2026 Southwest Regional Pageant Winners - Beginner Pageant

Hello Texas Twirl Fans! 

With only 2 days until The Twirlies, and only 3 days until the 2026 Texas State Championship entry deadline (not signed up? Visit nbtatexasstatecentx.com to get registered!), it is time to continue meeting our Southwest Regional pageant winners. 

To celebrate our new Regional Pageant title holders, over the next few weeks, we will be recognizing them here on the blog. Congrats to all of these talented twirlers on their success at Southwest Regionals. 

Today we will be recognizing the 2026 Southwest Regional Beginner Pageant Winners!

Senior Beginner Pageant Winner 

Hope Salas

 

Hope is from Henderson, TX, where she is on the twirling line at Henderson High School. She is a member Precision Twirl where she is coached by Paige Keitt, with additional support from Kayli Mickey-McIntosh and Jaidyn Poole. Her favorite memory from Regionals was getting to celebrate her and her teammates' accomplishments during awards. This summer she is excited to go to Nationals and compete with all of the amazing twirlers!

Junior Beginner Pageant Winner  

Jessica Franklin

  

Jessica is from New Braunfels, TX, and is a freshman at Canyon High School. She is a member of the Twirling Sweet Sensations where she is coached by Michele Pangrac. Her favorite memory from regionals is when she had only 3 drops in her solo and then sitting with her teammates to celebrate awards together. She is looking forward to competing at AYOP for the first time and spending time with her teammates doing the TSS traditions like spaghetti meal and ice cream social nights! 

Pre-Teen Beginner Pageant Winner 

Hazel Hull

 

Hazel is from Liberty Hill, TX. She is a member of Twirl ATX, where she is coached by Whitney Coons as well as Ashley Wood & Jassandra Saddler. Her favorite memory from Regionals was hanging out with her friends and teammates in between routines. This summer Hazel is looking forward to experiencing her first AYOP!

Juvenile Beginner Pageant Winner 

Lillian Gledhill

 

Lillian is from Selma, TX. She is a member of the Twirling Sweet Sensations where she is coached by Michele Pangrac. Her favorite moments from regionals weekend were winning her first Regionals pageant and having fun playing games with her TSS teammates at the hotel. This summer Lillian is most excited to attend AYOP for the very first time and watching and competing with girls from all over the United States.

Little Miss Beginner Pageant Winner

Southwest Regional & Super West Regional 

Clara Coons

Clara is from Austin, TX where she is a member of the Twirl ATX Sunbeams. She is coached by Tori Mays Elyea and Lynn Dell Harrell, and also loves working with the coaches at Twirl ATX. Her favorite memories from Regionals were seeing her friends, doing her modeling, and the award ceremony. This summer at AYOP Clara is "excited to do my solo that I’ve been practicing and awards!”

CONGRATS TO ALL OUR REGIONAL BEGINNER PAGEANT WINNERS!

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. 

2026 Southwest Regional Pageant Winners - Basic Skills

 Hello Texas Twirl Fans! 

Can you believe it has been three weeks since the 2026 Southwest Regional Championship? We all had an amazing time, and it was a great contest! Shout out to Contest Directors Gretta Johnson & Brittany Ashcraft for making it all happen, and we are so excited for all of our regional winners!

To celebrate our new Regional Pageant title holders, over the next few weeks, we will be recognizing them here on the blog. Congrats to all of these talented twirlers on their success at Regionals. 

Today we will be recognizing the 2026 Southwest Regional Basic Skills Pageant Winners!

Senior Basic Skills Pageant Winner

Morgan Blau

Morgan is from Odessa, TX, where she is a member of the Odessa Twirl Elite and is coached by Pam Brewer and Naticia Dodson. Her favorite memory from Regionals was hearing her name announced in first place. "It was a surreal moment I'll never forget!" 

Junior Basic Skills Pageant Winner 

Christina Paterson

Christina is from Dallas, TX, where she is a Feature Twirler at Highland Park high School She is a member of Texas Touch of Class and is coached by Sheila Payne Rigelsky. Her favorite memory from Regionals was when she realized that TTOC had the top 3 spots in Junior Basic Skills Pageant. This summer Christina will be attending Nationals for the first time, and she can’t wait to watch her teammate Breckyn Steele perform in the Big Show!

