France World Champs!

This August, our world squad is in for one amazing world championships!

The French sure know how to host a great competition. If the impressive talent is not enough to make you fall in love with twirling all over again, then the huge fan-base definitely will be! Practice your signature now so you’ll have it perfected for when you are inundated to sign programs and more!

View the promo video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1MnJ1j4qBc

We’re so proud of all our athletes gearing up for the competition – keep working hard and here’s an inspirational quote from one of the greats to help you keep your eyes on your goal:
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit” – Aristotle.

Keep up to date with all the latest on the championships on the official website:
http://sitemondial2012.fftwirling.fr/index.php?getA=accueil_fr&getB=fr

 Good luck athletes and remember to practice, practice, practice!

Love Susie

No matter how many years you are out of twirling for, I think it stays in your blood. I have had almost ten years away from the sport at a National level, but now I have started twirling with my own daughters and I feel I enjoy it more than ever! It was such a buzz entering the stadium to compete in Masters Freestyle this year - the support from the crowd and the other athletes was overwhelming and of course having missed the years of intense training I was a little worried I may have looked out of my league. However, I was blown away by the complete adrenaline rush that came with being on the floor. My aim? A no-drop, but that did not happen - perhaps I better improve my performance skills for next year and give it another shot...  

I would love to thank everyone for making the effort to come to Rockhampton and supporting us in hosting this year’s Nationals. The parents and girls in my club all benefited immensely. I am hoping that the experience and pure enjoyment I was lucky enough to get out of this fabulous sport can be now enjoyed by the athletes up here in Queensland.

I can see the key to success in Baton Twirling is dedication and a positive attitude and I must congratulate all the athletes who show complete warmth and support for one another.

Looking forward to many more Queensland Nationals!

Susan McDonald.

2010 Australian National Championships - Part Three!

Sunday morning saw everybody assemble on a beautiful field to begin Marchpast. Each competitor looked identical their fellow team members including the angle of their hair piece and the shade of lipstick they wore. Sunglasses even looked uniform due to the lovely sunshine we had on the day. As each team past their inspection and performed – lead by their whistle-blowing leaders – the applaud grew louder and louder. Even with the extreme heat, each competitor showed their highest marching knees, biggest smiles and military-straight arms. It made for great entertainment and all coaches looked very pleased as their teams saluted the judges.

Like a row or ants everyone made their way back to the gym to resume the competition. It was now time to find out who the Freestyle Champion of Champions was! Claudia, Jessica and Adam performed their freestyles for the very last time – each one pushing their limits. After a roar from the crowd, it was Adam Gates from Dandenong with his tight contact, artistic expression and record-breaking tricks that took out the title! After a year of hard work and performing in Norway for the world to see, everything just came together perfectly for the fierce competitor this weekend.

Only minutes later, it was time for Teams – the famed event where coaches choreograph their athlete’s best skills all together to carefully chosen music, which makes for spectacular viewing! Some of the unique exchanges and juggling sequences was a sight to see in itself. Not to mention the big tricks and well-timed rolls. Whether you enjoy dramatic, pretty or theatrical, there was something to tickle everyone’s fancy.

Just as you thought the last event of the championships had come to an end, the ‘So You Think you Can Twirl’ event took place! While the tabulators were busy finalising the results, this new event welcomed everyone, young and old, to the floor to improvise to selected pieces of music. There was only one rule – you must have a baton in your hand. This talent quest-like competition saw toddlers spinning on their toes, mums and dads attempting (and in some cases, catching) one-spins and athletes joining together from other clubs and states to make a mockery of themselves and each other. It brought a truly comedic event to the championships!

Soon enough, it was time to get down to business. Everyone marched out in unison to Australia’s National routine for the closing ceremony and presentations. From Strut through to Team, Juvenile to Adult, Beginner to Advanced, there was no shortage of cheers, smiles and photos! A year of heard work had finally paid off!

