Did you realize the first NBTA contest of the season is only a little over six weeks away? Also, the USTA Texas State Twirling Council is finalizing their schedule with some great clinics and contests coming up. To ensure you are staying on top of this season’s events, check out www.texastwirl.com/contests.html and www.texastwirl.com/camps.html.
If you were following our Instagram account (@twirlingiscatchingtx) this Saturday you got a special treat as today’s twirlers took over the Instastory, and I don’t know about you, but I felt like I was right there with them! Such a fun experience joining these ladies for Game Day in Raiderland.
This week’s Collegiate Twirler Spotlight is the Texas Tech University Twirlers!
The Texas Tech University Twirlers are legendary in our State. Rocking the red and black, the Texas Tech Twirlers have a history of some fantastic talent representing on the field for many, many years. Led by former Texas Tech Feature Twirler and Coach, Bethany Tolley, the Texas Tech Twirlers are made up of a Feature Twirler and a Twirling Line. They work together on the field to entertain the crowds and support their Red Raiders.
This year the Texas Tech Twirlers include Head Twirler – Emily Smith, Kimberly Davis, Anna Hughes, Chailie Alsaffar, Emma Zuar, Holly Glasgow, and Feature Twirler – Abigail Morgan.
We asked the Tech Twirlers what the process was like to be selected to be on the team. “First, you submit an online application. Then, on audition day, you will learn a short routine. In the afternoon you will perform that routine, along with a 2-3 minute routine of your choice. This routine must contain certain required tricks (you can check our Texas Tech Facebook page with those requirements). You will also have a short interview. We find out the results that day!”
Coach Bethany Tolley (whose mother and daughter were also Texas Tech Feature Twirlers!) works hard to ensure the Texas Tech Twirlers are the best representatives of TTU and Baton Twirling as possible. “The Texas Tech twirlers have been around since 1927. There is a long history of amazing twirlers. I try to honor that legacy. That’s why the Fight Song routine is the same as it has been from the beginning”. While the program has been around for 91 years (wow), the program has evolved as time went on. We asked Bethany Tolley about this progression. “I took over this program in 2007. The band director wanted to see the line perform at the level they auditioned. In other words, he wanted more difficulty and teamwork, like exchanges. He also wanted the twirlers to perform more on the actual field with the band. In the past, they only performed on the sideline". As for what criteria she looks for when selecting the line, Bethany told us, "We can take up to 10 twirlers on the line, but I will not sacrifice quality over quantity, so this year we have 6. My new focus on the line is upping the difficult level. If you are interested in one day being a Tech Twirler, make sure to practice hard and learn lots!”
Maintaining such a presence in the State of Texas and Nationally comes with its own challenges. Bethany told us, “The biggest challenge that this line faces is the cost of attending Nationals. It can cost around $16,000-$20,000 to travel. We do not get any funding from the school itself either. We are fortunate to benefit from the Mary Ann Bobbitt Endowment Scholarship, though. Most of that scholarship goes to the feature twirler, but we are allowed to use the rest for travel, costumes, etc. This means we often have to raise the rest of the money with sponsors. My goal is that the girls do not have to spend any money on the trip other than souvenirs and food. We have airfare, hotel, entry fees, etc., so, if they don’t raise enough the girls will have to help pay for the trip out of pocket.”
This year Bethany has been able to follow through with her focus on upping the line’s difficulty. With a great group of freshmen added on to the team this season, they are doing more than ever before. According to Bethany, “This season has been amazing. The girls’ attitudes and work ethic are outstanding. I think this is the first year that I have been happy with every performance… That is the quality over quantity in action! They are so much fun to work with and mentor. I love my job!” There has also been another change to the program this Fall. “We have added an assistant this year and that has been a breath of fresh air. Alyssa Womble Douda, is a former student of mine and a former Tech Twirler.”
We wanted to know what Coach Bethany is the most proud of regarding this group’s history, and where she hopes to go with them in the future. “We have won several National titles in the past. College Halftime Show twirl and National Dance twirl champions. Our goal is the big one…Collegiate National Championships!!!”
Now that we have learned more about the history of the Texas Tech Twirlers, let’s learn about the talented young ladies that make up the 2019-2020 Team!
Head Twirler
Emily is a Senior Human Development & Family Studies Major with a Minor in Psychology & American Sign Language from Austin, Texas. She is also the Public Relations Chair for the Phi Upsilon Omicron Honor Society. Her favorite trick is three baton stacks. After she graduates this December, she plans to become an elementary school teacher (“fingers crossed for Kindergarten!”) and eventually get her Family & Marriage Counseling Master’s degree.
Kimberly is a Junior Psychology Major from Longview, Texas. Her favorite trick is a toss cartwheel. After college she hopes to get her Master’s and then PhD in Psychology.
