Friday Night Lights Feature - Liberty Hill High School

Hello Texas Twirl Fans!

We are back and it is Football Season! We could not be happier to see twirlers all over Texas taking the field again, 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 continue to enjoy the sights and sounds of football teams, marching bands, and our favorite, lots of talented Texas 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 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 Friday Night Lights Feature is the Liberty Hill High School Feature Twirler!

Liberty Hill High School is located in Liberty Hill, Texas, a suburb northwest of Austin. It is the home of the Panthers, and a team many around Texas are familiar with because they make it through many, many rounds of playoffs each season. This year LHHS is also home to their first Feature Twirler since the 1980's... Shaylee Sjolander!

Shaylee's journey to becoming the Liberty Hill Feature Twirler was a little different than most. When Shaylee was a freshman, twirling was not an option available to her, so she spent the last three years as a member of their dance team, even serving as first lieutenant during her junior year. However, as her sights turn to the possibility of collegiate twirling, she reached out to the new band director for her senior year to see what he thought, and he was very excited about the possibilities. Never having a twirler before, they decided to have her performance at UIL State serve as her audition. "My band director came to watch me at UIL where I actually had a no drop routine which earned me a 1 AND my spot as the new Feature Twirler!"

There are so many things about LHHS that Shaylee loves, but nothing will top a Liberty Hill game day. "The entire town comes to watch. Panther nation has the best school spirit!!" With Game Day being such a big deal in Liberty Hill, we wanted to know what her favorite school tradition was, and she said it was definitely playing the fight song and the "train" after every touch down. "Every time we score the band yells 'Coal train pack the whole grain WOOOO!' and then we all cheer! It is so much fun!"

Now that we have learned a little about how she got here, let's learn more about Shaylee!

Shaylee Sjolander, Senior

Competition Level: Advanced

Shaylee has been twirling for almost 11 years. She is a member of Twirl ATX and is coached by Ashley Wood. The competition title she is the proudest of earning is the 2022 Int. 16-year-old National Solo Winner as well as being the 2022 Int. Senior Texas State Solo & Pageant Winner. Her favorite competition trick is a toss layback catch blind. In baton twirling, she has been most inspired by current Mizzou Feature Twirler, and Twirl ATX Teammate, Josie Linson. "Josie is the reason I started twirling! She has always been someone I look up to!" After High School, Shaylee hopes to earn her way into Veterinary school and study Animal Science & Medicine. 

Fun Facts!

• Favorite Color – PINK!! "I love the color pink!"
• Favorite TV Show – Barbie: Life in the Dream House! "My team watched this for our Movie & PJ Night at AYOP, and it was so fun!"
  
• Favorite Book – "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
• Favorite Food – Chick Fil A!!! 

Favorite Quote...

“If you ever feel like giving up, just remember there’s a little girl watching who wants to be just like you.”

When she is not twirling, she loves to... 

"Dance and spend time with my family!"

Something most people might not know about me... 

"My initials spell SAS"

The #1 non-twirling life skill she has learned from baton is...

"Confidence!! Baton twirling has given me so much confidence throughout my life and I wouldn’t be who I am today without it!"

Most Memorable Advice from her Coach...

"Go out there and do your best! If you forget or mess up, nobody knows except you, so don’t show it and keep going!"

Advice to Future Twirlers...

"That trick or skill may seem impossible now, and it may take years to get or perfect, but you will get it eventually, so don’t give up!"

Favorite Memory as a Baton Twirler...

"Our team did a routine to Pretty Little Liars, and it was my favorite routine we have ever done! Everyone was so engaged with the routine which is what made it so much fun!!"

Funniest Memory as a Baton Twirler...

"One year we were going to a competition, and I forgot my batons at home! I ended up borrowing one of my teammates batons and we traded it off all day long! Later that day I ended up winning the Fiesta Cup twirl off, and it was so funny that it was with someone else’s baton!"

With this being her first season as the Feature Twirler, it has also been Shaylee's first year with the marching band. We wanted to know what her favorite part has been so far, and she said it was "learning how hard the band works and seeing how much effort it takes to get the end result!"

