Friday Night Lights Feature - Jacksonville High School

Hello Texas Twirl Fans!

What a great weekend of Texas twirlers on both the high school and collegiate fields. We just love seeing those smiling faces 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! 

Each season this blog likes to get to know many of our awesome Texas twirlers a little better by learning about their experiences. We will be meeting many High School twirlers throughout the season with the Friday Night Lights Features and discovering more about our Texas Collegians with the Collegiate Twirler Spotlights. We will also be having many of our High School and Collegiate twirlers take over our social media Story for their Game Days! Make sure to follow us on Instagram @twirlingiscatchingtx or at facebook.com/twirlingiscatchingtx so you don't miss a thing!

Our next Friday Night Lights Feature is the Jacksonville High School Twirlers!

Jacksonville High School, located in Jacksonville, Texas, is the home of the Indians, and a great twirling program! With a large number of twirlers on both the High School and Middle School level, Jacksonville is a great community for supporting these athletes, and you know we love to see it! 

For the 2024-2025 season, Jacksonville High School has 13 Twirlers representing the Royal Blue, Gold, and White each Game Day under those stadium lights. The Jacksonville Twirlers include Adriana Munoz (Feature Twirler), Juliana Salazar (Captain), Angeles Grimaldo (Senior Lieutenant), Andrea Tavera (1st Lieutenant), Logan Fontenot (Senior Drum Major), Abbey Barrier (Junior Drum Major), Gisella Casas, Sophie McNeill, Kenley Penn, Jessica Sims, Emery Stephens, Malayla Travis, and Alyssa Wright.

An interesting fact about Jacksonville is that they are proud of the Downtown Historic Tomato Bowl. “It is one of the last remaining downtown stadiums in Texas. It was originally built in 1930 and was completely surrounded by rock walls that were built with area rock and local labor. It underwent a complete renovation in 2018 but the surrounding walls and entry remained intact. Jacksonville is also known for holding the record of the largest bowl of salsa! We love our DELICIOUS home-grown Jacksonville tomatoes and even host a tomato fest in June every year.”

With such a fun claim to fame for the town, the school had to have its own interesting backstory, and of course it did. “Before the High School was renovated and added on to, a 7ft Indian and Maiden statue sat on top of the roof. Rumor has it, a few students in the 90’s stole the statues and later returned them during the renovations. They now sit in our student commons area bolted to the ground.”

It isn’t easy to create such a big twirling presence in just any school, but JHS has had a long history of Twirling Lines. “However, the last known Feature twirler for JHS was in 1974. This year will be the first time JHS has had a Feature Twirler in 50 years, and we are super excited to be able to feature Adriana!”

As for how they earned their positions, they all go through a rigorous audition process that takes a whole week! “We learn a fast pace 1 baton dance twirl Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. On Thursday, we demonstrate the group routine as well as our multi baton solos. Solos must contain 1, 2, and 3 baton technique! Girls trying out for an officer position also put together an audition binder that consists of answering multiple essays and short answer prompts. Then, they have an interview with the coach, BreiAnn Gee, and Head Band Director, Donnie Barrier. On Wednesday of tryouts, they are also responsible for cleaning and critiquing parts of the team routine. Girls trying out for Feature Twirler are asked to put together a 1.5-2-minute field routine to a classic military march of their choice.”

Once their twirling positions are set, they have so many fun things to look forward to. “Our favorites are Homecoming and all of the senior festivities! We host a pep rally in the street before homecoming! The whole downtown has to be blocked off. During senior week we host a Senior Bonfire where we burn pallets painted by the senior class members. Another great tradition is that during the school song at home games we light “the Flaming J” It signifies the burning spirit of JHS and has been touted as one of the top ten high school traditions in Texas!”

As a part of the band program, these twirlers also get the benefits of being a part of a state level military band. “There are many special things about being in the JHS band, which makes us really feel the impact when we all yell PRIDE when called to attention. Another great benefit is when you enter band as a freshman you are adopted by a senior and have a senior buddy to help guide you through your first year in high school. Also, every week the twirlers pick “Section of the Week” and award them for their hard work with candy at the football game!” 

