It may be easy to remember when you were always jealous of the one girl in high school who had everything in her life together -- strong academics, beauty, talent, and offers from various top universities -- but who did not let that separate herself from others socially? Maybe it was her modest attitude about her accomplishments and bubbly personality that made her popular and respectable among her peers. Even after high school graduation, first-year College student Erica Seredni, the University's feature baton twirler during the football games, still can be seen as exuding those same characteristics.
Seredni draws a great deal of attention in the University community. At each home football game, Seredni dazzles the crowd by twirling multiple batons (including ones lit on fire!) and performing twists and tumbles without faltering. The same enthusiasm Seredni displays in her acrobatics on the field is evident in her exuberance toward the University, student life and twirling.
Born and raised in Richmond, Va., Erica began twirling at age four after (strangely enough), forgetting to clean her room.
"It's a funny little story," she said while leaning back in her desk chair. "You know those little plastic batons with streamers coming out of them? Pretty much every little girl has one. Well, I had a messy room and my mom said if I cleaned it, I'd get a toy. I got one of those batons and [with it was] a business card for a baton twirling group in Richmond. My mom signed me up for it, I've had the same coach [Diane Gunnells, now a member of the University marching band staff] since I was four, and I just kept going with it."
Seredni began recreational twirling for local parades and festivals and started twirling competitively at age six. Although she mostly competed in Virginia, she began traveling to other states at age 11, including an annual visit to the National Baton Twirling Championship held each year at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind.
"Nationals is a week of intense twirling during the end of July," Seredni said. "I start practicing early in the morning until late at night, which is what I do every day during the summer once school lets out. During high school, I practiced for three or four hours after school. But I love it."
Seredni's diligence paid off when she won the Grand National and World 2-Baton Championships in 2001 and 2003. In addition, she has won countless other prizes with her baton "corps" (which is twirling lingo for "team"), including the 2003 and 2005 Grand National and World Open Twirling Corps Championship. In addition, she appeared in the Dave Matthews Band's video for "Stay (Wasting Time)" when she was eleven.
"The whole video was like a Jamaican theme with a parade," Seredni said. "It was so cool because we spent the whole day filming, and I always was towards the back, and then all of sudden they changed it, and it was like a full on parade. Of course, the twirler leads the parade. The camera literally started right here on my stomach, and they passed out. If you watch it, I'm on it for like two seconds! That's like my moment of glory!"
Seredni said she never mentions her accomplishments in public. While she definitely does not want to make the wrong impression by flaunting her accomplishments to her numerous friends at the University, she does make it known that it has been her dream to twirl on the collegiate level.
"Ever since I was little girl, all I've wanted to do was twirl in college," Seredni said. "That was my main goal: to twirl for an awesome university with a good football team and be in their marching band. I didn't have a marching band in high school."
Seredni graduated from St. Gertrude's, an all-girl's Catholic high school in Richmond where she twirled at the football games for the local all-boys Catholic school, Benedictine High School.
"That's what was important to me," she said. "I am at my all-time highest right now for being [at the University] and twirling. I'm still going to be competing throughout my college years in the college twirling division, and I want to win for U.Va. But after college, I want to go on and pursue a career. It'll be a side note, maybe coaching on the side."
Seredni is still keeping her options open about a major but is considering a career in pharmaceutical sales.
While Seredni's first-year peers are not accustomed to seeing her twirl fiery batons and various tumbles, University upperclassmen should remember her from last year's marching band when she performed with the team for every home game. She commuted from Richmond two to three times during game weeks to practice with the team and for weekend games. While the commute may have been exhausting, Seredni said she did not allow this to prevent her from realizing her dream.
"It's unheard of for a senior in high school to twirl in college," she said. "It was really hard to get all my work done. I'm an hour away [from Richmond] and it was a good four hours of my night taken up, but for me, it's always what I've wanted to do. This was my ultimate dream -- to twirl in college -- and I didn't really care, I [was] going to make it work. I mean, I kept up grades, and I got in here early decision, so obviously it paid off!"
Although she received offers and scholarships from other large universities (including a full scholarship to the University of Georgia), it was the support from the University marching band and students that made Seredni realize that this was the college for her.
"You know, it's an amazing university," she said. "I couldn't have asked for academically a better school, and the football team is awesome. For me, it's an hour away from home, and I know that if I had been twirling anywhere else, say Georgia, I wouldn't have the support that I have here. It's amazing, I run into people all the time that are like, 'Yeah I saw you at that game' or that sort of thing, and I wouldn't have that there."
Seredni said she is especially thankful for the support she has received from the University Marching Band.
"I truly am so blessed to have Mr. [Bill] Pease as a band director," she said. "I've never worked with a band before since my high school didn't have one, but I've heard horror stories about band directors that either don't care about the twirlers or don't want them -- ahem, Virginia Tech. Mr. Pease is so amazing. He's just been there for 110 percent for me."
When she's not twirling, Seredni said she enjoys the same things her fellow peers do at the University, such as sleeping, shopping and spending time with her family and friends. She also has competed in the Virginia Junior Miss Scholarship Program, which she won last summer. A contest based on academics, community service, fitness, evening wear, interviews and talent, Seredni stressed the Virginia Junior Miss Program is not a beauty pageant. She said she can hardly wait to compete next summer in the America Junior Miss Program, where she can not only show off her twirling but her other attributes.
While she admits that twirling will not be the predominant part of her life after the University, Seredni said she is still focused on becoming the best she can be in her sport and making the most of her life while at college, both academically and socially.
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