Amid a growing number of athletes, students are being tasked with the burden of meeting unrealistic expectations. A primary example of this is the sport of baton twirling, an aging sport that, in recent years, has faced a renewal of style and presence in larger athletics.
Twirling has spread across the country and into Pleasant Valley’s own backyard. Junior Ellie Ziegelbein enjoys competitive baton twirling, her favorite event being three-baton. “It feels fun competing it at nationals because my routine ends up placing very well,” Ziegelbein expressed.
Baton twirling was a widely spread practice throughout the mid-1950s and into the early 1980s. As it lessened in popularity due to a pop culture shift, previous generations of twirlers maintained the integrity of the sport through various national and international organizations.
In recent months, the two dominating U.S. twirling organizations, the National Baton Twirling Association (NBTA International) and the United States Twirling Association (USTA), have attempted to unite under one authority in order to push for future acceptance into the Olympics.. The International Olympic Committee mandates that a sport must be governed by an international federation, hence supporting this effort.
Many countries easily merged their NBTA International and separate world baton twirling federations (WBTF) into one International Baton Twirling Federation (IBTF). However, a few countries, such as the U.S., took a different route. Their plan established that, under the IBTF USA umbrella, NBTA International and USTA would continue as separate organizations.
When all WFNBTA (parent organization to NBTA) and WBTF country presidents agreed to dissolve their respective organizations in April 2024, the United States had the chance to nominate and elect representatives to a selection committee. With USTA as the sole nominating party, NBTA was left with no representation in the decision to dissolve its own parent organization, the WFNBTA.
NBTA twirlers see this representation as unfair, due to the future vote to now dissolve NBTA. This would require all NBTA twirlers seeking qualification for worlds to qualify under USTA competitions, forcing them to start from the novice level of competition and regain their previous advanced status through winning more than 18 times in each event.
This situation would affect twirlers like Ziegelbein who have built up their competitive level and achievements in NBTA over many years. “It has taken me around 6-7 years to become advanced,” Ziegelbein shared. “It required a lot of constant practice to reach that level.”
The qualification requirements for each organization differ significantly, as USTA members must register and pay for a membership, unlike NBTA. Further, USTA heavily involves gymnastics and has no traditional “pageant” system, whereas NBTA has a no gymnastics policy, and relies on the more traditional Miss Majorette of America pageant to crown its multiple-event champion titles.
Coaches involved in the NBTA organization are displeased with the lack of certainty and disorganization going forwards, in concern for their athletes. Jessica Maxwell, NBTA-certified judge and coach, shared, “I believe the merge of NBTA & USTA can be beneficial in the forward moment of joining the Olympics however it has to be done with the athletes best interest in mind.”
Maxwell also explained that focus and opportunities for beginning athletes are the solution for equal representation going forward, “The process needs to pull equally from each organization to become one unified better organization and I think the only way that’s possible is if we do it while thinking of what’s best for every athlete, which includes our beginner level twirlers,” she stated, “Without them we will never have twirlers reach the elite status to even get to the Olympics.”
The future of reaching Olympics status is uncertain for competitive baton twirlers in the United States; however, it is clear that both athletes and judges want equal representation of different twirling levels and backgrounds going forward.
