Many people know that baton twirling really hit its stride in the 60s and 70s due to the insurgence of the American high school marching band and the rise in popularity of college sports. The reason the sport of baton twirling saw a decline was due to the increase in sports participation by girls. The art of baton twirling is artistic, expressive, and athletic, and it’s starting to come back into the forefront in the city of Pittsburgh.

Currently, twirling groups are forming in Pittsburgh due to an increased interest among young people and exciting fanfare that surrounds the Modernettes, a local twirling team who recently won their eighth world championship.

Many other twirling groups in Pittsburgh, including the Sensations Marching Unit, the Golden Triangles Performance Ensemble, the Top Hats Performance Ensemble, along with many others, are starting to really recognize the renewed interest, especially among males. In fact, Ben Sagucio, 29, reminisces about the time he started twirling a rifle when he was 18 years old. “It was very uncommon for guys to march,” he said. “But more guys are doing it now. It’s more accepted.”

Sagucio, now a second-grade teacher at a local charter school, currently twirls a rifle for the Top Hats Performance Ensemble team. In addition to his participation in this group, he teaches color guard at the University of Pittsburgh. The University is celebrating the 40th anniversary of The Golden Girls, its flagship twirling team. Sagucio communicates that being a male in a primarily female-oriented sport was a challenge, even with the differentiation of rifles from batons. “I got heckled and made fun of,” Mr. Sagucio said of his early days in the twirling world. “But I was very fortunate. I had a great support system of friends. Others had it much worse.”

For more information on the groups: Modernettes and Golden Triangles, see their Facebook pages; Top Hats Performance Ensemle, http://www.tophatsperformance.org; and Sensations Marching Unit, http://www.angelfire.com/pa5/sensations.

For more information on all things pertaining to baton twirling, please browse our blog, or contact us at 931-528-7829.

Posted: 9/17/2015