Finally, we wanted to know what Shaylee was most looking forward to this year, and what she would miss the most when the season was over. "I am so looking forward to spending my senior year as the Feature Twirler and getting the opportunity to represent my sport and my school at the same time! However, I will definitely miss making memories with my new team and friends when the season is over! They bring me so much joy!"

We want to thank Shaylee for sharing her Game Day with us this past Friday Night, and we know she will continue to be an amazing representative for both baton twirling and her community. Sending her best wishes for an amazing senior year! Go Panthers!

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!

Meet Team USA Member - Analeia Aleman!

Hello Texas Twirl Fans!

Such an amazing two weeks of twirling for Team Texas between USTA Nationals and the return of AYOP/NBTA Nationals! We have updates coming for you regarding these two events, but before we jump into the recaps, we have a very special interview for all of you!

Straight from South Bend, Indiana, we had a very talented #TeamTexas twirler turn right around and head to the Netherlands to compete in the WFNBTA World Championship! Wow! We wanted to take a moment to learn more about her so we can all cheer her on as she represents both Texas and the US in Holland. 

Introducing 2022 WFNBTA World Team Member, Analeia Aleman!

Analeia, who is from Sherman, Texas, will be competing in the Pre-Teen Two Baton event. She currently attends Gunter Middle School, where she is also the feature twirler. She is coached by her mother, Christina Aleman, her aunt, Brianna Costello Martin, and Catherine Watters from California. 

We asked Analeia what the best advice was she has received from her coaches, and she said, “My mom always tells me to ‘hang on to your baton and have fun!’” Great advice!

Analeia was named to the World team at AYOP in 2019. We asked her what she was thinking when she found out she made the team, and she said she didn’t even realize it was happening! “I actually didn’t know I made the team when they called my name. My mom never told me about possibly qualifying for Team USA because she didn’t want me to get nervous. It wasn’t until they handed me a flag on the podium that I realized this was different. Then my mom explained it all to me afterwards. I was very excited.”

The WFNBTA World Championship in Holland was scheduled for the summer of 2020, but as we all know, in Spring 2020 COVID-19 came on the scene and changed everyone’s plans. The World Championship was postponed for two whole years and is finally happening this week after a two year wait. With COVID pushing Worlds back, we know it was heartbreaking for many of the Team USA twirlers. We asked Analeia what she did to remind herself to keep working, and she said she remembers her favorite quote: “Hard days are the best because that’s when champions are made”. So true! 

We also wanted to know what Analeia was thinking as it kept getting postponed and how she kept herself mentally ready. “I was disappointed at first; however, I was also happy about having more time to practice. Now that I am three years older than when I originally qualified, I better understand how lucky I am to represent my country.”

Making the World Team is amazing enough, but it also means the chance to travel new places. We asked Analeia what she is looking forward to the most with this trip. “I am most excited about visiting a different country. I have never been out of the United States before. I look forward to seeing twirlers from around the world and hopefully making some new friends. Of course, I am excited about twirling and performing my two-baton, but I am excited about shopping in a new place as well.”

With this being her first trip to another country, we wanted to know if she would get to do any sightseeing in addition to her competition time, and she told us the planned on it. “We are going to visit Anne Frank’s House and a Canal Tour of Amsterdam.”

Finally, we had to know about what this trip meant to Analeia’s family, and she told us a very cool fun fact. “My mom actually competed in Pre-Teen Two-Baton in the first ever World Championships that were also held in Holland. She won’t tell me how long ago that was though!” How amazing it is that Analeia gets to carry on her mom’s legacy thirty years later in the same country? It was clearly meant to be!

We are all so proud of Analeia and we know #TeamTexas will be cheering her on during her adventures in Holland. Congrats on making Team USA! We know you will be amazing!  

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. 

People's Choice: Miss Texas' Outstanding Teen 2022

 Hello Texas Twirl Fans!

