Collegiate Twirler Spotlight - University of Texas Feature Twirler

Hello Texas Twirl Fans!

We hope everyone enjoyed the crazy weekend of college football! So many beautiful twirlers on fields all over Texas. If you were following our Story on Instagram you got to experience an especially exciting Game Day with a very talented twirler that is also being featured in our first Collegiate Interview of the season.

Today's Collegiate Twirler Spotlight is the University of Texas Feature Twirler, Aidyn Mentry!

Austin, Texas, is the home of the University of Texas Longhorns, as well as a wonderful lineage of amazing twirlers that have sparkled and shined on the field at Darrel K Royal Stadium. The most recent addition to the sisterhood of Longhorn Feature Twirlers is Virginia native, Aidyn Mentry! Aidyn is currently in her second year as the UT Feature Twirler, and we know Longhorn Nation loves watching her perform and bring the “sass and smiles” to Game Day!
 
We wanted to know what brought Aidyn to Austin, and she told us it was all about being a Longhorn! “UT has been my dream school for years now, purely based on academics. It had the best program in the country for my major and the timing of the twirling position happened to work out perfectly! I had to work hard to get into UT and go through the audition process knowing that I had already fully committed to UT, but in the end, it was so worth it and totally meant to be. Every single day at UT challenges me in the best way and is such a dream come true!”

Getting such a prestigious twirling position must take a lot of preparation. We asked Aidyn to tell us about the steps she had to take to earn the position. “The audition process is typically a 3-step process. The first step is applying to UT. (High School academics are critical to this step. You must be accepted to UT before the final audition. The acceptance rate is typically around 30% with out-of-staters around 8%.) Step 2 is the online twirling submission to the Longhorn Band which includes a twirling resume, letters of recommendation, essay, and an initial performance/audition video. The final portion, only once you are an ACCEPTED full time UT student, is a live audition and interview. This typically involves a few traditional UT songs and a stand tune song or halftime show, followed up immediately with a panel interview. The tryout trick requirements include 4+ spins, double illusion/walkover, traveling tricks, advanced bodywork, and multiple baton skills.

Being the only Feature, we wanted to know if Aidyn has to re-audition every year, and she told us that while previously that wasn’t required, the program is changing the guidelines in the future. “Starting in 2025, every member of the Longhorn Band will re-audition each year, including the Drum Major and the Feature Twirler!” We also wanted to know if the program has a coach or sponsor, and she told us that no there is not a specific coach/sponsor, but that the Alumni support is second to none! “I get tons of help from ‘04-’07 Feature Twirler, Whitney Coons, and many of the other incredible UT Alumni Twirlers!”

We thought that such a wonderful opportunity must also come with a scholarship, and Aidyn told us that there is one, as well as many other benefits. “Yes! There is a scholarship in addition to a costumes/equipment budget graciously given by the band. In addition to the scholarship(s) provided by Twirling Alumni, Band Alumni, and the University, many of the events hosted in the future for UT Twirling will benefit the endowed scholarship for future twirlers at UT. The Longhorn Feature Twirler also gets amazing benefits from the band like TONS of free LHB gear and athletics gear, traveling across the country with the LHB, and opportunities to perform at once in a lifetime events for more than 1 million fans a year!”

Having dreamed of attending UT, we knew Aidyn would have many things she loves about being a Longhorn, but we had to know what her favorite was and she said, "Easily the Texas hospitality! I’ve truly never met a stranger on the UT campus and everyone is so incredibly welcoming. The campus is so diverse and there is always something cool going on. I can’t even begin to describe how surreal it feels to wake up every day and see so much inspiring creativity, smiling faces, friendly people, and hardworking attitudes surrounding me."

With loving your school, you also have to love the traditions. The University of Texas has a rich history of traditions which makes it too hard for Aidyn to pick just one favorite. "I have a tie! My favorite University wide tradition is ‘Lighting the Tower’. On campus we have a giant 307-foot-tall tower that lights up burnt orange after any UT ‘victory’. This can be the first day of classes, a sports win, a recognition of a Texas ex, or a major accomplishment of students on campus. My favorite game day tradition is Bevo Boulevard! Bevo Boulevard is a pregame parade where all of the fans and students welcome Bevo, our live longhorn mascot, into the stadium before the game. Fun fact: Bevo is the largest mascot in all of college sports!"

Another big part of being the UT Feature Twirler is performing with the "Showband of the Southwest" which is Aidyn's favorite part of fall season, and this year there are so many extra special things to look forward to including, "twirling with the largest Longhorn Band ever with a record amount of attendance and ticket sales this season, plus a SUPER special surprise to celebrate Big Bertha's 100th birthday! Big Bertha is the Sweetheart of the LHB, she is our 10+ foot tall bass drum that weighs more than 500 pounds!" In addition to Big Bertha and huge crowds, there are so many fun things about being a part of the Longhorn Band. "My favorite tradition is top secret within the LHB, but a few other favorite traditions of mine are “shaking the fringe”, Big Bertha, and the passing down of the Drum Major’s belt buckle to the drum major for the next season!"

Now that we have learned more about being the UT Feature Twirler, let's learn more about Aidyn!

