Happy Friday the 13th! Such a fun night for Football, and of course, lots of field twirling!
This week we venture up to the Dallas area to meet two very special twirlers. Our Friday Night Lights Feature for this week is the Rockwall-Heath High School Twirlers, Macy Allen and K.K. Tunnell!
These two twirlers love being a part of the Rockwall-Heath community. They especially love the "Pre-Rallies" and the very special moment when after their show the band forms an H on the field to perform the fight song. But what is their favorite moment being the RHHS twirlers? “The Rockwall Heath game against Rockwall. It's the biggest game of the year. Everyone in town goes, and the excitement from the crowd is amazing!" When representing the Hawks, these two ladies just love being a part of the band program. When asked what they will miss the most when they graduate, they said it would definitely be “the people we get to be with at games”.
While most of their time twirling at Rockwall-Heath is a wonderful experience, sometimes there are little moments that make them laugh. K.K. told us about one time when her shoe came off in the middle of the show last year. "I kept on trying to do leg holds to put it back on”. Way to be inventive and keep the show going, even without a shoe!
Now that we have learned a little more about their experiences at Rockwall-Heath High School, lets learn a little more about Macy & K.K.'s twirling background...
Senior, Competition Level: Beginner
Macy started twirling recreationally about 6 years ago, but started training competitive a year ago as a member of Texas Touch of Class coached by Shirley Payne and Sheila Payne-Rigelsky. The competition title she is the most proud of winning is the 2017 Southwest Regional Senior Beginner Two Baton Championship. Her favorite competition trick is an illusion one spin and her favorite field trick is when she does a high toss jump split with a ground roll. In baton twirling, Macy has been most inspired by World Champion Karissa Wimberly. After high school Macy says she would “love to continue my twirling career by competing and twirling in college”.
K.K. Tunnell
Sophomore, Competition Level: Intermediate
K.K. has been twirling for 7 years as a member of the Texas Touch of Class coached by Sheila Payne-Rigelsky and Shirley Payne. The competition title that she is the most proud of, happens to be the one ALL of Texas is also extremely proud of. At AYOP this past summer, K.K. won the title of 2017 Beginner Junior National Pageant Winner! Wow!!! Her favorite competition trick is her back neck rolls and her favorite field move is her “Split Trick” which she calls “a special creation by Miss Sheila”. In baton twirling, K.K. has been most inspired by fellow TTOC teammate and University of Texas Feature Twirler, Erica Kuntz. “She is always so encouraging!” After high school K.K. hopes to continue twirling in college.
Fun Facts!
Favorite Color = Pink (Macy), Blue (K.K.)
Favorite Movie = “The Hunger Games” (K.K.), “Napoleon Dynamite” and “Finding Dory” (Macy)
Favorite TV Show = Full House (K.K.)
Favorite Food = “Jersey Mike’s”
Favorite Music = “Pop and Country” (Macy), “Anything other than march music - ha!” (K.K.) ←We feel you there!
When they are not twirling they love to…
K.K. = “Dance (especially on pointe)”
Macy = “Go shopping! I have so many clothes in my closet, but I can never seem to find an outfit to wear!”
Something you may not know about them is…
Macy = “My favorite subject is math. I am taking AP Calculus this year, and in my free time, I like to tutor students in geometry and algebra”.
K.K. = “There is a 170 pound difference between my dogs! Lucky, the Great Dane, weighs 180, and Zoey, the maltipoo, weighs 10 pounds”.
Favorite Quote/Life Motto…
K.K. = "Why fit in when you were born to stand out"-Dr. Seuss
Macy = “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard”
Most Memorable Tip/Advice from Coach…
Macy = “She has taught me that i have to work hard to achieve my goals in life”.
K.K. = “Everyone get nervous. It's natural, and it means you care about what you're doing. You just have to use nervous energy to your advantage, and give 'em a show!”
Favorite Individual Twirling Moment:
K.K. = “Winning the beginner pageant at AYOP!” (We all loved that moment too! Congrats KK!)
Macy = “When i got to twirl on the field for the first time as Rockwall-Heath High School's first feature twirler”.
Between school, band, and preparing for the upcoming season, these ladies work super hard all year round. We asked them what they consider to be the most valuable skill they have learned from twirling. "Twirling has taught us how to work in high stressful situations, and how to manage time between band practice and homework.” This is for sure how they both pull off such high demands.
Finally, we wanted to round out our interview by asking the NEW 2017 Beginner Junior National Pageant Winner, K.K., what advice she has for future twirlers. While of course it takes lots of time, dedication, and practice to become a National Pageant Winner, her advice was simple and effective - “Don't stress out if you drop just pick your baton up and smile bigger. No one will notice or remember in a few days”. Such a great way to think about most mistakes in life. Just smile and keep on moving!
Special thanks to these two ladies for taking the time to talk with us. Congrats to Macy on her Senior Year at Rockwall-Heath. We hope you making amazing memories! Also, another congrats to K.K. Tunnell on her amazing National Pageant win. Such a well deserved honor, and one we were all so proud to see come home to Texas. Go Hawks!
We hope you have enjoyed this edition of our FNL Feature. Have a favorite High School or Collegiate Twirler that you would like to see interviewed? Please contact us with their name and email address at texastwirlcontact@gmail.com so that we can reach out!
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