Now that we have learned more about JHS, lets learn more about the twirlers!

Adriana Munoz, Senior & Feature Twirler
Competition Level: Intermediate
Adriana has been twirling for six years. She is coached by BreiAnn Gee with help from Patti Mickey. In baton twirling, she is the proudest of being a two time Grand Champion in the Twirl Productions competitions. Her favorite competition trick is a horizontal one spin illusion, and her favorite field trick is a toss front walkover. After High School, she hopes to twirl in college and work toward being an aesthetician. 

Logan Fontenot, Senior Drum Major

Competition Level: Emerald (TPU)
Logan has been twirling for 6 years and is coached by BreiAnn Gee. The competition title she is the proudest of earning was “winning top team because we all work so hard to be as good as we are”. Her favorite competition trick is a 3 turn, and her favorite field trick is when “we toss it, roll onto the ground, and catch it”. In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by SFA Feature Twirler Kellen Coke. “She is so amazing at what she does, and I wish I could be like her.” After High School, Logan plans to go to college to become a speech pathologist. 

Juliana Salazar, Senior Captain
Competition Level: Novice
Juliana has been twirling for eight years. She is coached for school by Breiann Gee and is also a member of ZAP twirling coached by Shelby Cumbie. The competition title she is the proudest of earning was when they won the large team Grand Champions through Twirl Productions Unlimited with the team, and then held the title for 3 years. Her favorite competition trick is a two around the world reverse fishtail, and her favorite field trick is full team three baton boxes. In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by World Champion, Joel Claudio. “I've seen him twirl in person and he amazes me.” After High School, Juliana plans to attend UT Austin or Baylor and majoring in Political Science/Government while on a pre-law track.

Angeles Grimaldo, Senior Lieutenant
Competition Level: Novice
Angeles has been twirling for 8 years. She is coached for school by Breiann Gee, and is also a member of ZAP twirling coached by Shelby Cumbie. The competition title she is the proudest of earning was the Large team Grand Champion title at the Circle of Champions competition. “We have held that title for 3 straight years!” Her favorite competition trick is three baton boxes, and her favorite field trick is three baton juggles. In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by National Champion Joel Claudio. After High School, Angeles plans to either go to UT Austin or University of Houston and major in Government or Political Science.

Jessica Sims, Senior
Competition Level: Novice
Jessica has been twirling for six years. She is coached by BreiAnn Gee. Her favorite competition trick is a toss cartwheel, and her favorite field trick is any partner passes. In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by her best friend Logan. After High School, Jessica plans to attend college for two years to become a vet tech. 

Alyssa Wright, Senior
Competition Level: Novice
Alyssa has been twirling for seven years. She is coached by BreiAnn Gee. The competition title she is the proudest of was when their team won the NBTA Southwest Regional Halftime Show HS Majorette Team event. Her favorite competition is anything with two batons, and her favorite field trick is a toss illusion. In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by her coach, BreiAnn Gee. After High School she plans to attend UT Tyler to major in nursing.  

Andrea Tavera, Junior 1st Lieutenant
Competition Level: Novice
Andrea has been twirling for five years. She is coached by BreiAnn Gee. The competition title she is the proudest of earning was receiving the title of Miss Twirl Productions. Her favorite competition trick is anything with three baton, and her favorite field trick is a toss illusion. In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by her coach and her family. “I wouldn’t be where I stand today if I didn’t have all of their support.” After High School, she hopes to twirl somewhere in college, and become a pediatrician.

