Friday Night Lights Feature - Henderson High School Feature Twirler

Hello Texas Twirl Fans!

We are finally here. After nine Friday Night Light Features, we are at our tenth and final interview of the season! Do not worry though, we will continue to have several instastory takeovers throughout the rest of the marching band competition and playoff season, but today we are ending the Fall 2021 High School Series.

We loved learning more about these amazing twirlers and following their Game Days this Fall...
• Stony Point High School Feature Twirlers, Amber Sorenson & Jordan Chmiel
• Troup HS Twirlers – Jaycee, Cali, Hannah, Reagan, Ellie, Faith, Cadence, Jacey, Lindsey, & Natalie
• Veterans Memorial High School Feature Twirler, Megan Garcia
• New Braunfels High School Feature Twirler, Katy McClain
• Frenship High School Feature Twirler, Taylor Tubbs
• Joaquin High School Feature Twirler, Avery Prnka
• Needville High School Twirlers – Emily, Elisabeth, Hope, & Kenzie
• Melissa High School Feature Twirler, Hollyn Fleming-Stump
• Azle High School Feature Twirler, Diana Garcia

And now for our final feature interview….

This week’s Friday Night Lights Feature is the Henderson High School Feature Twirler!

Henderson High School, located in Henderson, Texas, is the home of the Lions, and a wonderful group of baton twirlers. This school not only has a Feature Twirler, but also 28 members of their twirling line! Wow! While we love following this amazing group, today we are focused on their Feature Twirler, Gracie Lane!

We asked Gracie to tell us about the process to earn a spot as a Henderson High School Twirler, and she told us about the auditions. “Each year we hold auditions around the beginning of April. Each girl is required to perform a solo and a group routine. We have closed auditions. Once every girl has performed the judges decide if they need to have call backs. Once the judges feel good with what they have seen we are free to leave and the results are posted on Facebook later that night!” 

Gracie has had an opportunity to be on the twirling line all four years, the Feature for three, and was even voted as the Fall 2021 Homecoming Queen! In those years she has developed a strong love for the Henderson Band community. We asked her what her favorite thing about being in the HHS marching band was, and she told us, “My favorite thing about marching season is how much time I get to spend working with the twirlers and band!” 

The game on Friday night was Gracie’s last as a member of the Henderson Twirlers. With so many memories and experiences, we wanted to know what she would miss the most, and she said everything! “Once marching season is over, I will never perform again at a Friday night high school game. There are so many amazing memories associated with marching season! I will miss dancing in the stands with the team, warming up with the line, praying with all 28 of the girls before half time, performing for an amazing and supportive crowd, and so much more!”

Now that we have learned more about Gracie’s time with the HHS Band, let’s learn more about her!

Gracie Lane, Senior

Competition Level: Intermediate
Gracie has been twirling for six years and works with coaches Paige Keitt, Kayli Mickey-McIntosh, and Patti Mickey. The competition title she is the proudest of earning was the 2021 Beginner Senior Southwest Regional Pageant Winner. Her favorite field trick is a toss back handspring. In baton twirling she has been most inspired by Natalie Kelley, Paige Keitt, Kayli Mickey-McIntosh, Patti Mickey, Jana Higgs, Caroline Carothers, Olivia Howard, and Julie Horchler. After High School she hopes to attend a University where she can twirl. 

Fun Facts!
Favorite Color – light blue
Favorite Movie – “Freaky Friday”
Favorite Music – Indie, Alternative, Pop, and Oldies
Favorite Book – “Catching Fire”

Favorite Quote…
“Enjoy the little things!” 

When she is not twirling, she loves to…
“Watch Marvel movies with my family!” 

Something most people might not know about her is… 
“I am a huge Paramore fan!”

#1 non-twirling life skill she has learned from baton twirling…
“The relationships you build are more important than the titles you earn.”

Most Memorable Advice from her Coach…
 “Practice makes progress not perfection!”

Advice to Future Twirlers…
“Twirling is supposed to be fun! Try to enjoy practicing and make it a fun activity not a chore!! Dedication and practice will pay off!”

Favorite Moment as a Baton Twirler…
“My favorite moment has to be receiving a video from a little girl’s mom of her replicating my routine in the stands. It was truly an amazing compliment that I will always remember!”

Funniest Moment as a Baton Twirler…
“Every year we perform at a black light pep rally. This year we used glow in the dark streamers and my streamer fell out of my pocket. The whole performance all four of the seniors on the front were dying laughing! Not our best performance, but it was a lot of fun!”
 
Best HHS School Tradition…
“Our band is known for a pop song called “call out”. Every time the band plays it everyone does the same dance, and it is my favorite tradition!”

Best HHS Band Tradition…
“At every competition, and at every event, a percussionist carries around a Spiderman stuffed animal and every time he pulls it out, we all cheer for Spiderman!” 

We experienced particularly unprecedented events last year with COVID. We wanted to know how Gracie stayed motivated and ready to twirl this Fall, and she said knowing her senior year was coming was the best motivation. “It was extremely difficult, but the idea of putting new tricks on the field for my last season really pushed me. I wanted to make this my best season yet!”

COVID presented challenges both with twirling and in regular life. We asked Gracie was her biggest challenge was and how she handled it. “This past year my sister moved halfway across the country. My sister and I have always been very close and living so far away from each other has been extremely difficult, but in this time I am reminded to cherish every moment with my family that I have.”

The situation also affected her Junior year pretty drastically, so it has been great seeing her have a more normal Senior year. “Last year I only had the opportunity to twirl at four games. This put a real damper on my junior year, but this year I have had the opportunity to travel to every football game! I have enjoyed every single game this season, and I am so glad I get the opportunity to twirl so much this year!”

We want to say congrats to Gracie on a wonderful Senior season, and we wish her the best going into the next stages of her twirling journey. Go Lions!

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!