Friday Night Lights Feature - Grady High School

Hello Texas Twirl Fans!

Another week of those Friday Night Lights has come and gone, and we are already to the UIL Marching Contest part of the season! We want to wish good luck to all our Texas Twirlers performing with their marching bands this coming weekend, whether you are playing an instrument, spinning with the guard, or twirling your baton. We know this week’s featured High School twirler will be shining on the field as she continues to represent her school!

This week’s Friday Night Lights Feature is the Grady High School Feature Twirler!

Grady High School, located in Lenorah, Texas, is the home of the Wildcats, and a small town with a big spirit! Did you know, GHS is the first school we have had do a takeover that does 6-man football? With a school population K-12 of less than 250 students, we love that their Feature Twirler, Briley Harrell, is one of a kind!

With GISD being the size that it is, we wanted to know what the process was like for Briley getting named Feature Twirler. “Since we are a smaller school, we do not have a band, but we do have a drumline! In junior high, I spoke in front of the school board, asking them to create a twirling position for our school. I was given permission to start a twirling club that is open to any junior high and high school student who is interested in twirling. I have been Grady's Feature Twirler since my freshman year.”

Attending Grady is a family affair for Briley. “I am a third-generation Wildcat! We are a six-man school. I love the sense of close-knit community this creates. I am in the same building as my little brother in second grade.” After hearing that, we just had to know just how many students Briley attends school with, and she gave us some shocking numbers. “There are only have 242 students from Pre-K to the Senior class. I have 14 in my graduating class!”

Despite being a smaller school, the Grady community really comes together to create a big experience. “One of my favorite traditions is that On game days, the cheerleaders, football players, and I wear our uniforms and greet students in the drop-off line in the mornings. We help all of the students out of the car and walk them into the cafeteria to start the game day off right!”

Finally, we wanted to know what Briley was most looking forward to, with this being her senior year, and she said she had been so excited for Homecoming Week, and it didn’t disappoint. “One thing I was looking forward to at the beginning of the year was Homecoming Week. During homecoming, I twirled fire at the Burning of the Letters community pep rally. We also dressed up every day to show school spirit. This year I was one of the four homecoming nominees on the homecoming court. I was very excited to wear my beautiful dress and be escorted by my dad onto the field. I also cheered on one of my closest friends as she was crowned. Something I am looking forward to the rest of this year is all the fun senior activities that we do here at Grady, like our Senior Sunrise, Final Football Walk, Senior Prank, and Senior Sunset.”

Now that we have learned more about life at Grady, let’s learn more about Briley!
 
 

Briley Harrell, Senior
Competition Level: Beginner
Briley has been twirling for five years and is coached by Marlene Torres. The competition placements she is the proudest of earning was her UIL State Solo & Ensemble Silver Medals. Her favorite competition trick is anything blind, and her favorite field trick is anything 3 baton. In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by the current Texas Tech Feature Twirler, Kirby Stanek, and the current University of Texas Feature Twirler, Aidyn Mentry. After high school, Briley hopes to attend Texas Tech to study nursing. “I want to work in ICU or ER in hopes of one day becoming a flight nurse.”

 

Fun Facts!

• Favorite Color: Orange
• Favorite Movie: Steel Magnolias
• Favorite Book:  CIA World Factbook
• Favorite Food: Chips & Queso

 
Favorite Quote…
"Blessed is he who has regard for the weak: The Lord delivers him in times of trouble." Psalms 41:1
 
When she is not twirling, she loves to...
“I enjoy going out to eat with my friends and watching movies with my little brother.”
 
Something people might not know about her is...
“I participate in several extra-curricular activities, including one-act play and UIL speech & debate. My sophomore year, our one-act play advanced to state. But my favorite is speech & debate. I am an extemporaneous speaker. That means I draw a random topic and have 30 minutes to prepare and memorize a 6-to-7-minute speech then I immediately present it to the judges. Did I mention I have to include facts and sources in my speech? Last year, I was named the 1A UIL Informative State Champion! I was also a member of the 1A State Champion Speech Team.”
 

The best non-twirling life skill she has gained from baton twirling is...
“CONFIDENCE! Many of the activities I participate in include performing in front of crowds. Twirling has helped build my confidence, especially in front of crowds.”
 
Most memorable advice from her coach...
“The little things matter!”
 
Advice to future high school twirlers...
“Be confident and have fun with it!”
 
Funniest memory as a baton twirler...
“One time one of the cheerleaders and I tried to learn an exchange during halftime of a game. It took about 10 tries but when we finally got it, we got a standing ovation from the crowd!”
 
Favorite thing about football season...
“Performing at halftime during the games. I enjoy the cheering and support from the crowd.”
 
Favorite tradition or inside joke with the cheerleaders...
“My favorite tradition is doing the Black Machine cheer before the boys run out of the tunnel before the game.”
 
What will she miss the most when marching season is over?
“I will miss the bus rides home from the football games with the cheerleaders.”

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.