We are now only three weeks away from the beginning of the Miss Texas week, and only 26 days until the crowning of the 2017 Miss Texas! Even though she will be passing on her tiara, we will never forget Caroline Carothers for being an amazing example of how twirlers can successfully continue into the pageant world and make a difference, and we all hope to see her legacy continue with another baton twirler holding the title!
In order to make sure the four Texas twirlers competing get the proper level of support from the twirling community, each week leading up to the Miss Texas pageant (June 27th to July 1st) we will be doing an interview with each of the four baton twirlers that will be competing. We want to come together and unite to celebrate and support these four young women as they represent our community and show Texas what twirlers can do!
This week's Miss Texas twirling representative is the 2017 Miss Fort Worth, Adaline Bebo!
Adaline is 20 years old from Carmel, Indiana. While Adaline was not born in Texas, as they say, she got here as soon as she could by attending Baylor University where she is the Golden Girl Feature Twirler Captain and studying Neuroscience on the Pre-Law track. Most everyone in the twirling community should recognize Adaline's name for many reasons. Not only was she crucial in the organization of the super fun World Baton Twirling Day back in April, but she has also been on the USA World Team representing NBTA and USTA, as well as holding MANY National titles in both organizations. Adaline is coached in baton twirling by Jackie Stweart and Cherly Wimberley.
Now, lets learn a little more about Adaline and how her move from the competition floor to the competition stage has helped her realize her dreams of helping others and raising awareness for both our sport and her platform/charity...
PEOPLE'S CHOICE VOTING IS OPEN! Help support our Texas Twirlers in their mission to get baton twirling to the Miss Texas stage! Top 2 highest "votes" get a guaranteed spot to perform in the finals. Check out the People's Choice voting site to donate. We did have three twirlers in the top six spots last week, but they are beginning to slip. We do still have Aly & Adaline in the Top 5 though! Who wants to see these ladies perform live at the Miss Texas Finals? If you do, click on the link and support our twirlers!
Miss Texas Platform: Food For Thought - Advocating for Neurological Health through Nutrition, Activity, and Attitude.
Charity: No Kid Hungry - “Share Our Strength” Campaign
Life Motto: "If passion is the input, then success will become the output."
Favorite Twirling Titles: 2014 NBTA Senior Strut Champion, 2015 Grand National Dance Twirl Champion, 2016 Grand National Strut Champion, & Member of Team USA.
Favorite Twirling Experience: Traveling the world and meeting so many incredible athletes that share the language of baton twirling is the greatest blessing that twirling has given me! I also really enjoy the creative process and cooperation that goes into choreographing routines with my coaches!
What made you pursue competing in the MAO?
Throughout high school, I was very active in community service and active fundraising/grant-writing for many of the initiatives I am passionate about. In college, my schedule was quickly packed with balancing twirling and classes, and I found that it was difficult to find opportunities to volunteer when not involved in Greek life. I was looking for an outlet to put forth all of the hours I had dedicated to twirling while serving my community and supporting my academic goals - the Miss America Organization fit the bill!
How would you say Baton Twirling has helped you in your MAO journey?
Twirling has always actively refined my organizational and time-management skills, but the ability to adapt to any situation, build physical and mental resilience, and put in the dedication necessary to reach my goals, has been the greatest asset to my journey (not only in MAO, but in anything!).
Why did you select your platform? What made it special to you?
My brother was diagnosed at an early age with speech apraxia and both of my grandparents’ lives were taken by rare neurological diseases. This adversity led me to challenge myself as a neuroscience major and aspire to make the importance of brain health more accessible to everyone regardless of economic opportunity.
Adequate nutrition is a vital part to educational success and the best chance at prolonged brain health begins in childhood. My personal charity is the No Kid Hungry “Share Our Strength” campaign, which provides programs to children across the country who are food insecure. My goal is to educate on the ways in which everyone can contribute to achieving a nation in which every child has the opportunity for academic success on a full-stomach.
My motto for approaching this has been “prevention and attention": Preventative measures can be taken by understanding what foods support healthy neurological function, signs of brain disease, and the importance of maintaining an active lifestyle. The second part of my initiative addresses attention to those already suffering from brain-related ailments by providing accessibility to the resources they need, and funding research for new cures.
What has been the most rewarding moment as Miss Fort Worth?
I have a very special place in my heart for those with disabilities and special needs. My two favorite experiences up to this point would be volunteering at special needs pageants, and being “celebrity quarterback” for the No Limitations Athletics Super Bowl. Building real relationships, forged through love and inclusion, has given me renewed goals to pursue acceptance for these children and fundraising for an “adaptive” playground that would be accessible to all! Getting to work alongside such incredibly strong and beautiful souls has been beyond meaningful and changed my life forever.
What has been the hardest part about competing in the MAO pageants?
Besides the large amount of paperwork…. The Miss America Organization has a strong partnership with Children’s Miracle Network, and titleholders serve as Goodwill Ambassadors and fundraisers for the amazing deeds CMN accomplishes for families across the country. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to go into hospitals and interact with such courageous and strong children. Although the interactions I have with these children leave me with a heavy heart at times, the powerful memories drive my motivation for continuing to fund raise for this extremely worthy cause.
What advice would you have for other twirlers thinking about going the pageant route?
Clarifying your desire to compete and recognizing the time commitment is definitely necessary in order to be a successful titleholder! I believe that participating in the Miss America Organization is an amazing way to carry forward your dedication for twirling into something bigger than our sport! Competitive twirling has been my greatest preparation for competing in pageants! I was terribly nervous before competing in my first pageant, but I quickly realized how well the experiences and knowledge gained throughout my twirling career had prepared me for when I was crowned Miss Fort Worth!
Would you recommend involvement in the MAO to other twirlers?
I would strongly encourage girls at any age to participate in the opportunities given by the Miss America Organization. Being a titleholder has been the greatest blessing: providing me with another family of people supporting my goals, connecting me with people of all walks of life, and allowing me to integrate my various passions in a way that gives me an opportunity to gain scholarship money to reach my academic aspirations. The Miss America Organization was recently named the largest scholarship provider in the world.
For girls younger than 13 that wish to experience the fun of Miss Texas, I invite you to look into the Lone Star Princess program! You will be matched with a titleholder as a mentor, get to go on select appearances with them, and be involved with the excitement of Miss Texas Pageant week! Details can also be found on my website, adalinebebo.com, or on MissTexas.org!
Thank you so much to Adaline for taking time to answer our questions. We are so thankful for your move to Texas, your involvement in twirling, and we are excited to see you representing us on the Miss Texas stage! #TeamTexas supports you! Good Luck!
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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