addition to being a Feature Twirler, she is a sister of the Phi Mu sorority, a member of the Tau Beta Sigma Band Service Sorority, and in the John V. Roach Honors College. She has been twirling for 8 years and is currently a member of the Mickey’s Majorettes, where she is coached by Patti Mickey and Kayli Mickey-McIntosh. She is additionally coached by Tori Mays. The competition title she is the proudest of earning is the 2021 Senior Miss Majorette of the Southwest. Her favorite competition skills are “anything from my Collegiate Halftime routine,” and her favorite field trick is a toss leap into a floor roll. In baton twirling she has been most inspired by Rachel White who is a former Smithson Valley High School Twirler and former member of the Texas Tech Twirling line. After college, Stephanie wants to work her way up in the financial sector of business and, “hopefully one day be a CFO of a large corporation.”
Haylee is from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and is majoring in Native America Expression & Dance. At TCU, in addition to being a Feature Twirler, she is also a Native American Advisory Circle Student Representative, Race and Reconciliation Initiative Student Representative, Native and Indigenous Student Association Executive Secretary, on the Native & Indigenous People’s Day Committee, a Land Acknowledgment Presenter, member of the Pre-Law Society, and a sister in the Alpha Chi Omega sorority. She has been twirling for 17 years and is coached by Vicki Ray. The title she is the proudest of earning was when she was named Miss Mustang 2021 and went on the place in the Top 10 at Miss Oklahoma 2021. Her favorite competition skills are her rolls, “my roll section is my favorite!”, and her favorite field tricks are tumbling and rolls on the ground. In baton twirling she has been most inspired by many twirlers including DaNae Couch, Megan McGeary, Sarah Harris, Jennifer Horn, and Kelli Masters. After graduation, she plans to continue her education and earn a JD with an emphasis in Indigenous Peoples Law while also utilizing her dance education. “As Native people face many pressing health challenges, I understand the great importance of fitness and health and wellness programming in the Native community. I plan to incorporate dance and other artistic expressions (including twirling!) to promote wellness in Native populations.”
Fun Facts!
- Favorite Color – “Purple, of course!” (KK & Stephanie)
- Favorite Movie – Any Hallmark Christmas Movie (KK), “Anastasia” and “When Harry Met Sally” (Stephanie)
- Favorite Animal – Monkeys (KK)
- Favorite Things – “My faith is very important to me: I love Jesus and I am so grateful for His blessings! (And Diet Dr. Pepper is a must-have for me)!” (Haylee)
- KK – “Never let anyone dull your sparkle!”
- Stephanie – “Dream Big!”
- Haylee – “The secret of our success is that we never, never give up!”, Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma Principal Chief Wilma P. Mankiller
- KK – “Hang out with my niece, Aspen. She is about to turn two and is the cutest thing ever! Also, I love hanging out with my friends and going to bingo!”
- Stephanie – “Watch NCIS or Criminal Minds because I love shows where they solve cases. I also love my academics, so I am usually doing schoolwork when not twirling.”
- Haylee – “Go for outdoor walks and work out in the gym!”
Something people might not know about them is…
- KK – “I have a niece, Aspen, who is almost 2 and a nephew, Grey, who is 4 months. They are adorable, so fun, and bring us so much joy!”
- Haylee – “I speak Cherokee!”
Best memory as a baton twirler…
- KK – “I love getting to meet and talk to sweet little girls on game days. They love asking questions and seeing the sparkly costumes and I love sharing baton twirling with them! I also loved going to Peru! It was such an amazing experience and I got to meet so many wonderful people!”
- Stephanie – “When I placed 2nd at AYOP for the Senior Intermediate Pageant after having only been cleared from wrist surgery three weeks before the event!”
- Haylee – “Incorporating Native dance into my Miss Oklahoma talent routine as a Top Ten finalist was so exciting and an incredible honor. Also, hearing my name announced for the first time during pregame on the field was thrilling!”
Funniest memory as a baton twirler…
- KK – “When I was in high school my shoe came off during halftime. I was embarrassed at the time but think it’s funny now! I also love just the little things that happen at band practice like trying new tricks and epically failing or running away from bees that fly near us.”
- Stephanie – “HAHA! At one of our games this season, I was warming up on the sidelines and my hands were super sweaty, and I made the mistake of practicing my swing section from my routine... My baton went flying and hit a cameraman's camera (THANKFULLY NO DAMAGE WAS DONE!!) but I was so scared for my life, and he was so nice about it and just laughed it off saying thankfully it was a baton and not one of the football players that hit him!”
Most Memorable Advice from their Coaches…
- KK – “It’s okay to be nervous because that means you care, but don’t let your nerves get the best of you.”
- Stephanie – “The field is your time to have fun and show people how much you love baton!”
- Haylee – “Vicki and I both have a dance background and she always tells me I have the look!”
- KK – “I learned the value of hard work and determination. Twirling has taught me to always reach for my goals even when things get hard.”
- Stephanie – “How to hold myself with confidence and be able to speak intelligently. This is especially useful I have found with interviews for organizations, internships, and various opportunities in college.”