Feature Twirler
Competition Level: Advanced/Collegiate
Abigail is Sophomore Biochemistry Major from Gonzales, Texas. At Texas Tech she is a member of the Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority and the Honors College. Her favorite trick is anything three baton, and the title she is the proudest of winning was the 2019 College Miss Majorette of Texas pageant. After the College she hopes to become a periodontist.
Anna is a Freshman Pre-Speech Pathology Major from Nederland, Texas, and she is also a member of the Sigma Phi Lambda Sorority. Her favorite trick is a reverse fishtail. After college she hopes to work in a children’s hospital around the Houston area.
Competition level: Intermediate
Chailie is a Freshman Kinesiology Major from Highland Village, Texas, and is also a member of the Pre-Occupational Therapy club. Her favorite trick is back neck rolls, and the title she is the proudest of winning was the 2017 Intermediate 15-year-old National X-Strut. After college she hopes to work in pediatric occupational therapy.
Competition Level: Advanced
Emma is a Freshman Public Relations majors from Keller, Texas. Her favorite trick is a monster roll, and the title she is the proudest of winning was the Texas State Three Baton Champion. After college she hopes to find a well-paying job that she can enjoy while taking care of herself.
Competition Level: Intermediate
Holly is a Freshman Communication Studies Major from Lubbock, Texas. Her favorite trick is fishtails or a toss cartwheel, and the title she is the proudest of winning was the 2018 Texas State Beginner Senior Pageant. After college she hopes to become a travel agent or event planner and see the world.
When they are not twirling, they love to…
- Abigail – “Relax with friends and workout”
- Anna – “Shop and hang out with my friends”
- Chailie – “Go hiking and kayaking with friends”
- Emily – “Learn new recipes and explore cooking techniques”
- Emma – “Listening to music and finding new genres and artists to listen to”
- Holly – “Thrift Shop!”
- Kimberly – “Hang out with friends and study”
- Abigail – “Dreams don’t work unless you do”
- Anna – “Stay positive even in the hardest of times!”
- Chailie – “Ask yourself if what you are doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow”
- Emily – “Around here we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things because we are curious… and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths” – Walt Disney
- Emma – “Take the risk or lose the chance”
- Holly – “If your heart is in your dream, no request is too extreme” – Jiminy Cricket
- Kimberly – “We fall, we break, we fail, but then we rise, we heal, and we overcome”
- Abigail – "Twirling!"
- Anna – “I chose Tech because I wanted to find a college that had both an amazing twirling program and Speech Pathology program”.
- Chailie – "It felt like home!"
- Emily – “I chose Texas Tech for the wonderful programs and to follow in my family’s footsteps since both my parents graduated from Texas Tech!”
- Emma – “I chose Texas Tech because I love the environment in Lubbock and all the opportunities I have in the College of Communications and as a Texas Tech Twirler!”
- Holly – “Both my parents are Texas Tech Alumni, so I was practically born with Raider blood in my veins! I knew that there were many networking opportunities available to shape the beginning of my career and I also discovered twirling through watching the Texas Tech Twirlers. I’m so excited to be one of them this year”.
- Kimberly – “I chose Tech for the amazing psychology program and to be a TTU Twirler!”
A fun thing about Texas Tech, as we saw in the Instastory Takeover, is the Game Day traditions. One of the best one is the masked rider. “When the Masked Rider & Fearless Champion (our horse) runs onto the field during pre-game and the football team follows… It is just the best college entrance!” While some traditions are powerful, some are a little on the weirder side. “We throw tortillas on the first kickoff. Don’t know when that tradition started but it looks cool!”
An important thing to know about Texas Tech is that their marching band isn’t like any other band, it is The Best Damn Band in the Land! As TTU Twirlers, they are full members of TBDBITL, and they love it! They get to perform with the band and cheer alongside them in the stands. “We enjoy when we march over from the Band Hall practice field to the stadium. The band has chants and dances that they perform during the Zit cadences (Zit is Zeta Iota Tau - the Texas Tech Drum Line). Also, during the game, the twirlers stand with a baton and a pom pon doing different cheers and dances when the band plays”.
While the march over is normally fun and gets the team hyped for Game Day, it can also have its funny moments. “On our practice march over Chailie was performing and then the next thing she knew she was on her bottom! Her foot slipped out during a high kick!” Oops! As you can imagine this isn’t their only funny experience. They also love laughing when Kimberly breaks out in her dance moves, and no one will forget at the OU game when the OU band was really close to the twirlers and Chailie took out a xylophone! Yikes!
Finally, we asked the Texas Tech Twirlers their advice to future twirlers, and they suggested, “Practice in the elements. Lubbock is hot and windy during August and September and when it rains, it pours! You will still twirl regardless of the weather! Also, don’t get frustrated. Just work hard and It will come, and make sure to practice with full out showmanship and performance level. Remember, the way you practice is how it will look on the field!”
We want to thank the Texas Tech Twirlers for being today's Spotlight, and we want to wish them the best of luck this field season. We can't wait to see follow their journey to AYOP! Wreck Em Tech!
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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