 

Abbey Barrier, Junior Drum Major
Competition Level: Beginner
Abbey has been twirling for ten years. For school she is coached by BreiAnn Gee, but she is also a member of Twirl Revolutions where she is coached by Jeri Coke and Kellen Coke. The competition title she is the proudest of earning was when she won the Junior Miss Dallas Basic Skills pageant. Her favorite competition trick is a toss front angel, and her favorite field trick is any leap (Grand Jete , Tour Jete, Press Up, etc.). In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by twirling legend, Annetta Lucero. “She is so awesome! #twirlstrong”. After High School, she hopes to be a feature twirler at TJC, and then transfer to the University of Arkansas to become a pediatric psychiatrist specializing in medicine.

Sophie McNeill, Junior
Competition Level: Novice
Sophie has been twirling for six years. She is coached by BreiAnn Gee. In baton twirling, she is proudest of winning the title of Premiere Performer. Her favorite competition trick is anything three baton, and her favorite field trick is a toss kick catch behind the back. In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by her best friend Andrea. After High School, she hopes to attend Stephen F. Austin State University and audition to become a Twirl-o-jack. She also plans to pursue a career in early childhood education. 

Gisella Casas, Junior

Gisella has been twirling for four years. She is coached by BreiAnn Gee. The competition title she is the proudest of earning was when they won the Top Team competition three years in a row. Her favorite competition trick is a toss illusion and her favorite field trick is a two turn. In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by her teammate, Andrea Tavera. After High School she plans on working in the medical field as a registered nurse.

Malayla Travis, Sophomore
Competition Level: Novice
Malayla has been twirling for four years. She is coached by BreiAnn Gee. The competition title she is the proudest of earning was Miss Twirl Productions Unlimited. Her favorite competition tricks are any roll series, and her favorite field trick is a toss illusion. After High School, she hopes to attend a 4-year University to pursue a healthcare position.

Kenley Penn, Freshman
Competition Level: Novice
Kenley has been twirling for three years. She is coached by BreiAnn Gee. The competition title she is the proudest of earning was winning First Place team in the Circle of Champions in 7th grade. Her favorite competition trick is a two turn, and her favorite field tricks are partner tosses. In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by her teammates. After High School, she plans to go to a good college and eventually get into medical school to become a surgeon.

Emery Stephen, Freshman
Competition Level: Novice
Emery has been twirling for three years. She is coached by BreiAnn Gee. The competition title she is the proudest of earning is Miss Twirl Productions Unlimited. Her favorite competition trick is a toss illusion or toss cartwheel, and her favorite field trick is also a toss cartwheel. After High School, she would like to try and go to the University of Arkansas and audition to be a Razorback Twirler.

Fun Facts!

• Favorite color: Adriana (Green), Purple (Logan & Emery), Emerald Green (Juliana), Blue (Angeles, Jessica, Alyssa, & Kenley), Pink (Abbey, Sophie, & Gisella), Blue or Pink (Andrea), Light Purple or Blue (Malayla)
• Favorite Movie or TV Show: “All American” (Adriana), “Bruce Almighty” (Logan), “Abbot Elementary” (Juliana), “La La Land or Little Women” (Angeles), “Gilmore Girls” (Jessica, Sophie, & Kenley), “Big Brother” (Alyssa), “Reba” (Abbey), “Dance Moms” (Andrea), “Duck Dynasty” (Malayla), “The Hunger Games” (Emery)
• Favorite Book: “The Bird and The Sword” (Logan), “This is Where it Ends” (Juliana), “Better Than the Movies” by Lynn Painter (Angeles), “The Uglies” by Scott Westerfeld (Abbey), “We’ll Always Have Summer” by Jenny Han (Sophie), “The Little Prince” (Andrea), “The Darkest Minds” (Kenley), “Percy Jackson” (Emery)

Must have Game Day snack…

• Adriana - “Cheez Its and LOTS OF WATER.”
• Logan - “Sour punch straws.”
• Juliana - “Sweet Tea or Dr. Pepper.”
• Angeles - “Water.”
• Jessica - “Blue Sour Punch Straws.”
• Alyssa - “Airhead strips and a Gatorade from the concession stand.”
• Andrea - “I have to have an energy drink or trail mix!”
• Abbey - “Sweet Tea and chips.”
• Sophie - “Cheez Its!”
• Gisella - “Pretzels and water.”
• Malayla - “Green grapes
• Kenley - “Nerdy Gummy Clusters.”
• Emery - “Lay’s Chips”

