Baton Twirling: Sport or Entertainment? By Kelly Rohrer Oh! Oh! Oh! Let s Go State! The Blue Band marches through the tunnel onto the field at Beaver Stadium as the percussion plays in the background. They form in a block formation and the Penn State Majorettes run to the front of the band as they are being introduced as eight time National Champions. The crowd roars as Blue Sapphire PJ Maierhofer leaps across the field and is introduced as College Miss Majorette of America. But what do these titles mean? I guess she (PJ) and the majorettes must have won something, senior Jon Ford said. I just see them twirl at halftime and think that s all they do. Fans such as Ford see the rhinestone costumes that sparkle underneath the stadium lights and are already exposed to the misconceptions surrounding baton twirling. The biggest one is that baton twirling is seen as entertainment at various events and not as a competitive activity. What many do not realize is the world of baton twirling works the same as any other competitive sport. Unless you know someone that is a competitive twirler, exposure for the sport and being educated in knowing information about the sport is very limited. When Blue Sapphire PJ Maierhofer first came to Penn State to twirl for the Blue Band, she was unsure of what the position really meant. As a freshman I knew it was part of the band but as I became more comfortable with the position I wanted to convey that I was more of an athlete than a stereotypical majorette. Now I want people to see it more as a sport than anything else.
Maierhofer practices what she preaches meaning she prepares the same way an athlete would for a game: making the most of practice times, eating right and getting enough sleep. Former Blue Sapphire John Mitchell was Penn State s first male twirler and first African- American feature twirler from 1989 to 1992. He believes that the history of baton twirling has fueled the public s view of the sport. There is the historical perspective of when females began to dominate the sport and how sexism and objectification surrounded the sport due to the type of costumes and major emphasis on appearance that s placed on the females. As a male twirler, it s easier for Mitchell to promote baton twirling as a sport because he is breaking the stereotype of twirlers. Because of the sexism that surrounds the sport, a male usually has the opportunity to be taken more seriously than females. What has been the biggest weakness in baton twirling is the lack of cohesiveness between the different organizations. The three big organizations is the National Baton Twirling Association (NBTA), the United States Twirling Association (USTA), and Drum Majorettes of America (DMA). All organizations have different rules, sets of standards, and different way of judging that conflicts with one another and makes it difficult for baton twirling to be represented by one entity. Baton twirling is divided and there is no type of collaborative effort to promote the sport and keep it growing, Mitchell says. Everyone has their own way or idea of how things should be run.
Maierhofer agrees with Mitchell and says that the different organizations have yet to form a cohesive opinion. We need to come together and vote on a common judging standard, who is able to compete, and how they are able to progress forward from a beginner twirler to an advance twirler in the sport. There is also the lack of mass media attention that surrounds the sport. Competitions are not shown on television, twirling events or performances are not announced on the radio, and very rarely is baton twirling in newspapers or magazines. The NBTA does have a twirling magazine called Drum Major Magazine that is mailed to subscribers only. The magazine is not sold in grocery stores or on newsstands; therefore, those that receive this magazine are the only ones that are exposed to the information inside it. Mitchell says that since there is no mainstream exposure for the sport, the general impression is that baton twirling is only a visual art performing activity. It is our inability to market and promote the sport to the mass media that is our downfall. We also need to stop giving messages to young women that once you ve reached a certain age or you ve won so many titles then you need to give it up. In 2007, Mitchell was able to bring baton twirling into mainstream media by competing on the competitive show America s Got Talent. It was another opportunity for me to put a different face to the sport and it was the largest venue that allowed me to expose baton twirling to the mass media. Living in California has given Mitchell different outlets and opportunities for him to promote baton twirling as a sport.
The first way that I m involved with the sport is that I still perform to the public and still attempt to be a different face to sport: an African American male. Mitchell also volunteers at the Boys and Girls Club in Los Angeles where he works to pass on his passion to the next generation of twirlers. The kids that come in are very open to the idea of baton twirler because they ve never seen it before. I try to make my routines very current and urban so that they can relate to the art form. Throughout her college career, Maierhofer has used her position to educate the public on baton twirling and help them realize that baton twirlers are athletes too. I ve done video and photo projects so that people can see how hard the majorettes and I practice for the field and for competitions. We practice, sweat, and go through the same emotions that a basketball or volleyball player would go through. Penn State Majorette Coach Heather Bean holds a clinic each June at the Blue Band Building to promote not only Penn State twirling, but baton twirling as a sport. We split the participants into different groups and rotate them so that each one has a chance to learn something new from current members on the line and past Penn State twirlers as well as guest teachers. The different stations that each group travels to are one-baton, two-baton, 3-baton, and dance. This way the twirlers are exposed to many different aspects of the sport. Bean has also traveled to Florida and Texas teaching at various baton clinics to promote baton twirling and represent Penn State twirling. Maierhofer and the majorettes break the baton twirling season into two halves: the first runs from October to beginning of January, and the second half runs from late January to late
July. The first part of the season is devoted to football season performances including Game Day performances, pep rallies, and any other events that the band is at. During this time, the girls practice more outside on the Intramural fields than inside because they become more acclimated with the terrain and weather conditions. On the field there s an opportunity to say here s what I can do, watch me! It s for one s enjoyment twirling on the field, Maierhofer said. The second half is devoted to practicing in a gym, perfecting each routine one has in order to prepare for the competition season. The season is broken up into different stages just as basketball is divided into pre-season, regular season, and tournament season. During pre-season, twirlers compete at locally to put their routines on the floor in front of a judge. The regular season begins after the New Year and twirlers being to compete at any competition they can all around the country. The most well known competitions are Twirl Mania in February at Disney World, Congressional Cup in March in Maryland, and open contests. At these competitions, twirlers compete in numerous events that include one-baton, two-baton and three-baton solos. These events are divided into age divisions and skill levels. First-year twirlers begin in the Novice division then work their way up to Beginner, Intermediate and Advance level. The age divisions are split into six categories: Tiny Tot (0-6 years-old), Juvenile (7-9 years-old), Pre-Teen (10-12 years-old), Junior (13-15 years-old), Teenage (16 years-old and older), and College. The Grand Daddy of Them All for baton twirlers is the National Competition that is a week-long competition at the end of July. Last summer, Maierhofer and the majorettes both won national championships in their respective divisions.
I won the title of Miss Majorette of America which means I competed in three events that showed of different twirling skills and I was fortunate enough to be at the top, Maierhofer said. The Penn State Majorettes along with Maierhofer won both Collegiate Dancetwirl and College Half-Time competitions, making it their eighth in a row. The coolest part about winning was having an article about our achievements over PSULive and everyone was able to see that we just don t perform on the field, Maierhofer said. It gave us and baton twirling more credibility. Basketball players spend nights in the gym shooting free throws. Football players spend hours on the field running routes. Baton twirlers work hard in the gym until their routines are perfect. The common thread between these three athletes is they are proof for the motto Championships are won when no one is watching. But for the sport of baton twirling, maybe someone needs to watch.