Pre-Teen Basic Skills Pageant Winner 

Kallette Miller

Kallette is from Dallas, TX, where she is a member of Texas Touch of Class and is coached by Kassie Steele and Sheila Payne Rigelsky. Her favorite memory from Regionals was twirling with her best friends and having a fun dinner with her whole team. She also enjoyed watching x-struts and new show twirl routines!

Juvenile Basic Skills Pageant Winner 

Hannah Oldman

Hannah is from Carrier, OK, where she is coached by Kim Akers of the Oklahoma Twirling Academy. Her favorite memory from Regionals was when she had a no drop on her two-baton. This summer she is looking forward to competing at Nationals for the first time, and hopefully even placing top 10 in an event!

Little Miss Basic Skills Pageant Winner 

Cohyn Shoemaker

Cohyn, also known as Coco, is from Cypress, Texas, where she is coached by Kelley McCormick of Forever Twirl Texas. According to Coco, the best thing that happened at Regionals was "catching my thumb flip for the first time ever! I even learned it right before. But my absolute favorite memory was meeting my new friend Clara. She was really nice to me!"

CONGRATS TO ALL OUR REGIONAL BASIC SKILLS PAGEANT WINNERS!

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. 

Collegiate Twirler Spotlight - Abilene Christian University

Hello Texas Twirl Fans!

That time of the year is here, and we are at our FINAL Collegiate Twirler Spotlight of the season! Don’t worry, we will still have takeovers as we go through Playoff and Bowl Season, but this will be our last Spotlight Interview. We have so enjoyed getting to know the many High School and College Twirlers we have been able to feature this field season, and we can’t wait to follow everyone as we focus on competitions!

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 High School twirlers throughout the season with the Friday Night Lights Features and discovering more about our Texas Collegians with the Collegiate Twirler Spotlights. We will also be having many of our High School 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!

Our next Collegiate Twirler Spotlight is on the Abilene Christian University Feature Twirler!

Abilene Christian University, located in Abilene, Texas, is the home of the Wildcats, and today’s Collegiate Twirler Spotlight, Feature Twirler Briley Harrell!

As Briley is only the third twirler at ACU in several decades, the audition process was virtual. “You send in different videos of you performing and a twirling resume.”

We wanted to know what brought Briley to ACU, and she told us it was the atmosphere. “I fell in love with the family-like atmosphere here at ACU. From the moment I stepped on campus, I could feel the sense of community. It’s a place where people truly care about one another, where professors know your name, and where friendships last a lifetime. The encouragement and connection I’ve experienced here are part of what makes ACU so special to me.” 

The campus is a big part of what she loves about attending ACU. “I absolutely love our campus; it is so beautiful and safe! The friendly community, strong school spirit, and opportunities to get involved both on and off the field make it an amazing place to be.” She also loves the butterflies! “A fun fact about ACU is that during the month of October our campus is covered in Monarch butterflies!”

With such a great campus spirit, we wanted to know what Briley felt was the best ACU tradition, and she said it would have to be Sing Song! “It’s a high-energy show where students team up to perform creative, themed musical acts. It's full of singing, costumes, and friendly competition that brings the whole ACU community together. Even if you're not participating, it's so fun to watch! I also love candlelight devotional and freshman follies!” Briley also shared that she loves the band’s tradition of singing ‘Lord Bless You and Keep You’ after every game!

Finally, we asked what she is looking forward to the most this season and Briley said it was the Homecoming Parade! 

Now that we have learned about twirling at ACU, let’s learn more about Briley!

Briley Harrell, Junior

Briley has been twirling for 8 years. She is a member of the Babes with Batons where she is coached by Marlene Torres. Her favorite competition trick is front neck rolls, and her favorite field trick is a toss leap with any kind of fun catch! In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by her twirling coach Marlene! “She has taught me so much, both in twirling and outside of it.” After College she plans on going into nursing and hopefully one day become a CRNA.

Favorite Color – Yellow
Favorite TV Show or Movie – Steel Magnolias
Favorite Book – Where the Crawdads Sing

Must have Game Day Snack/Drink… 
“Definitely chick-fil-la nuggets.”

Favorite Quote or Life Motto… 
1 John 4:19: "We love because he first loved us". 

When she is not twirling, she loves to… 
“Hang out with friends and make trips home to see family.”

Something people might not know about her… 
“I know how to drive a tractor!”

