Hello Texas Twirl Fans!
We just love that College Football is back in full swing. The past few weekends have included many great moments, including some awesome field twirling. We loved getting to follow along with a #TeamTexas Twirler turned Wolfpack Feature Twirler as her and her co-features took over our Instastory on Saturday, and now we are excited to have them as this week’s Collegiate Twirler Spotlight.
This week’s Spotlight is the North Carolina State University Feature Twirlers!
This week’s Spotlight is the North Carolina State University Feature Twirlers!
North Carolina State University is located in Raleigh, North Carolina, and is the home of the Wolfpack! It is also home to a wonderful twirling program led by coach Bethany Shreiner with assistance from Courtney White. The current 2023-24 Wolfpack feature twirlers include Claudia Swauger, Kira Greer, Robbie Leske, and #TeamTexas twirler, Amber Sorenson!
We asked why NC State, and Amber told us it just felt like home. “I choose NC State for the amazing baton twirling program and the academic programs! One great thing about this university is the number of clubs and events to get involved with in addition to the wonderful band program!”
Speaking of the band program, a fun fact about the “Power Sound of the South” Marching Band is that this year they broke their record for the most band members in the history of the program with 380 members!
While attending NC State was an easy decision for Amber, we wanted to know why she chose to attend school out of state. “I choose to attend a university outside of Texas for new opportunities and new experiences. Being 20 hours away from home is difficult at time, but it was the best decision to allow me to see more of the country and world around me.”
In order to become a Pack Twirler, we wanted to know what the audition process was like, and they told us that “all new and returning members have to attend an in person audition every spring. This audition consists of running a mile, performing an individual routine, learning and performing a group routine, and an interview in front of a panel of judges.”
Now that we have learned a little about NC State, lets learn more about the twirlers!
Amber is a Freshman from Round Rock, Texas, that is majoring in human biology with a nonprofit minor. In addition to being a Pack Twirler, Amber is a member of the University’s Honors Program and the founder of her own non-profit, Amber’s Spirit Batons. Amber is an advanced competitor that has been twirling for 14 years. She is coached by Ashley Wood as well as Whitney Coons from Twirl ATX, and is a member of the Forte Artistic Group out of Atlanta, GA, which is coached by Colleen Middleton and Courtney White. The competition title she is the proudest of was when Forte became the 2022 and 2023 National Artistic Group Champions, and then placed Top 5 at the IBTF World Championship! Amber’s favorite competition trick is a tick tock double illusion, and her favorite field trick is a leap walkover. In baton twirling, Amber’s biggest twirling inspiration has been her now co-feature Claudia Swauger. “It has been an absolute dream come true to be able to twirl along side her this year!” After college, she hopes to continue to medical school to become an orthopedic surgeon.
Claudia is a Senior from Niles, Ohio, that is majoring in Nutrition Science with a minor in Sports Science. In addition to being a Pack twirler, Claudia is also a sister of the Alpha Xi Delta Sorority, and a member of the Pre-PT Club and Sports Science Club. Claudia is an advanced/elite level twirler that has been twirling for 18 years. She is coached by Kathy Harris and Ann Kennedy as a member of the Wheaton Dance/Twirl teams. The competition title she is the proudest of earning was when she was named the Junior Miss Majorette of America in 2016. Claudia’s favorite competition trip is a one spin triple, and her favorite field trick is a leap walkover. In baton twirling, Claudia’s biggest twirling inspiration is her sister, and former WVU Feature Twirler, Jillian Swauger. After college, she hopes to become a physical therapist and work with athletes or a college sports team.
Kira is a Senior from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that is majoring in Political Science with a minor in Environmental Science and History. In addition to being a Pack twirler, Kira is in the Pre-Law Student Association and the Honors College. Kira is an advanced level twirler that that has been twiring for 18 years. She was coached by Sherry Vignolli Parisi as a member of the Modernettes. The competition title she is the proudest of was when the Modernettes became World Corp Champions! Kira’s favorite competition trick is a horizontal double illusion catch left, and her favorite field trick is a spinning hitch kick. In baton twirling, Kira’s biggest twirling inspiration was her older sister, Lauren Greer. “I wouldn’t be twirling if it weren’t for her!” After she graduates in the Spring, she will be continuing her education in law school!
Robbie is a Junior from Pawling, New York, that is majoring in Physics & Chemistry with a Math Minor. In addition to being a Pack Twirler, Robbie is also in the Society of Physics Students. Robbie is an advanced level twirler that has been twirling for 16 years. He is a member of the Silver Starlites and is coached by Allison Stuart. The competition title he is the proudest of earning was when he was names the Senior Men’s Grand National Twirling Champion. Robbie’s favorite competition trick is any oppositional 2-baton trick, and his favorite field trick is a leg bounce. In baton twirling, Robbie’s biggest twirling inspiration is his sister, Annamarie, who is a former NC State Feature! After college, Robbie hopes to work in the solar panel industry.
We of course had to know what the best NC State University tradition was, and we got to learn about several fun ones! “One of our most favorite traditions is that whenever an NC Statew team wins, they light the bell tower red! There is also a statue on campus called the strolling professor. It is a former chemistry professor, and it is good luck if you rub his head before any chemistry exam.
Another fun fact about NC State is that they have their own creamery off campus, and they make their own ice cream called Howling Cow. Yum!
Finally we wanted to know their favorite thing about the NC State Marching Band Program:
- “Every time the Power Sound of the South enters the field for pregame, they dance around and do this thing called the dirty shuffle, and it is my favorite because it gets everyone so hype to perform pregame!” - Amber
- “My favorite part of the NC State marching band is how unique the culture in every section is! There are so many unique traditions, and it really brings the excitement to the rest of the band and anyone watching!” - Robbie
- “The band is such a close-knit group and I have met some of my best friends from it!” - Claudia
- “My favorite thing about the Power Sound of the South is how talented every section is. They work so hard and come up with the most creative shows! Also, they make us twirlers feel so special and involved. Best band EVER!” – Kira
We want to thank the NC State twirlers for sharing their Game Day with us this past Saturday through their Instastory Takeover, and we loved learning more about them! We wish them all an amazing rest of their fall season, and we can’t wait to see Amber back in Texas later this year. Go Pack!
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
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