- Haylee – “Presentation skills! In any setting, I feel confident in my ability to connect with anyone because of the skills developed in twirling.”
- KK – “Don’t give up!! Twirling is a difficult sport. There may be days nothing is working and that’s okay. Push through those days and keep working hard to accomplish your dreams.”
- Stephanie – “Time management is everything! Trust me, finding time to practice when you're living on your own in college is HARD! So, it's especially important to plan ahead and work it into your schedule and keep to your schedule you set for yourself. This is also true for your school work and finding times to study.”
- Haylee – “I always tell my younger brother, Zane-Micah, when he competes that I am so proud of you and all you have done. Train and perform like an athlete.”
Best School Tradition…
- KK – “Frog Walk! The football team arrives to the stadium on buses. The band plays while the Showgirls, cheerleaders, and football team walks into the stadium.”
- Stephanie – “I love the Christmas tree lighting they do every year for Christmas. It brings the whole Fort Worth and TCU community together to share in the festivities.
- Haylee – “The Riff Ram Bah Zoo chant!”
Best Band Tradition or Inside Joke…
- KK – “I can’t tell y’all the inside jokes or they wouldn’t be inside jokes…”
- Stephanie – “My favorite band tradition/ inside joke is the 3rd quarter dirty dogs (hot dogs) we get! After performing all of pregame and halftime, we are so hungry, so a good old fashioned concession stand hot dog hits the spot.”
What advice would they give to a twirler about to go into college auditions…
- KK – “Have an open mind. It can be a stressful process but having an open mind will help take away some of the stress. You will end up where your supposed to be and fall in love with your school!”
- Stephanie – “When you audition, all you can do is try your best and put it all out there when you perform. Once you do your job, it is out of your hands, and you should be proud of yourself for going out there and auditioning for a collegiate position. Also, have fun while you're doing all of this. It's so incredibly stressful that many girls forget to have fun!”
- Haylee - "Just be you!"
We experienced a very unprecedented year last year. We asked them how they stayed motivated and prepared for this year even with the challenges, and Stephanie found that her most important tool was her coaches. “It was very hard to stay motivated, I will admit that. Luckily, I had coaches who were very encouraging and understanding, so we would do at least one zoom lesson a week, just so I would keep twirling. As I said before, time management is everything, and I really had to learn how to keep to the schedule I set for myself.” Haylee told us she used her future plans as her motivation. “As a Miss America local titleholder, I had specific goals for my preparation for Miss Oklahoma. Having a strong team supporting me was so encouraging! I learned the importance of flexibility and being able to adapt in any situation. Dates and locations may change, but I am always ready!”
KK also leaned on her support system to keep her going, and learned a lot about herself in the process. “I stayed motivated by practicing with friends and set fun goals for myself. It’s important to remember that’s twirling is supposed to be fun so challenge yourself, set goals, and come up with crazy and fun tricks. Going through freshman year in a pandemic taught me a lot and challenged me as well. However, through it I realized how important community is. My friends hold me accountable and love on me when I need it. I also learned that it’s the little things that are important. All the little things from last year became my favorite memories, and the little things turned into the big things like eating cookie dough with your roommate and going on Monday night walks with your friends.”
These twirlers were originally selected for the Fall 2020 season, but that season was not quite what they hoped it would be due to COVID. Stephanie told us about the adjustments made last year. “Last season, we were not allowed to perform pregame or halftime on the field. The band stayed in the stands with masks on and luckily, we were at least able to have one twirler at each game down on the sideline for pregame only." Thankfully, as KK told us, "this year everything is back to normal and I’m so grateful for it! I love getting to twirl on the field with the band and Stephanie and Haylee!”
These twirlers were originally selected for the Fall 2020 season, but that season was not quite what they hoped it would be due to COVID. Stephanie told us about the adjustments made last year. “Last season, we were not allowed to perform pregame or halftime on the field. The band stayed in the stands with masks on and luckily, we were at least able to have one twirler at each game down on the sideline for pregame only." Thankfully, as KK told us, "this year everything is back to normal and I’m so grateful for it! I love getting to twirl on the field with the band and Stephanie and Haylee!”
Haylee shares in their excitement and is happy to be on the field just doing what she loves. “As features, we each have individual performances and individual costumes. We get to take the field with the band this year and it is so exciting to see it all come together! I can’t wait for all the Big XII games!”
We want to thank KK, Stephanie, and Haylee for sharing their Game Day and their experiences with us. We wish them an amazing rest of the season, and we know they will shine bright on that field. Go Frogs!
Each season this blog likes to get to know many of our awesome Texas twirlers a little better by learning about their experiences. We will be meeting many HS twirlers on Fridays throughout the season with the Friday Night Lights Features and discovering more about our Texas Collegians with the Collegiate Twirler Spotlights during the week. We will also be having many of our HS and Collegiate twirlers take over our Social Media Story for their Game Days. Make sure to follow us on Instagram @twirlingiscatchingtx or at facebook.com/twirlingiscatchingtx so you don't miss a thing!
