As I stood in front of the packed auditorium, chills ran down my spine. Would I be called at all? I questioned myself. Names were called one by one over the loud speaker. “In fifth place…” I heard behind my thoughts. I might have made top 5. I told myself. As they made their way to the last three my heart pounded loudly. “In first place, Ellarie Healey” She called over the loudspeakers as my team went wild. Joy filled my body as I went to accept my award. I was now known as the 2023 Preteen Mrs. Majorette of Massachusetts.
How it started:
When I was little, I lived in Derry, New Hampshire. There was a Rec center downtown we had never been to before. My mom and I were both curious so we decided to go in. Little did I know this would change my life forever. The heavy door pushed open as I walked up the stairs, not knowing what to expect. My coach, whom I would soon love, stood before me. That Thursday evening, they had a class going on. “Would you like to join baton?” she asked me. Instead of deciding right away, we took a sign-up sheet home. After lots of thinking, I decided to join. Ten years later I still love to twirl and now see my team as my family.
What is it:
Baton twirling is a sport that combines dance and color guard to create coordinated routines. Not only do we make routines, but we also compete with them and perform shows worldwide. Lots of people don’t know this, but we also use some gymnastics. Although it is no longer allowed in competitions, it is at shows. We do cartwheels, front walkovers, and forward rolls, all with a baton in the air. During competitions, we do many different routines, including solo, 2 baton, 3 baton, modeling, x-strut, duet, rhythmic, show twirl, and team routines.
The travel:
Year-round we travel to different competitions around the country, including the most important one, Nationals. Nationals are located in South Bend, Indiana at the University of Notre Dame. Each state has its own competitors that come to compete, while smaller competitions located in MA only have the Massachusetts twirlers. My team, the Red Star Twirlers also does shows around the world. One place we’ve traveled before was Paris, France. I was very little then, so I don’t remember much. Although I do remember us putting on a show for the people in Paris. Looking for fun, we also stopped by Disney in Paris!
Practice
During the winter, we have to squeeze in our practices after school, just like every other sport. On Tuesdays, we have team practice from 5:30 to 8:30. On Wednesdays there is an open practice to have lessons and work on your routines by yourself. The gym is open from 4:00 to 8:00. On Thursdays, you may go in and practice, but there is also a class going on for the new girls, just starting. Lastly, Saturdays are another open practice day for lessons and work from 9:00 to 2:30.
Our wins:
My whole team and I traveled to Nationals the past summer and we did lots of fun team routines! We happened to win our halftime, Diamonds including the songs, “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” by Marilyn Monroe, “This Diamond Ring” by Gary Lewis, and the Playboys, “Diamonds Are Forever” by John Barry, and “Take Me to the Church.” After performing and winning our routine, we were asked to do it again for an even bigger audience. We also happened to win our danceline routine, to different Queen songs. On my own, I got preteen overall 2nd place in my show twirl and third place overall in my 3 baton.
What about now:
Currently, I am still loving baton, as you might have seen, when I twirled at a field hockey game at the school! Currently, I am practicing with my team to put on a Christmas show on December 15, 2024. I know, it takes a long time! We are also practicing all of our individual routines due to competition season coming up soon!
