Band-tober Blog Feature - Thrall High School

Hello Texas Twirl Fans!

October means Marching Contest Season here in Texas, and today’s featured twirler sure knows what that is like! Between being drum major and feature twirler, this Senior knows that Bandtober is busy, but in the best way!

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!

This season’s first Band-tober Blog Feature is the Thrall High School Feature Twirler!

Thrall High School, located in Thrall, Texas, is the home of the Tigers, and a school district of only 900 students! “All Grades Pre-K thru 12 are all on one campus!” It is also the home to the Thrall High School Feature Twirler AND Drum Major, Leianne Kirchner! 

As we mentioned, Leianne is both the Feature Twirler and Drum Major at Thrall High School. “This combination has never been the same person at my school!  I am able to conduct and then also have marching spots moving throughout the band during our halftime show!” 

What an amazing opportunity for Leianne! We had to know how this came together. In order to become Feature Twirler, Leianne had to go through a pretty standard process. “We did an Interview and then a twirling routine. Applicants also must play an instrument in the band in order to audition.” 

Then she decided for her senior year to add on the title of Drum Major! “I decided to try out and become Drum Major because I wanted to make a difference in my band and encourage positivity within the band!  Once I was named Drum Major it took a lot of time away from twirling to learn the skill sets needed to be a Drum Major and Leader of the band. It has been extremely rewarding in the new relationships that I have built within this group. This past weekend we competed at the Battle of the Bluff in La Grange Texas. We were awarded Best 3A Band, Best 3A Colorguard, Best 3A Percussion and 4th Overall Band out of 23 very good competitors!” 

Being a leader for the band and being such a visible representative of the school, we had to know what Leianne’s favorite part of attending Thrall is, and she said it is the people. “Everybody knows everybody. There are 67 Seniors this year and most of us started in the same school together in pre-K.”  

With such a close-knit student body, we just know the traditions have to be strong! “We have pep rallies for home games on Fridays at the end of the day. The entire school Pre-K thru Seniors all pack into the gym to hype up our Tigers (All Sports and Band) for their Friday and Saturday events. We play our fight song, play games and do a VICTORY Cheer by grade level.  I started twirling at the pep rally when I was in 1st grade!”

Even the band program has its special traditions, including a band mascot! “Each year we have a mascot that travels to our band events and competitions. We have had Patrick the pineapple, Fred the Skeleton, and Ducky the Duck. We get the band sections and leadership to take pictures with these mascots. It helps break the ice with our new members and makes them feel included and engaged in our program.”

Finally, we had to ask Leianne what she was most looking forward to this season, and you know Band-tober was right there at the top! “I am excited for all the UIL Band Competitions in Band-tober and our weekly Friday Night Lights!”

Now that we have learned more about twirling at Thrall, let's learn more about Leianne!

Leianne Kirchner, Senior
Leianne has been twirling for 14 years, “I started at 3 years old!” She is a member of Lynn Dell's Twirl and Dance where she is coached by Lynn Dell Harrell. The competition title she is the proudest of winning was the USTA National Age 0-6 Two Baton event in 2015, “I was only 6 years old!” Her favorite twirling trick is anything with three batons! In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by the twirlers that help younger members of their studios! “(Baylor Golden Girl) Maggie Churdimsky and (former Angelo State Feature Twirler) Katy Herber have been such a help when I hit a mental block or just needed help with a trick!” After High School, she hopes to attend college and study animal genetics and embryology, and to hopefully continue twirling!

Favorites!

• Favorite Color – Turquoise
• Favorite TV Show – Friends
• Favorite Books – “I have dyslexia and had a very difficult time reading when I was younger.  Now I love to read everything, especially books within a series.”
• Favorite Podcasts – “I love any true crime podcasts and my friend Baxter's Cattle Innovation Station Podcast.”

Must have Game Day Snack and/or Drink…
“I love DR PEPPER!  Game Day/Contest Day/Every day is a Dr Pepper Day!”

Favorite Quote or the Life Motto…
 "When you love what you have, you have everything you need." Winnie the Pooh

When she is not twirling, she loves to… 
“Sleep!  But I never get a chance to sleep in!”

Something people might not know about her… 
“I show cattle competitively. I have heifers and bulls that I feed and take care of every day. I have practiced twirling at every major stock show in Texas! It's normal to find me juggling batons in a trailer line while we wait to unload, or in the show ring the night before while my animals are resting. Also, I listen to my band music over the barn speakers while washing my cattle. It helps me memorize my music while I work on my other projects. Fun Fact: My bull Rory likes our movement 1 song: Bad Romance by Lady Gaga.”

The best life skill she has gained from baton twirling is…
“Realizing I may have done my very best routine, but it was not the best routine for the judge that day.”

The most memorable advice from her coach… 
“Don't be a meemaw, go faster!”

Advice to future high school twirlers…
“Be an active member of your band! March, be part of the show and have fun! Field twirling is not the same as competitive twirling. It's the same pressure, but the skillset and judging criteria are completely different. Enjoy every moment!”

Her funniest memory as a baton twirler…
“Several years ago, I started practicing outside of the cattle barns at the State Fair of Texas.  After about 10 minutes I turned around and realized I had a crowd of about 50 people watching and quietly cheering me on as I practiced my 3 baton.”  

What will she miss the most when football/field season ends?
“I will miss the feeling of being part of a team - the best band team. I have the best band leadership team, and I am very thankful for the friends I have made in the band.”  

We want to thank Leianne for sharing her competition day with us! We want to send a huge congrats to the Thrall Band on a great showing, and we wish Leianne the very best remainder of her senior year. Purple, White, Tigers Fight!

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.