2010 Australian National Championships - Part Two

Now... time to bring out the big guns. Our Freestylist's begin to warm-up during the lunch break. It’s like moving art – seeing all of the flying batons and coloured leotards decorate the floor. Before you know it, our Norway Freestylist's prove their worthiness and our Masters category bring back some of our favourite athletes – who totally still have it! It’s Claudia Cicco, Jessica Colless and Adam Gates who are announced as the Junior, Senior and Adult winners respectively. They would then have time to prepare themselves to compete for the famous Freestyle Champion of Champions title the next day.

The Pairs section was next on the agenda. From pretty, to jazz, to heart-felt – we saw it all. The costumes were amazing and each pair brought their A-game. Talk about hating to be a judge!

With all of the heavily baton-focused routines complete for the day, it was now time to move onto a different category of baton twirling – Dancetwirl. Just in case you didn’t know it yet, Australian’s love Dancetwirl! With so many to present, we skipped the warm-up! Our athletes danced all kinds of their favourite styles – jazz, ballet, contemporary, lyrical, hip-hop and more. Everybody brought their own individuality and entertainment factor to the floor – a delight for the crowd to watch and the judges to judge!

Our last routine for the night was the all-famous Specialised! A routine that virtually every athlete participates in, from 3 year olds, to coaches! If the crowd hadn’t laughed at some point throughout the day yet, they were guaranteed to laugh now. You may have seen some of our clubs’ photos on Facebook already, but there was certainly no shortage of slap-stick! From Ghoast Busters and We Speak No Americana, to Moulin Rouge and Magic Carpet Rides – every routine was a totally different genre. Some of the props used included pom-poms, maracas, a moving bush, hoops and just about anything you could think of! What an end to such a great day of competition. As dinner plans are made, parents scurry to get their kids ready to go home and get a good night's rest to prepare for Sunday…

2010 Australian National Championships - Part One

Well-earned medals and trophies are now on display in the homes of Australia’s best baton twirlers. So just how did the Australia’s National Championships unfold?

It’s Friday 1st October and athletes make their way into the Central Queensland University gym. As committee members trickle out the of the AGM, athletes can be found in every corridor and corner of the gym applying make-up, spraying hair, stretching muscles and twirling batons.

The 2011 Florida International Cup trials are about to take place! Solo, Two-baton, Three-baton, Artistic twirl and pairs – the crowd take their seat to witness a sneak preview of what the 2011 Australian squad will bring to the table. With no lack of willing and hopeful competitors, the trials are a great success! To the athletes dismay, they will have to wait until Sunday to learn just how they faired. On the contrary, freestyle athletes were happy to compete in Short Program and Compulsories that night to and get the hard part over and done with! Day one – over.

Saturday morning not only brought fabulous weather, but many spectators and more budding young athletes. Prompted by MC Glendi McNabb, the Opening Ceremony begins with the 2010 Norway world squad leading the way. Each state follows suit in the respective colours. With all of the formalities out the way, our athletes strip down to reveal stunning leotards of all sorts as the competition gets under-way with the Strut section.
Six lanes of marching pro’s follow one after the other, each hoping to prove themselves. Our winners of the Advanced Junior, Senior and Adult sections then compete for the Australian Strut Champion of Champions title. It is Anastassia Tsaloukas from Easts who takes it home with her perfectly timed marching and exquisite elements! It’s now time for our Soloists to take to the floor. The competition heats up as we see big tricks, intricate rolls and fast contact – what a sight. Soon enough it’s time for the winner of the Solo Champion of Champions title to be announced. Shalina Ball from Eastern Star is awarded the title by impressing them all with her extensive rolls sections and make-them-look-so-easy tricks!

It’s a quick costume change for those in the One-baton section. Showing off their body work and baton technique, this section comes to a close with Carly Scullion of Sutherland being rewarded the One-baton Champion of Champions trophy after a beautiful display. It’s soon time for our talented Two-baton and Three-baton athletes to Wow the crowd. With look-at-me costumes, tricks galore and very concentrated faces, it is the young Abbey McNabb of Bexley club and her trickery that earns herself the title of Two-baton Champion of Champions!