Hello Texas Twirl Fans!
We are officially at the last collegiate blog post for October, which means we are almost into competition time, and football season is starting to wrap up. This awesome Texas twirler has done an amazing job this fall, and we love watching her and her co-feature wow the crowds. We especially enjoyed her Instastory Takeover this past weekend and are excited to learn more about this Texas twirler turned Cali girl.
This week’s Collegiate Twirler Spotlight is San Diego State University Feature Twirler, Kaylynn Lambert!
San Diego State University, also known as SDSU, is located in San Diego, California, and is the home of the Fighting Aztecs. Led by Coach, and Former College Miss Majorette of America, Catherine Watters, SDSU has been building their reputation as a great place for college twirlers. This year they have two amazing Features including California native Julia Sawin, and Texas Twirler, Kaylynn Lambert! We wanted to learn more about what led this Texas Girl to California, and what her experiences have been like as an SDSU Aztec.
The twirlers at SDSU have set an amazing standard for performance within the University, and have been a mainstay at games for decades! As Kaylynn tells us, “The Marching Aztecs have had twirlers for over 50 years now! The twirlers have always been an integral part of the Marching Aztecs and SDSU spirit!” As such an importance piece of the SDSU community, they get some amazing performance opportunities including game days for multiple sports, community events, and they even got to perform on stage at the House of Blues!
To get started, we had to know how Kaylynn decided on SDSU. “I chose to attend San Diego State University for so many reasons. It is in the top 20 public schools in the nation and has such amazing academic and research opportunities. Being a twirler at SDSU is also unique because we have the opportunity to twirl at Soccer, Volleyball, and basketball AND football games!!”
Next we wanted to learn more about the audition process. “The audition process for SDSU starts with filling out the audition form and submitting the required academic forms and a resume as well as a video. If you are selected for a callback, there is an in-person audition and interview with a panel of judges including Coach Ransom (the band director), Coach Catherine (the twirling coach), and additional people such as alumni twirlers and staff members of the athletic department.”
Being from Texas, we knew the decision to go to Cali was a big one. We asked Kaylynn about why she decided to go out of state, and what she has missed the most from at home while she is at school. “I always knew that I wanted to go to a school pretty far from home but I never knew that I would be nearly 2000 miles away! Being so far away from home is great because I get to experience a culture that isn’t present in Texas and it's so fun to explore such a beautiful city in my free time. The hardest part about being SOO far from home is that I can’t make weekend trips home to see my friends and family very often and I was also the only person from my high school that came to San Diego!”
We know Kaylynn has loved her decision and has really shined at SDSU! We wanted to know what her favorite thing about attending school in San Diego is, and she told us it is the “Environment of the student section! The students never disappoint at games and are always loud and proud. I get goosebumps whenever I hear them on the field or at basketball games!”
Being a big part of the SDSU Spirit Program, Kaylynn gets some amazing experiences. We had to know what her favorite traditions at SDSU were, and she told us about the basketball games. “The best university tradition in my opinion is at basketball games. Before every home game, the student section, which is known as The Show, brings up an alumni, professor, or loyal SDSU fan to lead the “I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN” chant. It gets the entire arena excited for the game and is super intimidating to the visiting team!"
Now that we have learned more about life at SDSU, let's learn more about Kaylynn!
Kaylynn is a Junior from The Woodlands, Texas, that is majoring in Biology (Cellular and Molecular) and Minoring in Psychology (Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience). In addition to being an SDSU Feature Twirler, Kaylynn is also a member of the Aztecs Professional Pre-Health Organization (APPHO) and the San Diego State Younglife. She is an advanced/elite level baton twirler that has been twirling for 15 years (“That makes me feel really old”). Kaylynn is a member of the Mickey's Majorettes and she is coached by Patti Mickey and Kayli Mickey-McIntosh. “I absolutely love them so much. They have made me the person and twirler I am today!” She also gets additional coaching from Catherine Watters, the SDSU Twirling Coach. “She helps us out so much throughout the school year to make sure we are ready for the field and staying on top of competition routines as well.”
