Friday Night Lights Feature - Samuel Clemens High School

Hello Texas Twirl Fans!
We could not be happier to see twirlers all over Texas back on the field, and we can’t wait to see many more amazing moments as football season continues. 

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 Samuel Clemens High School Feature Twirlers!

Samuel Clemens High School, located in Schertz, Texas, is the home of the Buffalos. It is also home to these two twirlers that you can find each week sporting the blue and gold and supporting their team. This week we are excited to meet the Samuel Clemens High School Feature Twirlers, Abigail Smith and Ainsley Martin!

Not only are Abigail and Ainsley on the same twirling team, they are also duet partners, which they love to bring to the field. They also enjoy getting the chance to twirl together. “We were the first twirlers at our school after 6 years of not having any twirlers!” In order to get the chance to twirl together, we wanted to know what their audition process was like, and they said it was based around the UIL ratings. “We create a UIL routine and have to get a superior rating (1) at the Region Solo and Ensemble contest.”

Getting to twirl together brings lots of fun memories, especially with all their school traditions. We asked what their favorite was, and they said they had several! “Our principal is involved in all school activities, we have a light up the night pep rally the week of Homecoming, and twirling with drumline 3rd quarter at every football game!”

Finally we wanted to know which event they were most looking forward two this season, and they both agreed it was the Battle of 3009 Game! “It is our district rivalry game against Steele High School!”

Now that we have learned more about twirling at SCHS, let’s learn more about Abigail & Ainsley!

Abigail Smith, Senior
Abigail is an Intermediate level competitor that has been twirling for 8 years. She is a member of the Twirling Sweet Sensations where she is coached by Michele Pangrac. The competition title she is the proudest of winning was the 2026 Spring Fling Competition Intermediate 16+ Pageant. Her favorite twirling trick is any multi-baton trick or rolls. In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by her coaches, friends, and family. After High School, she hopes to either join the band or twirl for whichever college she chooses to go to as well as major in Animal Science, on the Pre-Vet pathway. 

Favorites
• Favorite Color – Teal, and pink
• Favorite TV Show – Gilmore Girls 

Must have Game Day Snack and/or Drink… 
“Orange Gatorade and Rice Krispie Treats.”

Favorite Quote or the Life Motto…
“In Omina Paratus (Ready for Anything).”
 
When she is not twirling, she loves to… 
“Crochet!”

Something people might not know about her… 
“I love to go to Renaissance Fairs.”

 
The best life skill she has gained from baton twirling is… 
“Learning the importance of hard work.”

The most memorable advice from her coach…
“You win some you should lose and you lose some you should win.”

Advice to future high school twirlers… 
“Have fun with your friends, it goes by fast.” 

Her funniest memory as a baton twirler… 
“When Ainsley and I added 4 tricks to our duet, we still lost 10 seconds off of our routine time.”

What will she miss the most when football/field season ends? 
“Teaching our principle how to do a one spin, and hanging out with all of my friends every day at practice.”

Ainsley Martin, Junior
Ainsley is a Beginner level competitor that has been twirling for 7 years. She is a member of the Twirling Sweet Sensations and is coached by Michelle Pangrac. The competition placement she is the proudest of was earning a top 10 spot at nationals in the 12 year old novice solo in 2023. Her favorite twirling trick is anything big. In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by all the collegiate twirlers. “I love seeing them on TV!” After High School, she hopes to become a marketing manager. 

Favorites!

• Favorite Color – Blue
• Favorite TV Show, Movie, or Book – The Hunger Games

Must have Game Day Snack and/or Drink…
“WATER since it is always so hot!”

Favorite Quote or the Life Motto…
“I can do hard things!" 

When she is not twirling, she loves to…
“Read and watch movies with my mom.”

Something people might not know about her… 
“I love to learn about history and read historical fiction books.”

The best life skill she has gained from baton twirling is… 
“How to be confident, and ‘fake it till you make it’.”

The most memorable advice from her coach… 
“SMILE!”

Advice to future high school twirlers… 
“Have fun because it goes by really fast.”

Her funniest memory as a baton twirler… 

“When my duet partner Abby and I added to our routine, but to our surprise it got shorter!” 

What will she miss the most when football/field season ends?
“Being in the stands with my friends and teaching our principal, Mr. Gonzalez, how to twirl.” 

Thank you to Abigail & Ainsley for sharing their game day with us. We wish them the very best rest of their season, and we know they will have a great time together. Go Buffs Go!

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.