Twirlers2012

By Catherine Dominguez

The smile on Patti Mickey’s face is a testament to how proud she is of the 20 girls she is teaching the art of twirling.

Mickey established Mickey’s Majorettes in 1992; and after celebrating 20 years in 2012, the team is going strong. In fact, most recently the girls won big at the AAU Junior Olympic Games in August in Houston. According to Mickey, the twirlers took home 35 awards, including 22 gold medals.

With twirlers from local schools including The Woodlands College Park, The Woodlands High School, Knox Junior High and McCullough Junior High, Mickey’s Majorettes’ youngest twirler is 9 years old. While Mickey does not offer a beginner program, she said some of her older twirlers have worked with young girls who want to try the sport.

Linda Pellerito’s daughter Allie is one of Mickey’s Majorettes’ youngest members and found twirling to be the best fit for her.

“She saw twirlers when she was in kindergarten and said ‘I want to do what they’re doing,’” Pellerito said.

A quick search online for twirling instructors led Pellerito to Mickey’s Majorettes. According to Pellerito, Allie suffers from juvenile arthritis but twirling has been a benefit to the young girl.

Mickey’s Majorettes will perform at Central Park in The Woodlands at 2 p.m. Dec. 16. Mickey said the purpose of the show is to highlight each girl.

“Some of the girls will do duets,” she said. “The girls select their own music.”

After selecting the music, Mickey works with the twirlers to create routines.

“It’s a way for all the girls to come together and perform with each other instead of being in the competition arena or at their schools,” she said.

Getting started

Mickey was a feature twirler while she attended college in Colorado. After having a family and settling in The Woodlands, she was asked to host a twirling clinic for a group of girls. Starting as just a recreational team, the group did mostly parades and small performances around the community.

“As we went on through the years, I looked into the competition arena,” she said. “We went to our first state (competition) and I had a group of girls that said, ‘This is what I want to do.’”

So about five years after starting the group, Mickey’s Majorettes began competition on a state and national level. At that point, Mickey said she started teaching the girls more through private lessons.

Today, two of Mickey’s Majorettes are feature twirlers on the university level on scholarship.

Mickey is happy to see the interest from young girls in twirling. While twirling was popular several decades ago, she said twirling squads have been replaced over the years by drill teams and color guards with flags.

“The feature twirler never died off, but the lines (of twirlers) did,” she said. “As far as competition for twirlers, that has continued on. It’s still very strong.”

For more information about Mickey’s Majorettes, visit mickeysmajorettes.com

Here is the link to the Original article!

Competitive baton twirlers from The Woodlands took home medals at the AAU Junior Olympic Games held July 25 through Aug. 4.

As part of Mickey's Majorettes, the nine twirlers took home 22 first-place gold medals and finished with a total of 35 awards at the event held in Houston.

"I am extremely proud of all of these young ladies," said Patti Mickey, Director of Mickey's Majorettes, in a press release. "All of the hours in the gym have paid off. The sport of baton twirling is an intense sport that uses the grace and technique of dance, the agility of gymnastics, the endurance of major athletes and extreme ambidexterity."

Mickey's Majorettes features members from a number of middle schools, high schools and colleges in the area. The AAU Junior Olympics team consisted of Kayli Mickey, Allie Pellerito, Isabel Obias, Lindsey McCormick,Kristin Baker, Megan Norton, Caroline Carothers, Hannah Dziuk and Rachel Hutchinson.

"This was my first time to compete at the Junior Olympics and it was fun," said Allie Pellerito, a Majorette twirler from Knox Junior High. "I enjoyed competing against and getting to know girls from other states. It was also interesting to watch other athletes and see the same dedication to their sport that we have twirling."

The AAU Junior Olympics offer competitions in 18 different sports for participants from across the country. Competitors range in skill levels from beginner to elite status. It is the biggest national multi-sport event for young competitors in the United States, according to the Junior Olympics website.

The AAU Junior Olympics performance ends the 2011-12 Mickey's Majorettes competitive season. The team will be featured at school football events through the fall.

Mickey's Majorettes

Mickeys Majorettes

2012 Team Picture

Mickey's Majorettes keep their twirling dreams alive

| Posted: Thursday, December 13, 2012 2:56 pm

Mickey's Majorettes bring home medals in AAU Junior Olympics

| Thursday, August 23, 2012