The best non twirling life skill she has gained from baton twirling is…  
“Confidence and time management, twirling has taught me how to balance school, performing, and life.”

The most memorable advice from her coach… 
“We don’t get to do this tomorrow.”

Advice to future Collegiate twirlers… 
“Don’t compare yourself to others, be confident, and have fun!”

Funniest memory as a baton twirler… 
“Falling down during X-strut in front of the judge.”

Favorite thing about marching season… 
“Getting to perform in front of large crowds!”

What she will miss most when marching season is over… 
“The energy of game day and the excitement that comes along with performances.”

We want to thank Briley for sharing her Game Day with us. We really enjoyed learning more about Abilene Christian, and we want to send Briley best wishes for the rest of her season! Scratch ‘Em Cats!

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. 

Collegiate Twirler Spotlight - University of Texas, San Antonio

Hello Texas Twirl Fans!

Can you believe there are only a couple more regular season college games left? We know all our #TeamTexas collegiate twirlers are doing everything they can to get the most out of their football season during these final weeks, especially this team of twirlers! We loved following their Game Day experience on the Instastory Takeover a few weeks ago, and we hope you enjoy learning more about them in today’s interview!

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 High School twirlers throughout the season with the Friday Night Lights Features and discovering more about our Texas Collegians with the Collegiate Twirler Spotlights. We will also be having many of our High School 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!

Our next Collegiate Twirler Spotlight is on the University of Texas, San Antonio Twirlers!

The University of Texas - San Antonio, also known as UTSA, is located in San Antonio, TX, and is the home of the "Spirit of San Antonio" - the Roadrunner Marching Band. The SOSA Auxiliary, coordinated by sponsor Mary Ann Srulowitz Pozzi, sparkles and shines in the Alamodome as they twirl and support their Roadrunners. This year the UTSA Twirlers include Feature Twirlers Elisabeth Kubena & Gabi Rosito, and three Line Twirlers - Kyra Bevill, KayLynn Rieger, and Zoe Dou! 

We asked what these Roadrunners had to do to earn their spots, and they told us about their audition process. “We send in a video containing all of the trick and skill requirements, plus fight song, and then we are selected for an in person try out and interview.”

There are many reasons these twirlers chose to call UTSA home, from it being close to their hometowns to having the great opportunity to twirl, many of them especially love that they get to call the Alamodome homebase on game days. “That 72 degree covered stadium is a big bonus!”

While most of Game Day is on site at the Alamodome, there are plenty of great traditions on the main campus. As Kyra tells us, “My favorite thing about my school is the fountain where we dip a rowdy in for good luck on finals.”

Finally we asked what they are looking forward to the most this year, and while they each had their own, they all agreed that spending time together and working as a team is the best part!

Now that we have learned about twirling at UTSA, let’s learn more about the twirlers!

Elisabeth Kubena, Sophomore
Feature Twirler & Student Staff
Elisabeth has been twirling for 10 years. She is a member of the Heart of Texas Twirlers where she is coached by Mary Ann Pozzi and Sara Rudin with additional coaching by Heather Holland and Sherri Carter. The competition title she is the proudest of earning was when she was named the 2025 Teenage Miss Majorette of Texas. Her favorite competition trick is a front angel roll, and her favorite field trick is a horizontal toss knee slide. In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by her 12 year old self. “She wanted to quit after every practice but kept going anyway and still managed to find the joy in twirling all by herself.” After UTSA, Elisabeth plans to apply to law school. 

Favorite Color – Pink
Favorite TV Show or Movie – The Princess Diaries
Favorite Book – The Perfect Divorce - “I love anything dark mystery!”

Must have Game Day Snack/Drink… 
“Fruit snacks are a must for the very short breaks in between appearances.”

Favorite Quote or Life Motto… 
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” -Princess Diaries

When she is not twirling, she loves to… 
“If I'm not twirling, I'm most likely practicing my flute since I'm a music major. But I love organizing things.”

Gabi Rosito, Freshman 
Feature Twirler
Gabi Rosito has been twirling for 9 years. She is a member of Heart of Texas Twirlers where she is coached by Mary Ann with additional coaching from Micheal Lopez. The twirling title she is the proudest of winning was when she was named the 2024 USTA Central Region Junior Freestyle Winner. Her favorite competition trick is a toss round off back handspring, and her favorite field trick is four baton. In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by other collegiate twirlers. After UTSA she hopes to start her own business. 