The competition award she is the proudest of earning was the Major Margaret Mann Innovative Choreography Award at the 2023 Texas State Championship for the State Advanced 16+ Solo competition. “Even though this award doesn’t necessarily mean the solo also got first place, it means so much more! Mrs. Mickey and Kayli and I worked so hard when choreographing my solo that year and that award is something that we all get to share now! It is definitely what I am most proud of!”
Her favorite competition trick is her Hollywood roll combination to enter her rolls! “It is so fun and cool. I love the feeling of a hard roll working in front of the judge!” Her favorite field trick is anything 3 baton! “I love doing three baton at games and something that always gets the crowd excited is when I do my horizontal box on my knees.”
In baton twirling, Kaylynn has been most inspired by former Baylor Golden Girl & former UT Feature Twirler, Caroline Carothers. “To this day, I will pretend that I am her whenever I am twirling because she is so exciting to watch and that’s what I want to be as well!”
After college Kaylynn hopes to go to medical school or veterinary school.
Fun Facts!
- Favorite Color: “My favorite color is pretty specific… it is muted emerald green!!”
- Favorite TV show or Movie: “I have so many favorite movies and tv shows. Right now, my favorite TV show is Criminal Minds and my favorite movie at the moment is Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.”
- Favorite Book: “My favorite book is Harry Potter: Prisoner of Azkaban.”
- Favorite Food or Drink: “My favorite drink is a hot oat milk latte or Diet Dr Pepper.”
Favorite Quote…
“Focus on the small steps that lead to your big goals because every step is just as important.”
When she is not twirling, she loves to…
“I love to go hiking, read all kinds of books, and listen to music!”
Something people might not know about you…
“I played the trumpet and French horn for 7 years! I can also do the worm and I have a dog named Pumpkin with me in San Diego!”
The best non twirling life skill you have gained from baton twirling is...
“Learning how to communicate with people of all ages and backgrounds. This is a skill that I will be using for the rest of my life, and I wouldn’t have learned it without twirling.”
Most memorable advice from her coach...
“You have to remember that the people around you want to see you succeed…not fail” -Patti Mickey
Advice to future collegiate twirlers or those in the audition process...
“Trust the process. Trust me, I know it's hard especially when you have your heart set on one school BUT you will always end up where you are supposed to be.”
Favorite memory as a baton twirler...
“My favorite memory as a baton twirler was the first game we had after Snapdragon Stadium was opened. It was so loud and packed, and I got chills whenever I heard the crowd during pregame! I will never forget that feeling!”
Funniest memory as a baton twirler...
“The funniest memory is pretty recent! Julia and I were filming a TikTok where each sport attempted to do a trick. We had a couple of guys on the basketball team trying 2 and 3 baton and hearing their reactions to how hard twirling is was so funny.”
Favorite thing about your university's marching band program...
“My favorite thing about the Marching Aztecs is how everyone feels like a big family. We are all there to support our amazing Aztecs and put on a fun show. The environment is so inclusive and loving.”
Favorite tradition or inside joke within your band program...
“Every year during summer band, we have a section marching “contest” where the section leaders get to come up with a mini-show to perform all of the marching techniques they have learned! The creativity is mind-blowing, and it always makes me laugh to see what they come up with!”
Something she is really looking forward to this field season...
“Although I absolutely LOVE SDSU football games, I am most excited for the Basketball season which starts in just 2 weeks! After making it to the NCAA Championship game last season, the entire city of San Diego is excited to see what we can do this year! I also really love twirling at basketball games because the environment is unmatched!”
We want to thank Kaylynn and her co-feature Julia for sharing their game day with us, and we loved getting to learn more about Kaylynn! We wish them a great rest of their football season, and you know we will be following that SDSU Basketball season as well! Go Aztecs!
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.
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