Hello Texas Twirl Fans!
We are back and it is Football Season! While we are not 100% back to normal, we could not be happier to see twirlers all over Texas taking the field this past week, and we can’t wait to see many more amazing moments as we move forward. As those Friday Night Lights turn back on in stadiums all over Texas, we hope to see everyone being safe so that we can continue to enjoy the sights and sounds of football teams, marching bands, and our favorite, lots of talented baton twirlers!
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 HS twirlers on Fridays throughout the season with the Friday Night Lights Features, and discovering more about our Texas Collegians with the Collegiate Twirler Spotlights during the week. We will also be having many of our High School and Collegiate twirlers take over our Social Media Story for their Game Days, and we may even have some special Live moments! Make sure to follow us on Instagram @twirlingiscatchingtx or at facebook.com/twirlingiscatchingtx so you don't miss a thing!
This season’s first Friday Night Lights Feature is the Stony Point High School Feature Twirlers!
Stony Point High School, located in Round Rock, TX, is the home of the Tigers, and Feature Twirlers, Amber Sorenson & Jordan Chmiel! We hope you enjoyed their Insta-story Takeover this evening for the Stony Point vs Bowie HS game. It was a great evening for a little Twirling under those Friday Night Lights!
These twirlers are so excited to be back on the field this season, but they were very lucky to still have some twirling opportunities last year. Jordan tells us that, having our band marching show canceled last year was very unmotivating, but I had to look on the positive side that I was still able to participate in sideline twirling for the WHOLE game. These challenges taught me to look at the glass half full instead of empty.”
Thankfully, this school year they are almost back to a “normal” marching season. “We had band camp in July and are having in person football games which band is allowed to participate at halftime again. We are also back to in-person school, which is exciting!”
There are so many fantastic things about being a part of the Tiger band program. Amber says her favorite part is “Twirling on the sidelines every game day and interacting with the student section.” Jordan agrees and says her favorite part is also, obviously, Game Day! “No better feeling than those Friday night lights.”
Now that we know how much they love their Game Days, let’s learn more about them!
Competition Level: Advanced
Amber has been twirling for 12 years. She is a member of Twirl ATX and is coached by Ashley Wood. The competition title she is the proudest of earning is 2021 Junior Miss Majorette of Texas. Her favorite trick to do on the field is four baton. In baton twirling she has been most inspired by current collegiate twirlers, Alexa Tamburlin & Josie Linson, and former collegiate twirlers, Savannah Miller & Caroline Carothers. After High School, Amber hopes to be a Collegiate Feature Twirler herself while she studies to be an Orthopedic Surgeon.
Competition Level: Beginner
Jordan has been twirling for 6 years. She is a member of Twirl ATX and is coached by Tarabeth Gertsch. The competition title she is the proudest of earning is the 2021 AAU Lonestar Regional Senior Beginner All Around Twirler. Her favorite field trick is a toss cartwheel. In baton twirling she has been most inspired by Alexa Tamburlin. After High School she plans to hopefully twirl at a University and study to be an Aerospace Engineer.
Favorite Color – Blue (Amber & Jordan)
Favorite TV Show – Dance Moms (Amber), Vampire Diaries (Jordan)
Favorite Movie – Billy Madison (Amber), The Notebook (Jordan)
Favorite Subject – Biology (Amber), Math (Jordan)
Amber – “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard!”
Jordan – “Oh what a difference, said Pooh, to have someone believe in you!” Winnie the Pooh
When they are not twirling they love to…
Amber – “Play basketball and hangout with my friends.”
Jordan – “Handout with my friends.”
Something you might not know about them is…
Amber – “I’m the Twirling to Fight Cancer High School Ambassador and I raise money for cancer research through my non-profit organization: Amber’s Spirit Batons.”
Jordan – “I am the Tiger Band’s Vice President!”
Amber – “Execution ALWAYS matters more than just throwing difficulty."
Jordan – “Watch the baton to your hand.”
Jordan – “Winning is not the most important thing in life. Being able to “lose” and still support your friends is.”
Advice or Practice Suggestion To Future Twirlers...
Amber – “Show up to practice every day with a positive attitude, work hard, and have fun! It shows!”
Jordan – “Use twirling as an opportunity to make lifelong friends.”
Best School Tradition…
Amber – “Doing the 'Booty Drop' every pep rally and game!”
Jordan – “On Fridays we have pep rallies to get hyped for game day!”
Best Band Tradition...
Amber – “The Ice cream social every year before the first day of school.”
Jordan – “Singing the school alma mater after games on the band bus.”
Favorite Moment of Twirling...
Amber – “I loved performing at the Opening Showcase at the 2021 Junior Olympics.”
Jordan – “Competing at AYOP and placing top ten with my team.”
Funniest Moment as a Baton Twirler...
Amber – “My first time I ever did an illusion my twirling coach at the time guided me through it and acted like it was a roller coaster. To this day I still remember illusion rollercoasters every time I do an illusion.”
Jordan – “At AYOP, my teammates and I shared a house and every night we would go into the garage and hangout while laughing and making jokes.”
We want to thank Amber & Jordan for being our first FNL Feature this season. Good luck with the rest of the marching season, and we wish you both a great rest of your Junior year. Go Tigers!
We hope you have enjoyed this edition of our FNL Feature. Have a favorite High School or Collegiate Twirler that you would like to see interviewed? Please contact us at texastwirlcontact@gmail.com with their name and email address so that we can reach out to them!
