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Baton Rouged: Glenite Jenna Piraro, 11, was one of the youngest of 18 Valley Baton Club members who competed in the national baton competition last month in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Photograph by Skye Dunlap
The Sky's the Limit
Twirling mecca sends its stars to national competition in Florida
By Genevieve Roja
As I stroll into the gym, I'm oblivious to the batons that are on their way down from the rafters. A curly-haired brunette on the other side of the gym traps a baton between her ear and her shoulder before spinning it over the back of her neck and tossing it into the air. It's magic. Until she brings me back to reality.
"People think it's really hard, but it's not that hard," says Glenite Jenna Piraro, dispelling all myths about the often-misunderstood sport. "They think it's kinda weird but also cool."
Jenna, at 11 one of the youngest of the bunch, is one of 18 local Valley Baton Club girls who recently competed in the national baton competition from July 16 to 24 in Daytona Beach, Fla.
A twirler since age 5, Jenna is a two-time national competitor. This year she won fifth place in her division for solo competition and pairs, and took seventh in dance twirl.
"It was funner than last year," she says, "It felt more professional. The arena was bigger, and there were a lot of really good people there."
Following the national competition, the girls have a short break. Once September rolls around, however, the team returns to Campbell's Valley Baton Club for practice, practice and more practice.
Backed by the combined 66 years of twirling experience of the mother-daughter team of Sharon and Paige Campbell, Valley Baton Club is considered the mecca of baton twirlers in the Bay Area. The club has produced regional, national and world medalists, including a bronze in pairs twirling at the 1997 world championship.
Last year, 9-year-old Amanda Plymette won the national title in her age group, and this year 18 of Valley Baton's girls qualified at the regional championship. In fact, Valley Baton's reputation is so well-known around the state that one student, based on her coach's recommendation, commutes from Brentwood.
Although baton twirling has lost its visibility in recent years, partly because of the demise of high school marching bands, the sport is very much alive at Valley Baton. Here, students of all ages, sizes and genders (boys are welcome, though no boys are now enrolled) are taught a variety of skills, including hand-eye coordination and a combination of some gymnastic elements. Many twirlers toss the baton while dancing, leaping or rolling, or performing cartwheels, splits or walkovers (essentially a handstand plant that propels the body forward or back).
"The girls have all ranges of flexibility," says Sharon, whose group has performed for Campbell's spring Eggstravaganza and Christmas tree lighting, at half-time shows at San Jose State University and the 1992 Sugar Bowl and for the San Jose Rhinos roller-hockey team.
"The sport certainly promotes [flexibility]. Here, there are all levels of abilities, all shapes and sizes. We all have natural ability."
One of the first things beginners learn is how to hold the baton. The thumb is placed at the center of the baton, with the ball--the heavier part of the baton--facing up. The tip, the lighter part, faces down. To get the baton in motion, Paige instructs her kids, the baton is rolled back and forth on the arms, palms and the backs of the hands.
No two batons are created equal. Batons are custom fitted, the length being measured from the inside of a student's arm out to the fingertips.
Once the student becomes comfortable with a baton, Sharon teaches a move called the "figure eight." Sharon calls it "dipping into the ice cream." Holding the baton ball-up in her right hand, Sharon takes the baton and "dips" it into an imaginary ice cream bowl. She dips the baton into the vanilla, then puts it in a bowl. Then she dips it into the chocolate and puts it in a bowl. The reason for the exaggerated imagery is to help the girls visualize the motion of the baton.
From there, the girls learn to twirl the baton horizontally and vertically. They move onto "trapping" by bringing the baton between the shoulder and the ear, behind the knee or under the arm.
Baton twirlers are also trained not to favor a particular hand. One of the final steps for advanced students is learning how to count and time the number of revolutions a baton makes before a catch. Moves and tricks are based on what the student can do.
For example, 14-year-old Sarah Lovelace has a double trick in her routine, which incorporates a leap and two walkovers before she catches the baton. Sometimes the tricks bear the names of their innovators, such as the "Fujimi roll," an elbow roll that rolls from front to back without touching, and the "little Joe," a thumb flip that's repeated on both sides of the body. Routines of intermediate students can also combine two to three batons--or even flaming batons.
"You really have to be a strong twirler to twirl a fire baton," says Sharon, who warns all her fire twirlers not to wear hair spray or long skirts. "Basically, if the baton is moving it will not burn you. It makes a roaring sound and that's what startles the kids."
When the occasional baton is dropped, the girls maintain a gymnast's composure, with eyes always locked on the audience and smiles wide and toothy. A student forgets part of her routine from time to time, but Sharon and Paige prepare the girls so in a pinch they can incorporate moves already in their repertoire.
"I've had quite a few scares," says Jenna, who performed a "no drop" routine--meaning she didn't drop the baton a single time--last year at regionals. "It takes a certain time to remember [the routine], but now I always know it."
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
