Welcome to November! I seriously am in disbelief that this year is almost over, but there are still a ton of great ways to enjoy the rest of 2017 in a twirling fashion. Only 17 days until the Fall Twirling Festival, and only 8 days until the mail in registration deadline for the ATX Holiday Twirl Fest. Plus, so much more football (playoffs!) and Holiday parades are just around the corner!
Today we are continuing with our Collegiate Twirlers Spotlight by venturing up Lubbock and the land of the Red Raiders as we meet all nine members of the Texas Tech University Twirling Line!
Everyone in the Texas Twirling Community knows about the
Tech Twirling Line. Not only have they won many State and Regional Titles, they
have also won two National Titles at NBTA’s AYOP! In 2014 they won the Beginner
Small Dance Twirl Team title and in 2015 they topped that with the Collegiate
Half Time Dance Twirl National Title. As their coach, Bethany Tolley, said “It
was an amazing experience. I love the fact that so many directors of other
university twirling groups have contacted me to help them start and expand
their competition groups”. Way to help the Collegiate twirling team world
continue to grow!
The Texas Tech Twirlers have a rich history. The line was introduced
to Texas Tech in 1927. While it was always a big part of the Goin’ Band from
Raiderland, it started to take it’s more modern form when Tolley was hired in
2007. As Bethany tells us, “The band director wanted me to take the Tech
Twirlers into a more visual role to compliment the Goin’ Band. He wanted them
to be more on the field rather than just on the sideline. He also thought the
level of difficulty needed to be enhanced. Little by little we have done that. We
started the girls in team competition in the spring semester soon after. I
thought that they would be able to grow more as twirlers and it would give the
team more attention for recruiting quality members.”
This process has done great things for the line over the
years. Many of the members hold State, Regional and National individual titles,
and the quality of the line is constantly increasing. As Tolley mentioned “This
season has been one of the most rewarding and ‘fun’ seasons. I have nine
exceptional ladies that have amazing attitudes and work ethics. It has made my
job so much more enjoyable!”
Not only have these ladies made a lasting impact
on their Coach, the Texas Tech Twirling Line is so famous in Texas that younger
twirlers even dress up as Tech Twirlers for Halloween! So cute!
*Anna & Ginger Lilie of Austin, TX dressed as future
Texas Tech Red Raiders for Halloween 2017
Now that we have learned about the history and fun that comes with this year's line, lets meet the nine lovely and talented ladies that make up the 2017-18 Texas Tech Twirling Line!
Allyson Padron, Head
Twirler/4th Year
- Hometown: San Antonio
- Senior Nutrition and Pre-Physician Assistant Major
- Favorite Competition Title: Advanced/Collegiate Solo Champion
- Favorite Trick: Double Illusion
- When she is not twirling she loves to… “Eat food and watch musicals”
- School Org Involvement: Delta Gamma Women’s Fraternity, Hispanic Student Society, Raider
- Church Leadership team
- Favorite Quote: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it” - Ferris Bueller
- Goal after College: Go to Medical school to become a pediatrician
Adrianna Chavez, 4th
Year
- Hometown: Lubbock, TX
- Senior Kinesiology Major
- Competition Level: Advanced
- Favorite Trick: Two Spin Illusion
- When she is not twirling she loves to... “Be at home and sleep!”
- School Org Involvement: Hispanic Student Society & Secretary of the Pre-PT Club
- Favorite Quote: “When there’s a will, there’s a way”
- Goal after College: Become a Physical Therapist
Alyssa Womble, 4th
Year
- Hometown: Lubbock, TX
- Junior Human Development and Family Studies Major
- Competition Level: Intermediate
- Favorite Competition Title: Beginner Junior Miss Majorette of Texas (“I still remember that one like it was yesterday!”)