Favorite Color – Purple
Favorite TV Show or Movie – The Goonies

Must have Game Day Snack/Drink… 
“Red Bull and Taco Bell.”

Favorite Quote or Life Motto… 
“Stay true to yourself.”

When she is not twirling, she loves to… 
“Eat Taco Bell.”

Something people might not know about her… 
“I have a stuffed animal trash can that goes to competitions with me.”

The best non twirling life skill she has gained from baton twirling is…  
“Making commitments.”

The most memorable advice from her coach… 
“Close your hand on the baton.”

Advice to future Collegiate twirlers… 
“Practice all the time.”

Funniest memory as a baton twirler… 
“McDonalds at midnight.”

Favorite thing about marching season… 
“Performing in the dome.”

What she will miss most when marching season is over… 
“Seeing the twirlers so often.”

Kyra Bevill, Junior
Student Staff
Kyra has been twirling for eight years and is coached by Kristen Tate and Mary Ann Pozzi. The competition placement she is the proudest of was being the runner up at NBTA Southwest Regionals in 2024. Her favorite competition trick is an Illusion one-spin, and her favorite field trick is a toss roll down to the ground. In baton twirling she is most inspired when she gets to show little girls and boys how much this sport means to her and how much fun it is twirling for college! At UTSA she is working to get her bachelor's degree in nursing and one day become a Nurse. “Then I plan to get my master's degree and become a nurse practitioner.”

Favorite Color – Purple
Favorite TV Show or Movie – Modern Family 
Favorite Book – The “Across the Universe” series

Must have Game Day Snack/Drink… 
“Welch's Fruit Snacks.”

Favorite Quote or Life Motto… 
“My favorite quote is the Golden Rule: "Treat others how you want to be treated" and that's what I live by.”

When she is not twirling, she loves to… 
“Hang out with friends, bake, and when I have free time, I like to crochet.”

Something people might not know about her… 
“I have been diagnosed and living with scoliosis since I was super young, but I have never had corrective surgery.”

The best non twirling life skill she has gained from baton twirling is…  
“How to do hair. Baton twirling has definitely taught me the skills of how to do hair, and I apply those skills outside of twirling.”

The most memorable advice from her coach… 
“To visualize doing a trick and catching it, then trying the trick. It helps me to trust myself and see myself doing the trick and also helps me believe in myself.”

Advice to future Collegiate twirlers… 
“Learn time management. It is the most important thing when doing any sort of marching band to learn how to manage your time efficiently with college work and social life. Twirling for college takes up a lot of your time so it is important to learn how to get ahead on schoolwork and not fall behind in anything.”

Funniest memory as a baton twirler… 
“My first year, we traveled to Frisco TX for our bowl game, and after our band banquet at the hotel me and a fellow twirler explored the dark empty parts of the hotel, and it was so scary!”

Favorite thing about marching season… 
“My favorite thing about marching season is winning football games and the hype of the band during games.”

What she will miss most when marching season is over… 
“I will definitely miss all of the inside jokes and shenanigans of the twirling team during the season.

KayLynn Rieger, Junior 
KayLynn has been twirling for 18 years and is coached at UTSA by Mary Ann Pozzi. The competition title she is the proudest of earning was being named an AAU ALL AROUND CHAMPION and winning the Southwest Regional Senior Show Twirl. Her favorite competition trick is a two spin catch back hand into an illusion, and her favorite field trick is a cartwheel. In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by her teammates. After UTSA she hopes to become a sports nutritionist.

Favorite Color – Ballerina Pink
Favorite TV Show or Movie – The Notebook

Must have Game Day Snack/Drink… 
“Alani.”

Favorite Quote or Life Motto… 
“A winner is a dream that never gives up.”

Something people might not know about her… 
“I like to cook and bake.”

The best non twirling life skill she has gained from baton twirling is…  
“Speaking.”

The most memorable advice from her coach… 
“Practice like you never won, perform like you’ve never lost.”

Advice to future Collegiate twirlers… 
“Reach for the goal!”

Funniest memory as a baton twirler… 
“Forgetting half of a halftime with the whole team and we all looked at each other and started laughing.”

Favorite thing about marching season… 
“Friday night practices.”

What she will miss most when marching season is over… 
“Seeing everyone all the time.”

