Day One of the 2018 Texas State Championship has come to an end (huge shout out to the Director, Bethany Tolley, for getting everyone out by 7 pm despite having a ton of individual music sets!), which means our FIVE Texas twirlers competing in the 2018 Miss Texas pageant have moved in to their hotels and are preparing for a week of competition and sisterhood.
To make sure our twirlers get the proper level of support from the twirling community, leading up to the Miss Texas pageant (June 25th to June 30th) we will be doing an interview with the baton twirlers that will be competing. We want to come together and unite to celebrate and support these young women as they represent our community and show Texas what twirlers can do!
Our next Miss Texas twirling representative is the 2018 Miss San Antonio, Ashley Sneed!
Ashley is 19 years old from San Antonio, Texas, where she is the Feature Twirler at the University Incarnate Word, where she is majoring in fashion merchandising and business. You may know Ashley from both NBTA and USTA where she holds titles in both organizations, including Miss Majorette of the US Virgin Islands, Miss Majorette of the Southwest, Miss Majorette of Texas, and the USTA Texas State Twirl Strut Champion. Ashley is coached in NBTA by Tori Mays of the Texas Gems.
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 still have two twirlers in the Top 5 for People's Choice, but none in the Top 2 yet! Who wants to see these ladies perform live at the Miss Texas Finals? If you do, click on the link and support our twirlers!
Ashley did fantastic at the 2017 Miss Texas pageant, bringing home the Best Non-Finalist Talent Award. She looked amazing then, and we just know with another year or preparation and experience she will had a great showing. Now lets learn a little more about Ashley and how the MAO has helped her launch and support a non-profit close to her heart while also furthering the skills she learned as a baton twirler...
Miss Texas Platform: L.I.G.H.T. Love Is the Guide to Heal from Tragedy
Life Motto: "Go after your dream, no matter how unattainable others think it is.” - Linda Mastandrea
What was your favorite story from the 2017 Miss Texas Pageant? "Watching the phenomenal growth of my friend Caroline Carothers serving as Miss Texas and being such an amazing role model for young women."
What part of Miss Texas Week are you most looking forward to? "I am so excited for interview! I also can't wait to share with the judges my social impact L.I.G.H.T. Love Is the Guide to Heal from Tragedy which is a nonprofit organization that I created to help children and teens who have gone through a tragedy find their light and turn their tragedy into a triumph. Many of my fellow twirlers don't know my personal story of tragedy and inspiration for my platform. The one defining moment that truly motivated me to make my platform was the death of my father. I lost my dad when I was two years old in a car accident, and as I got older I realized that my dad was not a piece of my puzzle. As I grew older, my dad’s absence hurt me more and more, it saddened me because all the other kids were fortunate enough to have both of their parents. I chose my platform because it is a topic that is near and dear to me, and it is not addressed enough in our society."
Which part of Miss Texas Week are you most nervous to return to? "On stage question always makes me nervous. You never know what question is going to thrown at you."
What lesson did you learn last year that you are taking to heart this time? "To truly cherish all the beautiful memories and friends you make at Miss Texas."
What do you feel you did the strongest last year? How will you repeat? "Last year I was awarded non-finalist talent winner which is such a great accomplishment. I will repeat my success by having fun on the Miss Texas stage and showing my personality."
What have you done differently in your preparations this year? "I solely focused this year on servitude and using my title to truly make an impact in my community and inspire children to achieve their dreams."
If you could go back and tell yourself something before last year's Miss Texas week, what would it have been? "Enjoy the journey!"
Now that you are a seasoned competitor, what advice would you have for a competitor experiencing Miss Texas week for the first time? "Stay hydrated, eat, and trust in God in your preparation."
It has been so wonderful getting to know the FIVE fabulous ladies representing twirling at Miss Texas this week. We want to thank Ashley for taking a moment to answer our questions and fill us in on her journey. We wish you the best of luck! We know you will do amazing.
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.