With all the hype surrounding our football team winning the national championship still light years away from dying down, it’s easy for us to overlook the achievements of our other Seminole teams, groups, and organizations. This is especially true for our unrecognized and underrated majorettes. Most of the attention is focused on the two feature twirlers who are easily recognizable during halftime performances, and while they are extremely talented, they are members of a team of 16 other girls who work just as hard. Technically the majorettes are a component of the Marching Chiefs, but this year their hard work was extended far beyond the football season.
For the first time in years they entered to compete at Twirl Mania, which is considered to be an extremely competitive competition in the world of baton twirling with teams from all across the nation. Twirl Mania is a weekend long production with the initial collegiate rounds held at ESPN Wide World of Sports and the final rounds at Epcot. Taking part in such a large event is sure to bring anxiety, especially for individuals who have been out of the competition circuit for quite some time. Senior captain Megan Triscari describes the team’s feelings about their routine saying, “We went into it looking forward to a fun and eventful weekend. We were really just excited for the experience and the opportunity to represent our amazing university.”
But the experience was only heightened when our majorettes took out the top teams (including our arch nemesis The University of Florida Gatorettes) and advanced to the final round of the competition where they would compete against only three other teams. “We went into finals knowing we were to compete first, but we were confident in our routine and we perform great under pressure.” They did just that, taking second place for their burlesque themed routine complete with neon pink feather boas and black top hats. They even started off with a traditional game day performance flawlessly executed to a recording of the Marching Chiefs, as it would be an injustice to deprive the audience of experiencing a small portion of the best tradition in college football.
Even for Megan who has performed for four years’ worth of football games both home and away, being at Twirl Mania was nerve wracking. “I was nervous standing on that stage, we all were. But the nerves went away as soon as our track started to play and we heard ‘Ladies and gentlemen, from Tallahassee, Florida, home of the 2013 BCS National Champion Florida State University Seminoles. Please welcome the Marching Chief Majorettes!’ Nothing gets you more hyped than hearing that.” As a community of champions, we owe our support to every group that represents the amazing institution we are a part of. Though it is a predominant part, there is so much more to college than just football alone, like this kick-a** group of baton twirling Seminole women and other teams like them that don’t get the recognition, respect, and support they deserve. When it comes down to it, we all bleed garnet and gold, right? So thank you, Florida State University Majorettes, for making us that much more “Unconquered” than we were before. Congratulations and go Noles!
Click below to watch their entire routine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzIi4NxUFn8