Favorite Quote…

• Logan - "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34
• Juliana - "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."
• Angeles - “Everything happens for a reason.”
• Jessica - “God is within her she will not fall.”
• Andrea - “Always strive to do your better, don’t just hope that you’ve done the best that you can.”
• Abbey - "The world is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalms 119,105)
• Gisella - "If anything is worth doing it's worth overdoing".
• Malayla - “Commit everything you do to the lord. Trust Him, and He will help you.” Psalm 37:5
• Kenley - Psalm 46:5 
• Emery - “Progress, not perfection.”

When they are not twirling, they love to…

• Adriana - “Take walks with my dog, Coco Chanel.”
• Logan - “Hang out with my friends.”
• Juliana - “Hang out with my friends and online shop.”
• Angeles - “Read.”
• Jessica & Alyssa - “Hangout with my friends.”
• Andrea - “Go out with my friends.”
• Abbey - “I love to craft! (ex. Making mums , floral arrangements, etc.)”
• Sophie - “Spend time with my family and friends.”
• Gisella - “I love to crochet.”
• Malayla - “Play soccer. I play for FC Dallas. I also love going to the lake with my friends.”
• Kenley - “Read or play volleyball.”
• Emery - “Read and draw.”

Something people might not know about them is…

• Adriana - “I have three sisters.”
• Logan - “I'm good at drawing.”
• Juliana - “I have a pet turkey whose name is Edgar.”
• Angeles - “I broke my wrist when I was in third grade by falling off the monkey bars.”
• Alyssa - “I'm terrified of frogs.”
• Andrea - “I am involved in FFA as well as many other organizations!”
• Abbey - “I started twirling when I was 7!”
• Sophie - “I used to be a theater kid!”
• Gisella - “I enjoy math.”
• Malayla - “I love to travel.”
• Kenley - “I am an animal lover.”
• Emery - “I love traveling. My favorite place is the Mountains!”

The best non twirling life skill they have learned from twirling is…

• Logan - “How to face my fears of going in front of large crowds.”
• Juliana - “I have learned to work with others and make close friendships with those that I collaborate with daily.”
• Angeles - “How to project to an audience.”
• Jessica - “Learning to not give up.”
• Alyssa - “Twirling has taught me to be confident in myself.”
• Andrea - “If I practice and work hard, it will eventually pay off.”
• Abbey - “Learning how to work with others.”
• Sophie - “I have to be somewhere 15 minutes before I'm supposed to be there all the time!”
• Gisella - “I have learned to be on time and to schedule events.”
• Kenley - “You can’t control what someone else does.”

The most memorable advice from their coach(es)…

• Adriana - “Stop being scared. JUST GO!”
• Logan - “Always go full out in practice because you perform how you practice.”
• Juliana - “To not let the little things affect me.”
• Angeles - “To not let drops ruin my performance. My coaches have told me that I can't show my frustration during a routine. Even if the performance is not going the way I wanted it to, having a negative attitude during the routine will not help my chances of performing well.”
• Alyssa - “One performance does not define who you are or how good of a twirler you are.”
• Andrea - “‘I can do it,’ even when I doubt myself. She believes that I can accomplish so many things and pushes me to grow as a twirler.”
• Abbey - “I'm going to consider my band director as a coach of sorts, but before every marching performance he tells us to "Take This Field," meaning that no matter where we are, the field is ours until we march off it.”
• Sophie -  "0.1 is better than 0.5!!"
• Malayla - “God would never give you a mountain that he knew you couldn’t move.”
• Kenley - “Effort speaks volumes.”

