Today we head right to the capital city for the third edition of our weekly Collegiate Twirler Spotlight. Here we find an extremely dedicated longhorn, who we are also excited to say is the 2016-17 University of Texas Feature Twirler, Erica Kuntz!
Erica always knew she wanted to be a collegiate twirler, but more importantly knew she bled burnt orange. Even though the Feature spot at Texas was taken when Erica was a freshmen, she didn’t let that stop her from getting the education she had planned on. “I waited two years to audition for the spot of Feature Twirler, but I never gave up on my dream. Put school first, don’t lose sight of your dream, and know that hard work and patience always pays off. The great thing about baton twirling is that there are many other ways to stay involved in the sport if twirling for your college doesn’t work out.”
We love this answer, and we hope many of the soon-to-be collegiate twirlers out there take Erica’s advice. Loving the school first will make the twirling experience that much sweeter! Now let’s take some time to get to know the woman behind these wise words…
Erica Kuntz, Junior, Competition Level: Advanced/Collegiate
Erica is from Rockwall, Texas, and is currently a junior public relations major with a business minor. In a couple years, when she graduates from UT, she plans to attend law school “to pursue my love for politics and justice”.
She has been twirling since she was 5, so that makes 15 years, to which Erica says “Wow, I’m old!” Haha, yeah right! She is a member of the Texas Touch of Class twirling team coached by Sheila Rigelsky and Shirley Payne. Erica says these two ladies are some of the most influential people in her life. In fact, Erica says “Sheila and Shirley are constantly filling me with excellent advice. One moment of encouragement I carry with me from many years ago is when Shirley Payne told me to ‘never, never, never give up’. While it is very simple, it has been extremely influential and given me a spirit of determination and a hardworking attitude”.
Being so influenced by her coaches led to her winning the International Show Twirl Championship at AYOP 2015, which is the competition twirling title she is the most proud of achieving. “I performed a modified version of (my coach) Sheila Rigelsky’s “Devil Went Down to Georgia" routine from her twirling days exactly 20 years apart! I even used the same costume she wore. It was such an honor!” If you didn’t get a chance to see the routine, Erica’s version or Sheila’s, trust us… it was incredible!
When it comes to twirling inspiration, beside her coaches, Erica says “there are so many incredible talents and inspirations, it’s hard to pick just one! I have always admired former SMU feature twirler, Kelli Montgomery (Park). Her collegiate twirling was incredibly fun to watch and inspired me to twirl in college when I was just a young girl”. This inspiration has led Erica down a very successful path in competition and on the field. Erica says her favorite competition trick is anything x-strut related. “Right now, my favorite part of my strut is my second leg; it showcases all of my favorite leaps,” and while she has only been on the field a few months, she has found her biggest crowd pleaser is her high toss, grand jete, somersault, catch in a split. “The crowd loves (it)!”
With 15 years of twirling under her belt, we wanted to know what she considered the best non-twirling skill the sport has given her. Erica said “the interpersonal skills I’ve learned have been invaluable to my success and the self-discipline I’ve learned has carried over into many facets of my life. These skills have been personally rewarding on and off the competition floor/field”. She would also like to pass on some advice to future high school and collegiate twirlers… “Practice like you’re performing to the top of the stadium. The major keys to field twirling are making your movements larger-than-life and entertaining the crowd, so have fun!”
Fun Facts!
Favorite Movie Genres = Comedies and older musicals
Favorite Music Anytime = “I’m pretty easy going and like to listen to most kinds of music”
Favorite Music When Practicing = fun remixes of current songs
Favorite Quote/Life Motto = “Champions are comfortable being uncomfortable.”
Favorite Color = “Anything Pink! But now that I’m so actively involved with UT, burnt orange is easily my second favorite”
Any non-band school organizations = Active member of the Delta Delta Delta Sorority “Shout out to all of my delta sisters out there!”
People might not know that I am… “bilingual; I’m fluent in Spanish and I’m currently learning my third language, Catalan”.
When I am not Twirling I Love to… “spend time with my friends and eat at local food trucks and enjoy the live music scene in Austin. After all, it’s the Live Music Capital of the World!”
So far Erica is having an amazing time as the University of Texas Feature twirler. Besides her recent opportunity to perform with the Longhorn Alumni Band alongside former UT Feature Twirling greats such as Dr. Coral Noonan-Terry, Alexa Bourdage, Ashley Dolan, and Lynn Dell Harrell, what has been her favorite moment twirling at UT so far? “My favorite moment was when I performed at my first game as The University of Texas Feature Twirler. Stepping on the field for the first time to perform was truly unforgettable”.
We can image that was quite nerve wracking, on top of being amazing. Do you have any game day ritiuals to help get ready to perform in the gigantic Darrell K Royal Stadium? “Drum Major Kevin Kwaku and I have a secret handshake we do before every game; it always lifts my spirits and gets me pumped for our performance!”
Erica is getting the chance to have so many exciting new experiences, including the amazing traditions she gets to be a part of. We asked what, so far, has been her favorite UT Tradition, and she said it had to be the mascot, Bevo. “My all-time favorite tradition is having Bevo on the field during the game. This year is even more special as we welcome baby Bevo, the 15th version of the iconic steer”.
With all that goes on at the UT Games, there has to have been a funny blooper moment, and she came back with one of every twirler’s performance fears – “I was performing at the start of the 4th quarter when the band plays “Wabash Cannonball” and my shoe came off in the middle of the routine. I had to adjust my routine and avoid kicks and illusions to avoid my jazz shoe flying into the student section!” Yikes!!!
Finally, we just have to know… Was it worth the wait? “Taking the field for the first time was truly indescribable. The love I have for UT became much deeper, and my love for baton twirling became so evident. The opportunity to twirl for my university is one that I do not take for granted; I relish every moment— no matter the circumstance. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has been more than worth the wait. Hook ‘Em!”
Congrats to Erica on showing us all that you should never give up on your dreams, and congrats to the University of Texas for adding another amazing twirler to their roster. Hook ‘Em indeed!
We hope you have enjoyed another edition of our Collegiate Twirler Spotlight. Have a favorite High School or Collegiate Twirler that you would like to see interviewed? Please contact us at texastwirlcontact@gmail.com with their name and email address so that we can reach out to them!
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