Zoe Dou, Freshman 
Zoe has been twirling for six years. She is a member of the Heart of Texas Twirlers where she is coached by Mary Ann Pozzi. The competition placement she is the proudest of was when she won the modeling in the 2025 Beginner Senior State Pageant. Her favorite competition trick is a Toss illusion, and her favorite field trick is anything with a leap. In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by former UTSA Twirlers. After UTSA she plans to get a master’s degree in policy. 

Favorite Color – Green
Favorite TV Show or Movie – FRIENDS 

Must have Game Day Snack/Drink… 
“Pretzels.”

When she is not twirling, she loves to… 
“Hang out with my family and friends.”

Something people might not know about her… 
“I’m a second-generation roadrunner.”

The best non twirling life skill she has gained from baton twirling is…  
“Teamwork.”

The most memorable advice from her coach… 
“Keep it in.”

Advice to future Collegiate twirlers… 
“Learn to love to perform and have fun while twirling.”

Favorite thing about marching season… 
“Getting to meet new people.”

What she will miss most when marching season is over… 
“Gameday energy.”


We want to thank the UTSA twirlers for sharing their experiences with us, and we want to wish them an amazing rest of their season in their beautiful 72-degree Alamodome. Birds up!

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. 

Friday Night Lights Feature - Pittsburg High School

Hello Texas Twirl Fans!

Wow! Can you believe we have already completed the last weekend of regular season high school football and are a week into playoffs? The past couple months went by so fast, and we are sad to say this is the final Friday Night Lights Feature of the season! Don’t worry, we will still have more takeovers through playoffs, but for our last High School interview of the season we get to meet a great group of twirlers!

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 High School twirlers throughout the season with the Friday Night Lights Features and discovering more about our Texas Collegians with the Collegiate Twirler Spotlights. We will also be having many of our High School and Collegiate twirlers take over our social media for their Game Days! Make sure to follow us on Insta @twirlingiscatchingtx or at facebook.com/twirlingiscatchingtx so you don't miss a thing!

Our last Friday Night Lights Feature of the season is the Pittsburg High School Twirlers!

Pittsburg High School, located in Pittsburg, Texas, is the home of the Pirates as well as the original Cavender’s and Carol Shelby (think Shelby Mustangs!), but most importantly, it is also the home of a wonderful legacy of twirlers! The 2025-26 Pittsburg Twirlers include Audrey Brown (Feature and Line Captain), Camryn Cato, Lilly Abernathy, Michelle Noriega, Violeta Castillo, Laila Dorman, Rose Gonzalez, Adalynn Linseisen, and Aaliyah Cochran!

We wanted to know what the best part of twirling for PHS was, and they all agreed it is Game Day! “The Game day spirit from all the students and fans is electric!” This can be seen in one of their favorite traditions. “Fans line up to welcome the team onto the field and school song with the football team, cheerleaders, and twirlers together on the field to end each game.”

One interesting thing about the Pittsburg HS Band is that they compete in the Military style. This fall they once again earned their spot in the State Military Band Marching Contest prelims, where they got to march at Baylor Stadium! Way to go Pittsburg Band & Twirlers!

Now that we have heard more about twirling at PHS, let’s learn more about the twirlers!

Audrey Brown, Senior
Feature Twirler & Line Captain
Audrey has been twirling for 13 years. She is primarily coached by Joel Claudio but she also takes from Jeri Coke at Twirl Revolutions for team. The competition title and placement she is the proudest of earning was when she won the 2025 Senior Intermediate Southwest Regional Pageant and was able to earn 5th overall in the Senior Intermediate pageant at AYOP. Her favorite field trick is a double illusion or 3 spin catch in a layout, and her favorite field trick is also a double illusion or toss leap walkover. In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by her coach, Joel. “He pushes me harder each day and inspires me to work harder than I thought I could.” After High School she hopes to twirl in college and major in Public Health.

Favorite color: Green
Favorite TV show/movie: Grey’s Anatomy and Gilmore Girls

Must-have Game Day snack/drink…
“Hi-chews, turkey bites, and Alani.”

Favorite Quote or Life Motto…
“Everything happens for a reason.”

When she is not twirling, she loves to… 
“Watch tv and hang out with friends.”

Something people may not know about her… 
“I want to be a pediatric nurse on a surgical floor.”

The best life lesson she has learned from twirling is…
“Interview/people skills, and how to take criticism.”

