Hello Texas Twirl Fans!
What a great weekend of Texas twirlers on both the high school and collegiate fields. We just love seeing their smiling faces back where they belong. So much joy and so many sparkles! We also loved following this week’s Friday Night Lights Feature this past Friday as they took over the Instastory, and we are excited to learn more about them!
Today’s FNL Feature is the Flour Bluff High School Feature Twirlers!
Flour Bluff High School is located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and is the home of the Hornets. It is also the home of a great legacy of high school twirlers, including this year’s Feature Twirlers: Mia Olivarez, Delaney Laza, Arielle Garcia, Sarah Martinez, and Madison Tapia!
We asked these twirlers how they got their positions as the FBHS Feature Twirlers, and they told us about their audition process. “Last March when we showed up to the twirler tryout camp, our director saw how good of a skill dynamic we all already had, so then and there, he decided that an audition wasn’t needed, and that he already had the feature twirler group for the new season!”
In the Bluff there is a ton of Hornet pride, which is exactly what these twirlers appreciate the most about their school. “We love all the school spirit and support we all have for one another.” This spirit leads to their favorite school tradition, which is when they sing their alma mater on the buses on the way home from games. This tradition is special to them because they love any chance to support their Hornets!
To be a FBHS Feature Twirler, they are a part of the band program and perform at games. Their favorite thing about being in the band program is “getting to perform and just put on a show instead of thinking about being in a competition”. Being in the band comes with its own set of traditions. The band tradition they most enjoy is when they get to ‘Suck now, not later!’. “It’s a bit of a good luck tradition both the guard and twirlers do right before we go on for halftime. We all circle up and put our hands in the middle, and then Mia gives each person a mint. On the count of 3, we all pop it in and shout ‘suck now, not later!’”
Now that we have learned about being a part of Hornet Nation, let’s learn more about these twirlers!
Feature Twirler Captain
Competition Level: Advanced
Mia has been twirling for 14 years. She is coached by Keely Davis of the Texas Elite. The competition title she is the proudest of earning is the 2022 Junior Miss Majorette of Texas. Her favorite field trick is “anything four batons!” In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by her former teammate, and current Texas State University Feature Twirler, Cayla Watson. After High School, Mia hopes to be a feature twirler at a big university while studying medicine to eventually become a nurse practitioner.
Competition Level: Intermediate
Delaney is coached by Keely Davis of the Texas Elite. Her favorite field trick is a toss cartwheel high kick. In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by Caroline Carothers. After High School she hopes to go complete her undergrad and then go to law school.
Competition Level: Beginner
Arielle has been twirling for nine years, and she is coached by Kim Berger & Keely Davis. The competition title she is the proudest of winning was the Basic Skills Pageant at a local contest. Her favorite field trick is a toss cartwheel. After High School she plans to go to college, become a college twirler, and be an elementary teacher.
Competition Level: Beginner
Sarah is coached by Kim Berger, Keely Davis, and Stephanie Garza. Her favorite field trick is a toss cartwheel. In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by her teammate/coach, and current UTSA Twirler, Stephanie Garza. After High School she hopes to attend college at UTSA.
Competition Level: Beginner
Madison is coached by Kim Berger and Keely Davis. Her favorite field trick is a toss flash out. In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by current San Diego State University Feature Twirler, Kaylynn Lambert. After High School, Madison hopes to twirl in college.
Fun Facts!
- Favorite Color: Emerald Green (Mia), Pink (Delaney), Purple (Arielle), Gray (Sarah), Purple or Red (Madison)
- Favorite Movie or TV Show: “’LaLa Land’ will forever be my favorite movie!” (Mia), ‘Gilmore Girls’ (Delaney), ‘Monsters University’ (Arielle), ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Joker’ (Sarah), ‘The Bachelorette’ (Madison)
- Favorite Book: “It is currently ‘When Breath Becomes Air” by Paul Kalanithi, but it is constantly changing.” (Mia), The Harry Potter series (Delaney), “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” (Arielle), “It Ends With Us” by Colleen Hoover (Sarah), “Fish in a Tree” (Madison)
- Favorite Food Item: All kinds of fruit (Mia), Sushi (Delaney, Arielle, & Madison), Cheese sticks with ranch (Sarah)
Favorite Quote…
- Mia – “Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.”
- Arielle – “It is not where you start, but where you finish.”
- Sarah – “Yes!”
- Delaney – “She believed she could, so she did!”
When they are not twirling, they love to…
- Mia – “Read!”
- Delaney – “Go to the beach.”
- Arielle – “Clean while watching TV.”
- Sarah & Madison – “Listen to music.”
Something you might not know about them is…
- Mia – “I am obsessed with Pitbull!”
- Delaney – “I like to bake.”
- Arielle – “I like to roller skate.”
- Sarah – “I enjoy reading.”
The best non-twirling skill they have gained from baton twirling…
- Mia – “What it truly means to be a leader and how to effectively lead a team.”
- Delaney – “Perseverance.”
- Arielle – “How to deal with adversity.”
- Sarah – “The importance of good sportsmanship.”
- Madison – “Learning to fail”.
Most memorable advice from one of their coaches…
- Mia – “Focus on performing rather than competing.”
- Delaney – “Just smile big.”
- Arielle – “Practice like you are in front of the judges.”
- Sarah – “Use your talent wisely.”
- Madison – “Always practice!”
Advice for future High School twirlers…
- Mia – “Always be open to trying new things and learning in different ways.”
- Delaney – “Don’t let the losses get to you. Just let them motivate you to work harder.”
- Arielle – “To have fun and make memories.”
- Sarah – “Don’t give up!”
- Madison – “Don’t be hard on yourself. You will get there!”
Favorite memory as a twirler…
- Mia – “When I accidentally left a baton behind before my team went on the floor to compete, so my poor teammate had to “air baton” her way through the routine.”
- Delaney – “Going to AYOP.”
- Arielle – “Our team bonding at P. F. Chang’s.”
- Sarah – “Before halftime performances with the twirlers.”
- Madison – “My first game!”
Funniest memory as a twirler…
- Mia – “When the baton slipped out of my hand during rehearsal one day, and it accidentally hit one of our trumpet players right in the middle of his face!”
- Delaney – “Someone’s baton got stuck in the ceiling.”
- Arielle – “Taking funny pictures of each other at rehearsal.”
- Sarah – “When Madison got stung by a bee during rehearsal one day and insisted on continuing because she was fine.”
- Madison – “When I got stung by a bee at rehearsal.”
We want to say thank you to these awesome twirlers for sharing their Game Day and their advice with us. We hope they all have a wonderful time shining on the field this season. Go Hornets!
We hope you have enjoyed this edition of our FNL Feature. Have a favorite High School or Collegiate Twirler that you would like to see interviewed? Please contact us at texastwirlcontact@gmail.com with their name and email address so that we can reach out to them!
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