Twirl Mania is an example of baton twirling the way it is supposed to be: fun, competitive, and an amazing spectator sport. Ignore all those silly, Hollywood-fed myths about clueless girls in majorette boots being prodded by their cheerleader moms. At The Milk House, the Disney Wide World of Sports® complex's vaulted-ceiling behemoth of a gymnasium, you're in baton twirling's Magic Kingdom.

The everyday reality of twirling — teams of dedicated athletes competing in high-school gyms all across America — slips away, forgotten for a long weekend in mid-February as precision twirlers of all stripes and affiliations receive star-athlete treatment. It's a formula that's hard to beat.

Barb Cox, an NBTA (National Baton Twirling Association) coach from outside of Chicago, draws a typical contrast between local twirling venues and The Milk House. "NBTA nationals are held at Notre Dame University, and that's great. Besides that, we're competing mostly in high school gyms. A lot of times — because [competitors] toss the baton so high and do all these tricks under it — the ceilings aren't high enough. So when we saw the Disney facilities, we said, 'We're coming back here.' "

Margaret Mann, another NBTA coach, says that a multi-organization twirling event such as Twirl Mania has gone a long way to give coaches from the various twirling organizations a chance to get to know each other, share experiences, and build on their teaching abilities. "It has helped the NBTA twirlers get to know the USTA twirlers, which has needed to happen for a long, long time," she says. "And I know there are other organizations here — WTA [World Twirling Association] and DMA [Drum Majorettes of America] we've gotten to know as well. I think all the organizations have learned to respect each other more. The main idea is to make baton twirling grow."

And grow it has.

Disney World, Central Florida's city-sized resort that is the world's number one tourist destination, deftly hosted the twirling events and some 2,500 twirlers, their families, and friends in attendance this past February. Guests I spoke with had nothing but kind words for Disney and Twirl Mania. One was Derek Brooks, a Michigan twirling teacher whose DMA group, Derek's Dynamos, enjoys the mid-winter trip to sunny Florida. She gives Twirl Mania credit for lowering competitive anxiety. Twirl Mania, she says, is "a contest of the unknowns. The twirlers face different competition [than back home], which relieves the stress of always knowing who you will be up against."

"We love coming back to Twirl Mania, because they make it so much fun for the twirlers," adds coach and judge Barbara Kenyeres, who traveled from Canada to Orlando with other CNBTA (Canadian National Baton Twirling Association) twirlers for the four-day event. "They offer lots of incentives for the kids — the stuffed Mickey's and Minnie's and other Disney characters."

Ah, yes, Disney. That's Twirl Mania's secret weapon and another reason why it continues to grow in popularity. "It's a family experience," says Bonnie Burbank, a TU (Twirling Unlimited) coach from New Jersey. "A lot of times at other organizations' events, the fathers and brothers have nothing to do, so they don't show up. At Twirl Mania, there are other things to do. They can watch the [twirling] competition a little bit, then walk outside and watch other sports. It's more of a relaxed atmosphere here."

"The number one aspect of Twirl Mania was and is to get twirling recognized," says Twirl Mania founder Joyce Perrone, a one-time Philadelphia Eagles twirler whose work behind the scenes has propelled the sport of twirling onto a national stage. "What better way to do it than at the number one vacation spot in the world, in a warm sunny climate in the middle of winter?"

Each year entire twirling teams return here, bearing names such as Wanda's Cadettes, The Halifax Sparklettes, the Five Star Flashettes, The Red Stars, and the tiny GG Super Stars (in darling harem pants). They arrive armed with a plethora of battle-tested accoutrements: rubber-tipped metal batons with special tape wrappings to enhance handling; hair spray and hot rollers; colorful logo-covered warm-up jackets; custom baton bags and carry-ons; tights with the word "Twirler" stitched into the backsides; sparkling ballet-style performance costumes; and soft vinyl-soled footwear designed to allow spinning on hardwood floors as fast as their wearers are capable.

From the mezzanine bleachers of the Milk House, spectators have an overview of the main floor during the four days of competition. On day two, wave after wave of twirlers in sets of 16 arrive at their assigned lanes, face an experienced judge, and wait for master of ceremonies Dennis Kaminski, himself a twirler since the age of 7, to announce their names and flip a switch to begin playing "Time After Time." Each performance builds momentum, earning audience response and — most important for the contestant — points scored. Accomplished twirlers make everything they do seem easy, but looks are deceiving; handling one to four batons while performing gyrating cartwheels takes years of practice to master.

Two Twirl Mania athletes limber up on the mezzanine-level gym of The Milk House.

Twirl Mania itself accomplishes a tough trick, too — encompassing a variety of twirling organization's rules and presentation styles. By relaxing performance time limits for each event; by tightening the age-group divisions; by allowing performance music from the 21st century to be used; and by including only major penalties (such as drops, breaks in movements, and off-patterns) on the judges' score sheet, Twirl Mania has led the way in efficient performance presentation. Last year, the organizers ordered a customized database to keep all the pairings, scheduling, and scoring running smoothly. Says Kelli Russell, a Buffalo, NY, NBTA (National Baton Twirling Association) twirling coach, "They have an excellent system here that gives us the best all-around winner."

Another unique aspect of Twirl Mania is its special events-within-the-event strategy, with separate "by-invitation-only" elite Gold and Collegiate divisions that attract the older, more advanced athletes while leaving open room for winners among upcoming talent in the younger, less advanced rungs. Says Bonnie Burbank, "They've tried it at other places, but it's the talent Joyce Perrone has that has brought it together."