The most memorable advice from her coach… 
“Don’t be a turtle.”

Advice to future high school twirlers… 
“Push harder everyday and do what makes you happy.”

Funniest memory as a baton twirler…
“My bff Avery and I yelling ‘Get on YouTube’ in the studio (get on your toes).”

Her favorite thing about marching season… 
“Naps on the bus to football games and getting food with Adalynn before practice.”

What will she miss the most when football season ends… 
“The underclassmen.”

Camryn Cato, Senior
Camryn has been twirling for 14 years. For school she is coached at PHS by LeaAnn Brown and for individuals she is a member at JJ Texas Star Studio owned by Janice Jackson Seamands. Her favorite competition trick is a 3-baton stack, and her favorite field trick is a vertical illusion. In baton twirling she has been most motivated by her mom. “She was a majorette in HS and gave her the inspiration to try twirling.” After High School she hopes to attend Texas A&M and major in Public Health.

Favorite color: Purple
Favorite TV show/movie: The Notebook or Vampire Diaries
Favorite book: The Summer I Turned Pretty

Must-have Game Day snack/drink…
“Slim Jims and Blue Powerade.”

Favorite Quote or Life Motto…
“Never be afraid to try something new, life gets boring when you stay within the limits of what you already know.”

When she is not twirling, she loves to… 
“Play my clarinet and play pickleball.”

Something people may not know about her… 
“I write really good essays.”

The best life lesson she has learned from twirling is…
“Sometimes you won’t have your best day but you aim for better next time.”

The most memorable advice from her coach… 
“Don’t stress and do you, that’s all that matters.” - Ms. Janice

Advice to future high school twirlers… 
“Enjoy every moment and believe you can do anything.”

Funniest memory as a baton twirler…
“Falling during warmups at a contest and everyone staring at me.”

Her favorite thing about marching season… 
“Getting to lead the band as the drum major.”

What will she miss the most when football season ends… 
“Cheering on my friends and being under those Friday Night Lights.”

Lilly Abernathy, Senior
Lily has been twirling for 12 years and is coached at PHS by LeaAnn Brown. Her favorite competition trick is a 3 baton stack, and her favorite field trick is a toss illusion. In baton twirling she has been most inspired by Joel Claudio. After High School she hopes to attend Auburn and major in kinesiology.

Favorite color: Anything pastel.
Favorite TV show/movie: Gilmore Girls

Must-have Game Day snack/drink…
“Smoothie bowl.”

Favorite Quote or Life Motto…
“Philippians 4:13.”

When she is not twirling, she loves to… 
“Sleep and spend time with family/friends.”

The best life lesson she has learned from twirling is…
“Self-confidence.”

Funniest memory as a baton twirler…
“Falling!”

Her favorite thing about marching season… 
“The feeling of accomplishment after a performance.”

What will she miss the most when football season ends… 
“Being with my friends.”

Michelle Noriega, Senior
Michell has been twirling for 6 years and is coached at PHS by LeaAnn Brown. The competition title she is the proudest of earning was when she won first place in her three baton. Her favorite competition trick is anything with 3 batons, and her favorite field trick is 3 baton juggles. In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by Sydney Smith. After High School she hopes to attend college and major in Pre-Vet.

Favorite color: Pink
Favorite TV show/movie: Grey’s Anatomy
Favorite book: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

Must-have Game Day snack/drink…
“Alani, Twix, and pizza.”

Favorite Quote or Life Motto…
“Follow Jesus.”

When she is not twirling, she loves to… 
“Scroll Tik Tok.”

Something people may not know about her… 
“I was a cheerleader freshman year.”

The best life lesson she has learned from twirling is…
“Dance skills.”

Advice to future high school twirlers… 
“Make sure to practice.”

Her favorite thing about marching season… 
“Football games.”

Laila Dorman, Sophomore
Laila has been twirling for 3 years and is coached at PHS by LeaAnn Brown. Her favorite competition trick is 3 baton juggles, and her favorite field trick is a ground roll. In baton twirling she has been most inspired by the seniors on her team. After High School, she hopes to attend Texas A&M to study psychology.
 

Favorite color: Pink 
Favorite TV show/movie: 10 Things I Hate About You

Must-have Game Day snack/drink…
“Chips Ahoy cookies.”

