Hello Texas Twirl Fans!
Band-Tober is here and the first weekend of October Marching Contests are in the books! Every twirler that is a part of their marching band understands that Band-Tober means band, band, and more band all month long! It is an exhausting month, but we all know we love it, especially when it means more Game Day Twirling!
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 next Friday Night Lights Feature is the Liberty Hill High School Feature Twirler!
Liberty Hill High School is located in Liberty Hill, Texas, and is the home of the Panthers, and a district that lives by their motto of "Building Champions”. “Our football team is known for its Slot T offense where it mostly runs the ball.” This strategy has taken LHHS through many rounds of playoffs, which always makes for a great opportunity for the Liberty Hill High School Feature Twirler, Laurel Scallan!
An interesting fact about LHHS is that education began in Liberty Hill in 1854 in a one-room log cabin. “We are now one of the fastest-growing school districts in Texas, and my class was the first to split up between my high school and the new high school, Legacy Ranch.”
An interesting fact about LHHS is that education began in Liberty Hill in 1854 in a one-room log cabin. “We are now one of the fastest-growing school districts in Texas, and my class was the first to split up between my high school and the new high school, Legacy Ranch.”
We wanted to know what Laurel did to earn her spot at LHHS and she told us she was able to use her experience to create a position. “I was lucky enough to be able to twirl at my middle school, so when it was time to head to High School, I came to the band director with my ideas and my experiences both as a competitive twirler and as the Liberty Hill MS Feature Twirler. We worked out a plan so that I could march in the band and also twirl in order to keep my position as a member of the Varsity-level Wind Ensemble.”
Being the twirler and in the Varsity Band is a lot of work, but Laurel is happy to do it. “I am the feature twirler, but I also play the flute in our marching band. I have been recognized at a school board meeting the last two years for advancing to the UIL Texas State Solo & Ensemble Contest for Twirl Solo, and our band has qualified for the state 5A marching contest for the past three years in a row!”
It is amazing to see the support and opportunities Laurel gets from LHHS, which is one of her favorite things about being a Panther. “Even though I'm in a 5A high school, it still feels like a small town school where I have opportunities to do multiple activities and know a lot of people.”
Small town vibes means lots of great traditions! We asked Laurel which ones were her favorite, and she couldn’t name just one. “We have a chant that the whole school does to a drum cadence called "White Noise." Also, at all of our home football games we have a tailgate where student organizations have booths with free activities, and our Panther Pit Crew (dads who BBQ) awards money to the best booths and also has food available for a donation. The band always stops to perform at the tailgate before entering the stadium for the game. Finally, our football team always walks from the Field House through the home stands to the song "Thunderstruck" to enter the field for its final warm up before the game. It gets everyone excited!”
As a member of a 5A State level marching band, they must have their own fun traditions! As Laurel tells us, theirs is also very sentimental! “Every year after marching season we add a bead to our Panther necklaces, which we earn at the end of our Freshman year. Every year is a different bead that represents the theme of our show and is chosen by our drum majors.”
Finally, we wanted to know what Laurel is the most excited about this season, and she said she cannot wait for the Christmas parade! “I am excited to twirl in our town's Christmas parade which is a night parade with light up floats. I get to twirl my glow baton, and the crowd loves it!”
Now that we have learned more about twirling at Liberty Hill, let’s learn more about Laurel!
Laurel is an Intermediate level twirler that has been twirling for eight years. She is a member of Twirl ATX where she is on the Diamonds team, and is coached by Whitney King Coons, as well as Ashley Wood and Jassandra Sadler. The competition title she is the proudest of winning was when the Diamonds were named the Beginner Small Senior National Dance Twirl Winners at AYOP in 2025. Her favorite twirling trick is “a really fun roll trick I learned from Adeline Bebo at a camp that is now in almost all of my routines.” In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by former University of Texas Feature Twirler, Erica Kuntz (her first collegiate role model) and most recently, her Twirl ATX teammates & Texas Tech Feature Twirler, Anna Lilie. After high school, she hopes to study aerospace engineering or mechanical engineering with an emphasis in aerospace, and represent her college as a twirler.
Favorites!
Favorite Color – teal
Favorite TV Show/Podcast – Forensic Files! “I started watching it when I'd get ready for competitions in the early morning when not much is on, and now I love it.”
Must have Game Day Snack and/or Drink…
“Water (it is the only thing that is allowed in uniform) and I need it to stay hydrated at our hot games.”
Favorite Quote or the Life Motto…
"It never gets easier, you just get better."
"It never gets easier, you just get better."
When she is not twirling, she loves to dance…
“Take dance classes for fun, though they do help with my twirl (and band) performances.”
“Take dance classes for fun, though they do help with my twirl (and band) performances.”
Something people might not know about her is…
“I am fascinated by space exploration and rockets, and I love engineering. I am the co-president of my school's rocketry team. Last year, as one of the top 100 teams in the nation, we were invited to the national competition outside of Washington, DC. I was also recently accepted into NASA's Texas Aerospace Scholar program, and I am working to receive my Level 1 rocket certification.”
“I am fascinated by space exploration and rockets, and I love engineering. I am the co-president of my school's rocketry team. Last year, as one of the top 100 teams in the nation, we were invited to the national competition outside of Washington, DC. I was also recently accepted into NASA's Texas Aerospace Scholar program, and I am working to receive my Level 1 rocket certification.”
The best life skill she has gained from baton twirling is…
“Confidence!”
“Confidence!”
The most memorable advice from her coach is ...
"You can do hard things."
"You can do hard things."
Advice to future high school twirlers…
“My advice to future high school twirlers is to enjoy every moment and to advocate for yourself and for your twirling opportunities because time goes by much faster than you realize.”
“My advice to future high school twirlers is to enjoy every moment and to advocate for yourself and for your twirling opportunities because time goes by much faster than you realize.”
Her funniest memory as a baton twirler…
“After finishing a cute and very sassy competition routine with my very energetic teammates when I was much younger, the announcer said, "well, that was adorable!" as we walked off the court. It had everyone laughing!”
“After finishing a cute and very sassy competition routine with my very energetic teammates when I was much younger, the announcer said, "well, that was adorable!" as we walked off the court. It had everyone laughing!”
What will she miss the most when football/field season ends?
“This year, we have a lot of seniors in our band, many of whom are amazing musicians. I am really going to miss this last football and marching contest season with them.”
“This year, we have a lot of seniors in our band, many of whom are amazing musicians. I am really going to miss this last football and marching contest season with them.”
We want to thank Laurel for braving the rain to still give us an amazing Instastory Takeover, and we wish her and the Liberty Hill Band an amazing rest of their marching season! Go Panthers!
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment