What is something no one would expect about you?
I was a baton twirler.
I don’t think anyone would expect that little bit of trivia, though I
often feel like I fit the part. You
know…dimples… always smiling… and ‘oh so pleasant.’
I learned to twirl in the second grade. I was painfully shy and felt quite
invisible, but as I played with my baton during recess, it attracted
attention. Suddenly I felt I was unique. I could do something others couldn’t. I discovered that I loved to perform and
twirling helped me overcome my shyness.
I carried my baton everywhere. It
took me into Jr. High School and gave me the opportunity to perform during
basketball games. I was feature twirler
in my sophomore year of High School and head twirler for the squad during my
Senior Year. I made up and taught the
routines to the other twirlers, and encouraged them to compete locally.
This steel stick became a good friend, a bandaid for
shyness, and also a useful weapon when guys I didn’t like tried to hold my
hand. Ah…the usefulness of developing a
talent…gotta practice! Who would have
thought I would have carried that thing into my childbearing years! As a stay at home mother I searched for ways
to earn my own wages. It occurred to me
with the help of a friend, that I could actually teach baton
twirling. My motivational sales tactic
was fessing up to my awkward younger years and revealing the story of how
developing this talent helped me overcome shyness and build self esteem. I was a woman with a mission…to help all
struggling young girls become confident and realize they are special and have
unique talents.
I’ve had many rewarding experiences with some pretty
fabulous kids, but I’d like to share one experience that I particularly
remember that makes those ten-plus years of teaching very worthwhile:
Sarah was eight years old and joined my Silverspinner School
of Baton along with her younger sister, age five. The five year old could do no wrong in her
parent’s eyes; however I couldn’t help but notice the continual browbeating
that was inflicted on Sarah. Her parents
constantly pointed out how cute the little one was and how clumsy Sarah
was. They’d tell her she wasn’t
listening to me and ridicule her for that and I witnessed this girl slowly
disappear before my eyes. Finally, I put
the kibosh on parents sitting in on lessons and decided I would undo the damage
made to this sweet girl – whatever it took.
From the moment she signed up for lessons, and for months after, she
could not make eye contact with me and she continually stared at the
floor. But I worked with her,
complimented her and acknowledged her achievements continually. We were getting ready for what I called a ‘showmanship’
contest which allowed me to have my advanced twirlers compete against my new
students…and the new girls could actually triumph over the advanced twirlers
since the competition was based solely on showmanship.
I had the girls marching in a square pattern,
as John Phillips Sousa’s march played its cadence. “Point your toes, head up, smile” I
encouraged, then, I took the opportunity to comment on Sarah. We’ll call it positive reinforcement. I excitedly announced “Everyone look at
Sarah! She’s pointing her toes and has
her knees up and looks really good. Look
at Sarah! Her arms are swinging and her
chin is up! This is the way I want you all
to look! You’re doing a great job
Sarah!” All of a sudden, for the first
time in the months since I began instructing her, Sarah looked up and made eye
contact with me as she gave a big smile.
I was able to break through years of ridicule and self doubt for this one
moment. I can’t explain the excitement
that came over me as I saw the light within this beautiful girl brighten. What a wonderful gift to be able to witness
such a change. From that time on, during
class, Sarah always looked up. We saw eye
to eye the beauty that comes with a little encouragement.
If my high school friends knew I still twirled decades after
graduating from school they might laugh.
But I believed in my cause and I’d witnessed young awkward feeling girls
blossom. I chased twirlers down parade
routes to find out who their teachers were, and gathered them together to form
the Baton Boosters of Utah, an organization to encourage baton twirling in
Utah. We held competitions, and even had
an occasional “showmanship contest in the park”...just to give all girls an
equal opportunity to shine. It was
gratifying on many levels, but nothing compares to the blessing I had of
witnessing the miracle of transformation in a little girl named Sarah.
Thanks again Cynthia!
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