It is that exciting time of year where twirlers are auditioning for twirling spots for the Fall. This blog hopes to help spread the excitement by announcing the selections for the lovely twirlers we will see on the field very soon in Texas, and representing out of State. If you have an announcement for new twirler selections for 2020-21, please email texastwirlcontact@gmail.com so that we can help spread the word!
Today we announce one of the 2020-21 University of Delaware Golden Girl Twirlers!
The University of Delaware is located in Newark, Delaware, and is the home of the Blue Hens and the UD Golden Girls. The Golden Girls Twirlers have been long standing as a part of the Marching Band at the University of Delaware. The Golden Girls are lucky to have a great connection with the University and the Band Director, which allows them to participate as much as they want to in the band activities and really become a part of the band family. The history of the Golden Girls goes back, having numerous twirlers that were world champions and Miss Majorettes of America. The program has always been rich with competitive and successful girls and encourages a hard working attitude, enthusiasm, and positive attitude towards the band. There is not a set number each year as the sponsor and band director are willing to take as many as they feel fit the expectations of a Golden Girl. If you are interested in learning more about the UD Golden girls, you can check them out at www.facebook.com/UDGoldenGirls or on Instagram @udmb_goldengirls.
This year, the UD Twirlers will include Texas girl, Kathleen Knesek!
Kathleen is from Shiner, TX, and just graduated from Shiner High School, where she the Feature Twirler. She is coached by Pat Montgomery of the Alamo City Strutters. At UD her major will be Art Conservation with the plans to pursue a Master's Degree that focuses on Textile Preservation. According to Kathleen, "my goal is to one day work in a museum system working to preserve and restore historical items. My dream job would be working in the Smithsonian Museum system, but anywhere with historical items will be exciting to work in."
We asked this Texas girl what made her look to further her education in Delaware and why did she choose to go into Textiles Preservation, as it is not a very common major? "I initially found the Art Conservation program at the University of Delaware through the Smithsonian Museum Internship website. I have been saying that I want to work on the restoration and preservation of textiles in museums since I was about six. The summer before seventh grade, I visited Washington D.C. with my school and saw the first ladies dress exhibit in the Smithsonian Museum of American History.
The Texas 4-H program has allowed me to learn about textile preservation as I spent time at the George Bush Library in College Station, spent two Thanksgivings in Washington D.C., where we had the freedom of visiting the museums, as well as seeing restorations and preservation done at museums internationally through the Texas 4-H International trips in 2017 and 2019.
When it came time to start looking at college decisions, I looked at the Smithsonian website, to see if there was anything that could feed into an internship or job and that is where I found the University of Delaware. I was super excited and told my mom about the program and she booked a campus visit. While visiting campus, I met with a senior in the Art Conservation program where I learned about what the program offers. I also was able to meet Ashlee Amos, who has been a Golden Girl the past four years. She told me about the program and really helped me learn about what collegiate twirling is like. This sparked my interest in the University even more because I could find my dream degree program and twirl. I started researching more into the University and program and found that only four universities in the country offer Art Conservation majors, and the University of Delaware is the only one that focuses on Conservation at the undergraduate level. I learned that they partner with a nearby museum and have top professors in the field as well as connections around the world. I really liked that the University has an ideal position being only a few hours from D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York. This would allow me to easily access so many historical parts of our country and the museums in them.
I attended their 2019 Twirler Day where I was able to meet the twirling sponsor, Mrs. Deena Frank, and the band director. I learned even more about the Golden Girls and I got to see how much the twirlers really are a part of the band. After this visit, the University of Delaware became my clear top choice as it allows me to fulfill my dream of Collegiate Twirling and obtaining a degree that allows me to restore and preserve textiles."
Wow! That sounds amazing to find your dream major and a twirling home all in one place. We all want to wish a huge congrats to Kathleen as she represents in Delaware! Go Blue Hens!
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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