Advice to future high school twirlers…

• Adriana - “Make lots of memories while you can!”
• Logan - “Enjoy it while it lasts because it doesn't last long and you'll miss the things you didn't think you would.”
• Juliana - “Enjoy it as much as you can and don't ever become discouraged, you will get it.”
• Angeles - “Know that freshman year is not easy. It can be a stressful year but do not let it bring you down. You are just starting to learn the new normal and after freshman year everything gets a lot easier.”
• Jessica - “It’s going to be hard and frustrating sometimes, but keep going! You’ll be glad in the end.”
• Alyssa - “High school goes by very fast! Enjoy it!”
• Andrea - “Always practice and have a positive attitude! It will get you very far.”
• Abbey - “Keep continuing to learn and grow in your abilities, you will be so shocked on the progress you will make, so take those private lessons and work for it because it will be so rewarding.”
• Sophie - “PRACTICE!! You might not see it now, but the progress will show!”
• Gisella - “I would tell incoming high school twirlers to stay on top of things and do their part.”
• Kenley - “Be prepared because it’s a lot and it’s okay if you make mistakes here and there. Just correct yourself and learn from it!”
• Emery - “Always bring water!”

Funniest memory as a twirler…

• Logan - “When we were just learning how to march, and our captain would say ‘WHAT ARE WE NOT GONNA LEAVE?!’ and we had to yell back ‘CRUMBS!!!’”
• Juliana - “At the UTSA game when Sophie, my fellow team member, got her bag stuck in the stands and was panicking.”
• Angeles - “When my coach's daughter, Caroline Gee, called me the "Big Bad Wolf" because of my curly hair. That nickname has stuck with me since then.”
• Alyssa - “Staying in a haunted hotel when we went to San Antonio to twirl at the UTSA game.”
• Andrea - “Definitely when we pass around a pink wig during pink out!”
• Abbey - “Anytime I hang out with the other juniors Sophie and Andrea. You cannot possibly hold a straight face when we all get together. They definitely keep it fun.”
• Sophie - “The Southwest Regionals trip when we would take photos of each other and pretend it was chain mail!”
• Gisella - “Performing every Friday.”
• Kenley - “The time we all went wakeboarding.”
• Emery - “All the things that happen at SFA twirling camp.”

Favorite thing about marching season…

• Adriana - “Learning new drill and getting to be our first Feature Twirler in 50 years!”
• Logan - “All the dancing we do, and especially singing Hey Baby with the band.”
• Juliana - “Going to Baylor when we qualify for state.”
• Angeles - “Being able to perform at the Baylor Stadium.”
• Alyssa - “Going to state and marching at Mclane Stadium.”
• Andrea - “I love getting to know the sections and all the neat things they do during marching season!”
• Abbey - “Getting to learn and perform the drill.”
• Sophie - “The bonds you form with the people around you in the drill.”
• Gisella - “I will miss being around friends more often when marching season is over.”
• Malayla -  “Going to all the football games and losing my voice from yelling!”
• Kenley - “Seeing everyone excited.”
• Emery - “Learning all the marching patterns.”

What are they going to miss the most once marching season is over…

• Adriana - “Being able to march with the twirlers one more time.”
• Logan - “I'm going to miss the excitement and nerves and adrenaline and dancing with all of my 
• friends and seeing everyone together, happy.”’
• Juliana - “The bus rides to events and being extremely pleased with our results in the past years.”
• Angeles - “Doing sideline chants with my best friends.”
• Alyssa - “Football games and dancing in the stand with the band.”
• Andrea - “I will most definitely miss all of the seniors graduating, because they have been with me throughout my whole high school journey. I wish them the best of luck once this season ends because we have grown a very strong bond and I hope to keep it for as long as we can!”
• Abbey - “Friday Night Lights!”
• Sophie - “I'll miss singing "Hey Baby" with my friends at the top of our lungs.”
• Malayla - “All the late-night bus rides home with my teammates.”
• Kenley - “I will miss Friday night games the most.”
• Emery - “All the football games!”

We have enjoyed learning more about these wonderful Jacksonville Twirlers, and we hope you did too. We wish them all an amazing rest of their season. Once an Indian, always an Indian. J’s Up!

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.