TAVARES, Fla. – Inside the Big House gym in Tavares, Florida, the stakes are high and the twirls even higher.
These athletes are members of Team USA’s Twirl Florida program, preparing for the national competition in Daytona Beach next month and the World Baton Twirling Championships in Torino, Italy, this August.
Captains Taylor Wolfe and Julia McFadden have been twirling since childhood. Now, they lead the very team they once admired.
“So now that I have the opportunity to be up there and like, leading the others... and we get to go out and represent the country, it’s just a great honor for all of it,” said Julia McFadden, Team USA co-captain.
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To the untrained eye, baton twirling might look like an artistic performance. But these athletes are tested on true technical skills — the ability to toss and catch the baton flawlessly under pressure.
“It’s very nice to be able to be in that position now and kind of be the role model for the next generation of twirlers who hope to be on Team USA,” Wolfe said.
What looks effortless on camera is the result of hours of intense training, including ballet, acrobatics, and conditioning. Twirling demands just as much brain power as physical strength.
“So a lot of the top twirlers of the country right now are in school to become engineers or doctors, and they’re doing this all while competing,” McFadden said.
The team’s coach emphasized the athletic rigor behind the sport.
“I think what people misunderstand is that these girls are true athletes. They do conditioning. They also have to do ballet. They also have to do acro. And they twirl all the time.”
Despite misconceptions that baton twirling is a dying sport, the coach is confident in its future.
“It’s amazing to watch the kids grow, not just as athletes, but as people.”
These young athletes are proving that baton twirling isn’t just alive — it’s evolving. With dedication, discipline, and passion, Team USA’s Twirl Florida is spinning its way to the top, representing their country with pride on the national and world stage.