Currently in Dallas, Texas, all the glitz and glam that comes with Miss Texas week is in full swing. Amongst all the sparkles and beads are three sets of shiny batons lighting up the stage. 

This year we have three Texas Twirlers competing in the Miss Texas' Outstanding Teen competition:

Anna Lilie, Miss San Antonio's Outstanding Teen

Baryn Brown, Miss Lubbock's Outstanding Teen

Breckyn Steele, Miss Mount Pleasant's Outstanding Teen

Tonight will be the third round of preliminary competitions, followed by the finals on Saturday! We would love more than anything to see a twirler perform on the stage this Saturday, and while these twirlers have been doing their job all week, we need #TeamTexas' support to help give them that extra boost!

How can you help? Vote for these amazing young women for People's Choice! The Top 2 People's Choice competitors will get the chance to move on in the finals this Saturday. Currently all three of our twirlers are in the TOP SEVEN for People's Choice, but let's get them to the Top 2! 

Voting for all People's Choice can be found here -> PEOPLE'S CHOICE TEEN 2022 - Miss Texas Scholarship Organization (flipcause.com), but you can find each of their individual links below as well. VOTING ENDS AT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT, THURSDAY, JUNE 23RD, so get to voting #TeamTexas!

Anna Lilie

Miss San Antonio's Outstanding Teen

Anna's People's Choice Voting Link

Baryn Brown

Miss Lubbock's Outstanding Teen

Baryn's People's Choice Voting Link

Breckyn Steele

Miss Mount Pleasant's Outstanding Teen

Breckyn's People's Choice Voting Link

Let's make it happen #TeamTexas, and sending the best of luck and all the love to Anna, Baryn, and Breckyn as they finish out this week like the strong young women they are! Go Team Texas Twirlers!

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. 

The More You Know: Texas Collegiate Cheers

Hello Texas Twirl Fans!

With only one day until many of us are headed to the NBTA Texas State Championship, we have a very special edition of "The More You Know" for you that will be perfect for that long ride or flight to Lubbock! 

One of the most exciting parts of any contest is the Collegiate Solos & Teams! The atmosphere is always so electric when one of our collegians performs and the audience is not only clapping and cheering, but also chanting along with their performance! If you are like me, you want to chant along as well, but you may not know the right words or where the chants need to be. Solving this issue is exactly what today's post is for!

We reached out to all our #TeamTexas collegians competing at the NBTA Texas State Championship and asked them to fill us in on what we need to know. Some sent instructions, and some sent videos, but either way, we have the info, including their chants, spelled out below to make them easy to learn. 

Take a little time on Friday when you are sitting in a car or plane/airport for several hours on your way to Lubbock and watch the videos, learn the chants, and be ready to cheer your heart out for our Texas Collegians! Also, many of these twirlers will also be representing our Great State at Notre Dame University next month, so make sure you are ready to show AYOP that everything really is bigger in Texas!

University of Texas, San Antonio:

UTSA Twirlers' Video

• Chant #1 - (clap) Birds Up/(clap), Birds Up/(clap), Go Runners x 3
• Chant #2 - Spellout "U", "T", "S", "A"
• Chant #3 - Fight Song/Pre-Game = "U - T - S - A"

University of Texas, San Antonio:

UT Feature Twirler, Aidyn Mentry

• Chant #1 - Right After Introduction: "T - E - X - A - S, Go Horrrrrns!"
• Chant #2 - Fight Song after Deep in the Heart of Texas (sing-along): "Texas Fight, Texas Fight, and it's Goodbye to A&M. Texas Fight, Texas Fight, and we'll put over one more win. Texas Fight, Texas Fight. For its Texas that we love best. Hail! Hail! The gang's all here, and it's good-bye to all the rest!"

Texas Christian University:

TCU Feature Twirler Stephanie McBurnett

• Chant #1 - Right after Stephanie's Introduction: "Teeee, C, U! Frogs! Let's Go Frogs!" x 2
• Chant #2 - At the end of Fight Song it will say "Calling All Frogs" and the response is "Rah, Rah, TCU! Rah, Rah, TCU!"