Aidyn Mentry
Aidyn is a Sophomore majoring in Advertising in addition to being on the Texas Creative track (a competitive portfolio building application only program that is well known in the advertising and public relations community). She is originally from Richmond, VA, but now lives in Austin year-round. Aidyn competes in the Collegiate/Advanced division and has been twirling for 12 years. She is coached by Whitney Coons when in Austin, “but I grew up with coaching from the Royalettes in Virginia (Diane Gunnels and Lindsay Salyers).” In addition to being the Feature Twirler, Aidyn is a member of Texas Spirits, an honorary spirit, service, and social organization that is actually the oldest org of its kind on campus! “It’s where I’ve found my home on campus in addition to most of my best friends, future bridesmaids, and lifelong besties. I was also recently selected to be a Texas Exes Student Ambassador on campus! With this position I will work to be a student liaison for our alumni organization on campus, plan and host events with the Texas Exes, help with the class ring ceremony at UT, and act as a cheerleader for alumni-student events.” The competition title she is the proudest of was winning the 2022 Southwest Regional Collegiate Solo Champion. Her favorite competition trick is a triple illusion with a blind catch, and her favorite field trick is a one spin illusion walkover catch backhand, or five baton! In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by Savannah Miller and Laney Puhalla. “They are definitely my biggest twirling inspirations. I also really look up to so many of the former University of Texas Feature Twirlers because all of them are so incredibly hardworking and humble, not to mention incredibly generous with their time and advice.” After college, Aidyn hopes to work on a major entertainment project like Austin City Limits or Coachella as a Creative Director.

 
Fun Facts!

• Favorite Color – “Burnt Orange, of course! Closely followed by barbie pink!”
• Favorite Movie – “La La Land”
• Favorite Book – “Everything, Everything” by Nicola Yoon
• Favorite Food Item – “Peanut butter chocolate Texas sheet cake!”

When she is not twirling, she loves to… 
“Bake, craft, cook, sketch twirling costumes, hangout with friends, and pet every dog that I see!”

Something most people might not know about her is… 
“I design and rhinestone all of my own twirling costumes and I love drawing costumes for others too!”

The best non-twirling life skill she has gained from baton twirling is…
“Time management! Practicing more than 10 hours a week in addition to performances, appearances, schoolwork, social activities, and volunteering can be crazy, but having a schedule and a way to manage the time you have is such a necessary skill!”

Most Memorable Advice from her Coach…
“As long as you are having fun, the audience will be too. Don’t be afraid to show your excitement on big tricks or interact with the fans mid-performance, it can make all of the difference!”

Advice to Future Collegiate Twirlers…
“Have as many people watch you twirl as humanly possible ESPECIALLY during the college audition process! Every single person, even parents, siblings, friends, and neighbors, all have different ideas and perspectives and can see different things. Don’t be afraid to show off your routines and keep an open mind to the feedback that you are given, no matter who it comes from.”
 
Favorite Memory as a Baton Twirler…
“My first ever pregame for UT. I had a few tears roll down my face when I sat back and realized how many people came together to support the school that we all love so much!”
 
Funniest Memory as a Baton Twirler…
“Definitely kicking and falling in front of the whole band last year during a practice when the turf was really wet.”
 
What advice would you give to a twirler about to go into college auditions…
“Don’t second guess yourself. You have been training for so long and you are more prepared than you think. The audience, the audition panel, and even your coaches don’t know the routine as well as you do, so don't let a tiny fumble, a drop, or forgetting an element of your routine change your attitude, quality of performance, or your smile!”

During the college audition process, Aidyn made the decision to go out of state. We asked her about that decision, how she handles being away from home, and if there is anything she misses about being away for college. “Personally, I had my eyes on going out of state for as long as I can remember. I felt that I had greater opportunities if I traveled a little further from home and pushed my limits. The convenience of knowing everyone and knowing where everything is has really been the biggest change for me, but the easiest way to solve that is to push yourself to do new things and meet new people. I am completely and totally in love with Austin, so I actually am never really homesick. My parents visit me for every home football game, so I barely have a chance to miss them before they are back the next weekend for a game! The one thing I miss is my dog, Tater! I would tell anyone looking to go out of state to keep an open mind. I have done so many things that I never would have pictured for myself 2 years ago. Try to stay open to trying new things, meeting new people, and changing your habits to fit your new college lifestyle.”

Finally, we asked Aidyn to share with us the one thing she would want to share with those looking to one day also be a Feature Twirler for their University. “One thing that I always want people to know about UT specifically, but also the college twirling process in general, is that academics are more important than just about everything else. No matter how much you love a school or a program, you have no chance to audition if you aren't accepted first. UT Austin’s instate acceptance rate is around 30%, while the out of state acceptance rate is 8%. Being out of state for your favorite university can be hard, but focusing on your academics in order to be accepted will make it all worth it! One of my coaches always said “You will have no way to show them your hard work in twirling if you don’t show them your hard work in school first!”.” So true, and great words to live by!

We want to thank Aidyn for sharing her insights into collegiate twirling as well as her Game Day experience with us. We know Aidyn will continue to shine on the field this season and we wish her many more “no drop” performances this fall. Hook ‘Em Horns! 

Interested in learning more about possibly becoming a future Longhorn Feature Twirler, or want the chance to learn from Aidyn and other UT Twirling Alum? Make sure to check out the 2022 UT Twirler Day & Feature Twirler Clinic on November 12th & 13th. More info can be found at the UT Twirler Day & Feature Twirler Clinic Registration Link.  We hope to see everyone there!

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.