Favorite Quote or Life Motto…
“Your value doesn’t change because of someone’s inability to see your worth.”

When she is not twirling, she loves to… 
“Sleep.”

Something people may not know about her… 
“I love Rapunzel.”

The best life lesson she has learned from twirling is…
“Friendship.”

The most memorable advice from her coach… 
“When it gets too hard, take a break and try again.”

Advice to future high school twirlers… 
“Push through the hard parts so you can get to the fun parts.”

What will she miss the most when football season ends… 
“The seniors.”

Violeta Castillo, Sophomore
Violeta has been twirling for 4 years and is coached at PHS by LeaAnn Brown. The competition title she is the proudest of earning was when she won Miss Majorettes at SFA camp. Her favorite competition trick is a 3 turn and her favorite field trick is a blind catch. In baton twirling she has been most inspired by Joel Claudio. After High School, she hopes to attend UT and major in marine study or neuroscience. 

Favorite color: Sage Green
Favorite TV show/movie: Spongebob Squarepants
Favorite book: The Outsiders

Must-have Game Day snack/drink…
“Lemonade or Gatorade.”

Favorite Quote or Life Motto…
“My goal is to not fit in.” – Daniel Caesar

When she is not twirling, she loves to… 
“Play my flute and practice boxing.”

Something people may not know about her… 
“I do taekwondo.”

The best life lesson she has learned from twirling is…
“Good hand/eye coordination.”

The most memorable advice from her coach… 
“If your scalp doesn’t bleed, you didn’t put your bobby pins in right.”

Funniest memory as a baton twirler…
“Mr. Jesmore doing pushups on the track.”

Her favorite thing about marching season… 
“Traveling with my team and Friday night games.”

What will she miss the most when football season ends… 
“The memories made throughout the season that bring us closer.”

Rose Gonzales, Freshman
Rose has been twirling for 3 years and is coached at PHS by LeaAnn Brown. 

Aaliyah Cochran, Freshman
Aailyah has been twirling for 3 years and is coached at PHS by LeAnn Brown. The competition title she is the proudest of earning was when their JH team took first place in our final competition last year. Her favorite competition trick is a ground roll, and her favorite field trick is a two turn. In baton twirling she has been most inspired by Claire Hunter. After High School she hopes to earn a degree in graphic design and work from home.

Favorite color: Pink
Favorite TV show/movie: The Summer I Turned Pretty
Favorite book: Five Survive

Must-have Game Day snack/drink…
“Pringles and Dr. Pepper.”

Favorite Quote or Life Motto…
“Act like what you do makes a difference, it does.” – William James

When she is not twirling, she loves to… 
“Write.”

Something people may not know about her… 
“I love to write.”

Advice to future high school twirlers… 
“Nothing comes out of not practicing.”

Funniest memory as a baton twirler…
“Making TikTok videos at SFA camp.”

Her favorite thing about marching season… 
“Marching in front of the home crowd.”

What will she miss the most when football season ends… 
“Sense of Pirate Pride.”

Adalynn Linseisen, Freshman
Adalynn has been twirling for 3 years and is coached at PHS by LeaAnn Brown. Her favorite competition trick is a horizontal three turn, and her favorite field trick is a toss sit. In baton twirling she has been most inspired by her teammates, Audrey Brown and Lilly Abernathy. After High School she hopes to go to college and twirl. 

Favorite color: Pink
Favorite TV show/movie: The Nightmare Before Christmas
Favorite book: A Dog’s Purpose

Must-have Game Day snack/drink…
“Airhead extremes.”

Favorite Quote or Life Motto…
“Even with the smallest mistake, the world will keep turning and the days will keep going.”

When she is not twirling, she loves to… 
“Hang out with family and friends.”

Something people may not know about her… 
“I have 5 dogs.”

The best life lesson she has learned from twirling is…
“Trust other people.”

The most memorable advice from her coach… 
“Keep working hard to become better.”

Advice to future high school twirlers… 
“Not everything will be perfect the first time you try it, keep working hard.”

Her favorite thing about marching season… 
“Learning new skills.”

What will she miss the most when football season ends… 
“Meeting new bands.”

We want to thank the Pittsburg twirlers for sharing their Game Day with us. We love seeing such a big twirling group that is working so well together. We wish them luck during the rest of their season as PHS continues on in the High School football playoffs next week! Go Pirates!

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.