- Favorite Trick: One spin illusion
- When she is not twirling she loves to… “Read fun romance books and be with family”
- School Org Involvement: Collegiate recovery community/ASAS
- Favorite Quote: “Life is a roller coaster, you can scream or enjoy the ride”
- Goal after College: To be a Pre-K or Kindergarten teacher
Raegan McWilliams, 3rd
Year
- Hometown: Odessa, TX
- Graduating Senior Human Development and Family Studies Major
- Favorite Competition Title: 2017 Intermediate Texas State Solo Winner
- Favorite Trick: Toss Cartwheel
- When she is not twirling she loves to… “Spend time with my family and puppy”
- Favorite Quote: Psalm 22:30-31
- Goal after College: Teaching Elementary school in Odessa
Paxton Parliament, 3rd
Year
- Hometown: Brock, TX
- Senior Marketing Major
- Favorite Competition Title: 2017 Intermediate Senior Texas State Pageant Winner
- Favorite Trick: Rolls
- When she is not twirling she loves to… “Hang out with friends”
- School Org Involvement: Chi Omega Sorority, Tech Marketing Association, Delta Sigma Pi
- Favorite Quote: Proverbs 3:6 “In all thy ways acknowledge him and He shall direct thy path”
- Goal after College: Work for a major corporation as a buyer
Shae Willingham, 3rd
Year
- Hometown: San Antonio, TX
- Junior Animal Science, Equine Assistance Therapy, Major
- Competition Level: Intermediate
- Favorite Trick: One spin illusion
- When she is not twirling she loves to… “Draw and spend time with animals”
- Favorite Quote: “Life is improv, and I’m killing it”
- Goal after College: Start her own therapeutic riding facility
Emily Smith, 2nd
Year
- Hometown: Austin, TX
- Sophomore Early Childhood Development Major
- Favorite Competition Title: 2017 AYOP Beginner National Solo Champion
- Favorite Trick: 3 baton backhand stack
- When she is not twirling she loves to… “Cook and learn new healthy recipes”
- Favorite Quote: “Around here we don’t look backwards for very long, we keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” - Walt Disney
- Goal after College: To be an elementary school teacher and then a school counselor
Kailin George, Rookie
- Hometown: Monahans, TX
- Junior Advertising Major
- Competition Level: Intermediate
- Favorite Trick: Toss Cartwheel
- When she is not twirling she loves to... “Travel”
- School Org Involvement: Texas Tech Women’s Production
- Favorite Quote: Luke 12:34 “Where your treasure is your heart is also”
- Goal after College: Account executive for an athletic company
Megan Bass, Rookie
- Hometown: Lufkin, TX
- Junior Human Development and Family Studies Major
- Favorite Trick: One spin illusion
- When she is not twirling she loves to... “Spend time with my family and friends”
- Favorite Quote: “If it’s meant to be, it will be”
- Goal after College: Elementary School Teacher
The process to become a Texas Tech Twirler starts with many
years of twirling competitively and the development of great showmanship and
skill. Once a twirler is a senior in college and deciding what to do, they can
start checking their school of interest for audition information. The Tech
audition information is usually available around January. Those auditioning for
the line do not have to submit a video, but they will need to send a resume and
transcript. On the day of their audition they have a routine they will learn to
perform for part of their score. They will also do a short interview and
perform an addition pre-prepared routing showing they meet all the audition
requirements. Announcements are made the day of auditions.
Once a twirler is a part of the Texas Tech Twirling line
they get to be involved in many great school traditions. One of those
traditions is pre-game. “Everyone loves our pre-game! They love the fans and
getting to perform for their family in the stands”. They also get a great view
for watching the masked rider lead the team on the field. “Oh, and don’t forget
the tortillas throws at the first kickoff”. Tortillas? Those funny red raiders!
As well as enjoying school traditions, the Texas Tech
Twirlers are a big part of the Goin’ Band from Raiderland, and all that
entails. Several notable Goin’ Band traditions include the Matador March, “We
leave the band lot and march through campus and arrive at the stadium on game
days”. The band also has a chant they do at the end of every practice – “Who’s
the greatest band in the land? Goin’ Band! Go Red Raiders!”
Of course when you have this many twirlers spending that
much time together, there has to be a ton of funny moments. One of these
moments happened when a rookie couldn’t quite understand that when they were
referring to their Band Director they were calling him “Prof”. The rookie
thought they were calling him “Prophet!” Ha! They also cannot forget the time
that Head Twirler, Ally, forgot her boots and didn’t realize it until they were
about the begin the Matador March. She had to call someone to get into her
apartment and bring them over to the stadium. That was a close call there! Way
to go Ally!
Finally, during their experiences they have learned a lot of
great lessons. The one they say is the most important for future Collegiate
Twirlers is to “Practice, practice, practice!” As they said, “The preparation
will be a lot of work, but it will be worth it in the end”. They also wanted to
mention that “Showmanship is so much more important than you may think. Just
have fun! It will show!”
Another aspect of the Texas Tech Twirler legacy has been their “Feature
Twirler” position. This position is “Featured” during every half time as is the
face of the line. In 1965 they had their very first Feature Twirler (who
happened to be current Tech Twirling Coach, Bethany Tolley’s, mother, Benni
Dunn Evans!). Bethany tell us “It was a ‘scandalous’ time because she wore a
black costume and NO skirt!” The Texas Tech Feature position has been a real
family affair for Bethany. Not only was her mother the first Feature, Bethany
held the position from 1980-1984, and her daughter Amanda held the position
from 2009-2013.
While there is not currently a Feature Twirler for the
2017-18 season, they are already searching for that stand out performer to fill
the spot next year. If you are interested in auditioning for the 2018-19 Texas
Tech Feature Twirler position, the information will be available HERE in January, or you can contact Bethany Tolley at btolley@sbcglobal.net.
Congrats to the ladies of the Texas Tech line on being a part of a Texas legacy, and representing the Black and Red doing what they do best! We wish them a great rest of the football season and tons of luck as they prepare for AYOP 2018. Wreck 'Em Tech!
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