Alyssa George, 12, and Makenzie Worton, 13, both from Fergus and Elsie Post, 9, of Arthur only have a few more days to fine-tune their routines before traveling to Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy for the 2015 NBTA World Championships, April 9 to 12.
In July and September 2014, the three Superstars Baton Club members qualified to represent Canada at the world championships overseas. This baton twirling competition is similar occurs every three years with a different host country each time.
Each athlete competing in Italy had to qualify in their country as one of the top three competitors in their age division.
Post will represent Canada in the Juvenile X-Strut, Solo and 2Baton divisions. All three athletes are part of the Junior Twirl Corps who will be competing for a top spot in Italy.
Coach Krista DiStasi said the athletes have worked very hard over the past nine months to have their routines ready for the competition. They have put many hours of fundraising in for their trip, along with numerous hours a week in a gym training to be the best they can for the World Championships. The athletes and their families would like to thank everyone for their support through the fundraising and good luck wishes.
Baton twirling is involves many athletic skills all rolled into one activity. Twirlers require the stamina of a long-distance runner, the hand-eye coordination of a baseball player or golfer, the grace of a ballet dancer, the flexibility and tumbling skills of a gymnast and the determination and dedication necessary to be successful in any sport.
Baton is gaining recognition across the world and has spawned not only in the world championships but also the World Games, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Junior Olympics and Twirl Mania, which is an international event sponsored by Disney World.
On March 28, the athletes, with their families and coach, will be leaving Toronto to meet up with the other 30 members of Team Canada.
The athletes will be competing amongst the world’s top baton twirlers and will have the opportunity to meet numerous new twirling friends.