Friday Night Lights Feature - Klein Collins High School

Hello Texas Twirl Fans!

October has come and gone, and November is here in full swing, which means we have come to the end of regular season High School football! How sad is that? We still have a few more opportunities left to see these twirlers doing what they do best, so what better way to wrap up this weekend than with a feature about this awesome twirler!

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 High School twirlers throughout the season with the Friday Night Lights Features and discovering more about our Texas Collegians with the Collegiate Twirler Spotlights. We will also be having many of our High School 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!

Our next Friday Night Lights Feature is the Klein Collins High School Feature Twirler!

Klein Collins High School, located in Klein, Texas (north of Houston), is the home of the Tigers, and this week’s Friday Night Lights Featured Twirler, Katherine Heier!

An interesting fact about Klein Collins is that while they do not have twirling positions with the band, Katherine has been fortunate to be able to twirl on the sidelines from time to time with the support of her Dance Team Directors! As an officer on her dance team, Katherine pulls double duty on game days and loves the opportunity! Plus, the KCHS dance team is fantastic! “My Dance team won first place in the Intermediate Pom division at UDA Nationals in Orlando, Florida!”

We asked Katherine what her favorite thing about Klein Collins is, and she said it is the sense of community. “Everyone supports each other, and there’s always something exciting happening!”

This sense of community feeds into some amazing traditions. Katherine’s is the mini pep rally on game days. “It’s the perfect way to boost energy, celebrate our teams, and get everyone hyped for the night ahead!” Another favorite tradition is their  annual Football Buddy Party. “Each dancer is paired with a football player for the season, and we kick things off with games, gift exchanges, and lots of laughs. Throughout the year, we get to cheer them on at games and build strong friendships between the teams.”

Finally, we wanted to know what Katherine was looking forward to the most this fall, and she said she was most excited for the homecoming game that she got to share with us. “I was most looking forward to the homecoming game because it was also senior night and Halloween, which makes it extra special and exciting!”

Now that we have heard more about twirling at Klein Collins, let’s learn more about Katherine!

Katherine Heier, Senior
Katherine has been twirling for 10 years. She is coached by Caroline Carothers Reed but has been adopted by the Twirling Sweet Sensations these past two years while Caroline moved to Washington State. The competition placement she is the proudest of earning was when she placed 11th in the Advanced Open Age 15 Solo at nationals. Her favorite competition skill is her turn section in her X-Strut.  “It’s my favorite trick because it challenges me and lets me shine during competitions.” Her favorite field trick is either a toss switch arabesque or a toss cartwheel. In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by her coach, and former Miss Texas, Caroline. “Her dedication, skill, and encouragement push me to improve and perform my best.” After high school, she plans to study pre-physical therapy while continuing to twirl in college.

Favorite color: Pink
Favorite TV show/movie: The Summer I Turned Pretty and Dance Moms.
Favorite book: “The Summer I Turned Pretty” by Jenny Han

Must-have Game Day snack/drink…
“Every game day, I make sure to have my must-have snack and drink: chicken minis and Dutch Bros. It’s a fun tradition that gets me energized for the game.”

Favorite Quote or Life Motto…
“‘Everything will work out exactly how it is supposed to be.’ It serves as a constant reminder to embrace perseverance, stay positive through difficulties, and trust in the journey.”

When she is not twirling, she loves to… 
“Volunteer and hang out with friends.”

Something people may not know about her… 
“I coach the local Little League cheer and dance team in my area.”

The best life lesson she has learned from twirling is…
“Time management — balancing practices, performances, school, and other activities has taught me how to prioritize and stay organized.”

The most memorable advice from her coach… 
“It's not about how long you practice; it's about the quality of your practice.”

Advice to future high school twirlers… 
“Enjoy every moment, even the hard practices, because the memories and friendships you make are worth it.”

Funniest memory as a baton twirler…
“In my 5th-grade talent show when I slipped during an illusion and fell.”

Her favorite thing about marching season… 
“When the student section throws confetti in the third quarter — it’s such a fun, lively tradition that gets everyone hyped up for the rest of the game!”

What will she miss the most when football season ends… 
“The games themselves — the excitement, energy, and school spirit make every game unforgettable.”

We want to thank Katherine for sharing her Game Day with us. It was so fun to see how she has made twirling and dance team work together, and we wish her a great remainder of her season! Go Tigers!

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.