Texas Christian University:

TCU Feature Twirler KK Tunnell

• Info TBA when available

Texas Tech University:

TTU Feature Twirler Kirby Stanek

• Feel free to clap along with the beat (but make sure to stay in time with the music)
• Cheer real loud at the "horns down" (yes, even you Longhorn fans!)

San Diego State University:

SDSU Feature Twirler Kaylynn Lambert

• "Chant - S * D * S * U *, S-D-S-U, Aztecs Fight!"

University of Texas, Permian Basin:

UTPB Feature Twirlers

• While they don't have a specific chant, make sure to cheer real loud during big moments!

University of Connecticut:

UConn Feature Twirler Maggie Barnett

• Info TBA when available

University of Mary-Hardin Baylor:

UMHB Feature Twirler Rachel Buck (AYOP Only) 

• Chant - "C * R * U * S * A * D * E-R-S!"

Camp Calendar Series: JJ Great Day Twirling Camp

Hello Texas Twirl Fans! 

As we all prepare for the NBTA Texas State Championship & USTA Central Regional next weekend, we have another great twirling summer camp to tell you about. Make sure to check out the info below about the awesome JJ Great Day Twirling Camp for a chance to work with some fantastic instructors.

*REGISTRATION DEADLINE June 5th* Interested in attending JJ Great Day Twirling Camp? Contact Director Janice Jackson Seamands at jjtwrldnc@aol.com or 214-697-5310.

Who? What? Where? When? Why?

Who: Director Janice Jackson Seamands
What: 2022 JJ Great Day Twirling Camp
Where: White Oak Baptist Church Gym, 117 White Oak Rd, White Oak, TX 75693
When: June 27 28, & 29th, 2022
Why:  Instruction for Novice to Elite levels. Great for Competition or Field Twirlers. National Prep Classes and Practice Time will be made available to anyone attending National Competitions. 

Wonderful Instructors: All classes will be taught by professional instructors including:

• 5X NBTA Men's National Champion & 2X WFNBTA Medalist, Joel Claudio
• 3X WFNBTA Gold Medalist & Former Modernettes Captain, Katie Seibert
• Miss Arkansas & former Arkansas Razorback Twirler, Whitney Williams
• Former ECU Feature Twirler with a Degree in Dance, Melinda Mann White
• Former Feature Twirler for SMU and Kilgore College, Alex Bridges

Not only will these instructors be leading classes and prep sessions, but they are all available for private lessons as well! Make sure to include any private lessons requests with your registration!

Camp Logistics: Camp will occur June 27, 28, & 29. Cost is $375 for the full camp. Lunches will be available to order for a reasonable fee after registration.

Each day of camp, twirlers will arrive in athletic/practice appropriate clothes and start the day with a group warm-up. They then will divide into sessions rotating each hour to a new class. Twirlers should bring with them their baton(s), twirling shoes, water, snacks, and a willingness to learn and try new things.

If this sounds like something that would be great for your twirler please contact the Camp Director, Janice Jackson Seamands, at jjtwrldnc@aol.com or 214-697-5310.

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. 

Camp Calendar Series: Twirl TEX 2022

 Hello Texas Twirl Fans!

In less than two weeks, Twirlers from all over Texas will either be in Lubbock for the NBTA Texas State Championships or in Oklahoma for the USTA Central Regional. So exciting! These events will be the last step on the way to Nationals for many twirlers, and for others it will be the grand finale to their season.

Regardless of which category you fall in, or even if you aren't attending the State Championships, everyone is beginning to think about what their next move will be once State is over. Will you be going full speed forward training for AYOP, USTA Nationals, or the AAU Junior Olympics? Will you begin learning new routines for the Fall? Or do you just want to take some of your skills to the next level? No matter which option might be the right one for you, this is where camp Twirl TEX comes in!

*REGISTRATION DEADLINE JUNE 3rd* Interested in attending Twirl TEX? Please visit www.twirltex.co, email twirltex@gmail.com, or call Ashley Wood at 512-848-7426.