Many coaches I spoke with give major credit for twirling's revitalization to Mrs. Perrone. Gina Hutchinson, a coach of the New Hampshire-based The Red Stars twirling team for the past 27 years and a charter member of the NBTA Hall of Fame, is one such Perrone supporter. Says Mrs. Hutchinson, "Twirl Mania is such a great concept, because Joyce Perrone... takes all the rules [of twirling organizations] and puts them all together so that every single child can compete here."

Mrs. Perrone has developed a reputation in twirling circles as an astute organizer, unifier, and people person who keeps many balls — or rather, batons — in the air while producing Twirl Mania. TU coach Bonnie Burbank is equally effusive about Mrs. Perrone's tenacity. "She's a real go-getter. She never gives up. She works very, very hard. I don't think people have any idea how hard Joyce works."

Much of that work has been aimed at bringing greater public attention to the sport, which has in its history been considered for Olympic inclusion. One innovation this year was the introduction of a potentially lucrative promotional partner: the Twirl Maniac, an 8-foot tassle-headed baton live-animation character. "Each year we try to introduce something new and exciting to the event," says Mrs. Perrone. "This is the first twirling icon and mascot. Every sports organization has one, so we thought it was time for twirling to have its own."

Mrs. Perrone also succeeded this year in broadening media interest. In addition to Pageantry's fourth annual appearance as a sponsor and promoter at the four-day competition, USA Today featured the event prominently in a lifestyle cover story. TV coverage came via Fox Network's The Caroline Rhea Show, a Central Florida ABC affiliate, and a post-competition appearance for the Twirl Mania champion, Jennifer Marcus, on the Soap Network's Soap Talk, says Mrs. Perrone.

Baton twirling, though, still hasn't broken through one major glass ceiling — male-dominated news-media sports departments. "There are always men in the way of baton twirling," Gina Hutchinson says. "Whenever we want any publicity, I call a sports department and I get" — and here she lowers her voice to sound like a man's — " 'Baton twirling is not a sport.' "

Meager media exposure is compounded by the sport's lack of an athletic image. "The thing that bothers me the most is that we are not recognized anywhere near what we should be for the aerobic aspects of twirling, the talent, and the athleticism," she says. "I can't begin to tell you the number of times we'll do a show, and someone will come up to me who has never been to see The Red Stars, and they're shocked. They say, 'We had no idea what twirlers can do!' "

TWIRL MANIA GOLD 2003 Invitational Top 5 finishers, with the Twirl Maniac, are (L-R): 4th Place Kellie Trouten, 2nd Place Karissa Wimberly, TM Gold '03 Invitational Winner Jennifer Marcus, 3rd Place KeriAnn Lynch, and 5th Place Sean Wimberley.

If baton twirling is ever to make it to the big-time media stage and the major leagues of sporting commerce, one of the key challenges is, as Mrs. Hutchinson says: "How do we define ourselves? And the answer is: If you want a great sport activity, you've got it. If you want something for a show that's going to attract public attention, you've got it. We can do it all. But we've been a little lax in pushing that."

One performer who has succeeded in pushing her sport into the national spotlight is Syracuse University "Orange Girl" KeriAnn Lynch. She regularly leads SU's marching band during football season, performs solo at basketball game halftime shows, and has even drawn on-air praise from ESPN sports broadcaster Brent Musberger (who called her the best twirler he had seen all season long). Still, the 20-year-old psychology major and senior competitor of The Red Stars knows that her struggle isn't only inside the gym — it's also in the public mind.

"People are always asking me, 'Why twirling? What's that about?'" she says during a break between her Twirl Mania performances. "I tell them that you don't march around in a square in high boots. This is a little bit more, a lot more! Are you kidding? I have twirling bruises! It's rough!"

So rough, in fact, that when Sean Wimberley steps off the floor right after one of his solo performances, he's dripping with sweat. A 20-year-old Florida State biochemistry major and one of the few male twirlers who has reached a world-class level, Sean competes in Twirl Mania each year as a tune-up for other events. "After this, I have world trials in Minneapolis. Then I'm at the World Championships in Spain if I qualify for the world team," he says, sounding like Tiger Woods getting ready for the PGA tour. "Twirl Mania is always a good competition to start the year."

Another challenge for the sport is keeping Sean and other maturing, more experienced twirlers in competition beyond their high school years — a time when most athletes are entering their prime. Featuring its elite performers would increase twirling's credibility and improve its chances of breaking into the sports world's upper echelons. Two examples of world-class twirlers on the brink of stardom are the Miami-based Marcus sisters, Melissa, 22, a University of Miami grad student, and Jennifer, 19, a Florida State University sophomore, who continue to dominate in USTA and Twirl Mania events. Jennifer is a two-time Twirl Mania Gold winner and has the mindset to become a breakout athlete for twirlers.

With multimillion-dollar male athletic programs continuing to flourish even as the federal Title IX mandate struggles to level the playing field for women's sports, very little funding is left for sports dominated by female athletes. Twirling is no exception.

Slow progress is being made. Twirl Mania sponsors and vendors contribute certificates and products to the athletes, and more companies are coming on board each year, says Mrs. Perrone. Twirl Mania gives the Coach of the Year a $3,000 bond, plus a Disney three-night stay and Disney ticket for the following year. "With all the satisfied coaches from all the organizations passing the word, we see the sponsors and future expanding," Mrs. Perrone says. Planned is a design for a twirling shoe that could bring a major shoe manufacturer on board, setting the stage for other sponsors.

Until that happens, Twirl Mania keeps the dream alive for the thousands of baton twirlers who share Joyce Perrone's vision for the sports' eventual unification and elevation to an Olympic event. Says Mrs. Perrone, "Twirl Mania is already a proven competitive arena for all organizations to compete under one roof, so the Olympic Committee is welcome to follow any or all of Twirl Mania's criteria."

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