*PAYMENT PLAN* Want to sign up but need a payment plan? Email twirltex@gmail.com to set one up. We can do a 50% deposit at time of registration with the remaining 50% being paid at the door. 

Who? What? Where? When? Why?
Who: Directors Ashley Wood & Pat Montgomery
What: 2022 Camp Twirl TEX
Where: Farley Middle School in Hutto, Texas

When: June 15th to 18th, 2022 - 9:00 am to 4:00 pm (half day on the 18th)
Why: Join us for this fun twirling summer camp where we combine twirling, amazing instructors, and twirl friends together to increase skills, challenge campers, and give everyone a positive and motivating experience

Amazing Instructors: This year Twirl TEX is so excited to welcome some fantastic out of state instructors that all are/were University Feature Twirlers as well as World Team Members and/or National Title Holders. 

• ASU Feature Twirler & Senior Miss Twirl Mania, Emma Carr
• 2X World Medalist & 5X Men's National Champion, Joel Claudio
• Former CMMOA & Univ. of South Carolina Feature Twirler, Deb Akins Herbster
• Former WVU Feature Twirler & Multi Time World Team Member, Jillian Swauger
• Ole' Miss Feature Twirler & US Peru Ambassador, McKenzie Cooke

Not only will these instructors be leading classes and prep sessions, but they are all available for private lessons as well! Make sure to include any private lessons requests with your registration!


Camp Logistics: Camp will occur June 15th to17th from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, and June 18th from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. There is also a half day option (9:00 am to Noon or 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm). Cost is $290 for full day or $160 for half day. The full day camp includes a delicious lunch each day. The cost of camp also includes a t-shirt for twirlers to wear on the last day of camp for the parent show-off performance at Noon.

Each day of camp, twirlers will arrive in athletic/practice appropriate clothes and start the day with a group warm-up. They then will divide into 50 minutes long sessions rotating each hour to a new class. Lunch is served around Noon, and the day ends at 4:00 pm. Twirlers should bring with them their baton(s), twirling shoes, water, snacks, and a willingness to learn and try new things.

*NEW* for 2022: This year Twirl TEX is offering a wonderful Nationals Prep Program that will be run by former CMMOA Deb Herbster. This program will be a little different than other prep programs. Deb will work on goal planning & mental strategy, and the prep classes will meet with her in small groups  for three sessions each day based on their competition level for more focused attention. The objective of these sessions will be performing QUALITY routines with a focus on making proper corrections and giving assistance when needed, while also drilling big tricks and fine tuning skills. 

If this sounds like an amazing opportunity and you want to enroll your twirler, please visit www.twirltex.co. If you have any questions, email twirltex@gmail.com, or call Ashley Wood at 512-848-7426.

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. 

2022 Fall Twirler Announcements - University of Massachusetts

 Hello Texas Twirl Fans!

It is that exciting time of year where twirlers are auditioning for twirling spots for the Fall. This blog hopes to help spread the excitement by announcing the selections for the lovely twirlers we will see on the field very soon in Texas and representing out of State. If you have an announcement for new twirler selections for 2022-23, please email texastwirlcontact@gmail.com so that we can help spread the word!

Today we announce the selection of a 2022-23 Univ. of Massachusetts Amherst Feature Twirler!

The University of Massachusetts - Amherst, also known as "U Mass", is located in Amherst, Massachusetts, and is the home of the Minutemen. The U Mass Minuteman Marching Band is known for having a talented line of Feature Twirlers, and this year they get to add a Texas Twirler Lilly Barnett to the list of amazing twirlers that perform in the Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium!

Lilly is graduating this month from Byron Nelson High School, where she is a Feature Twirler. Lilly is coached by Janice Jackson Seamands of the JJ Texas Star Twirlers. At UMass Amherst, Lilly will be majoring in Journalism and International Relations.

We all want to wish a huge congrats to Lilly as she begins her new adventure at UMass! Go Minutemen!

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.