You've been to the games. You've seen her. Admit it: The girl has skills. The mention of Virginia's feature twirler Erica Seredni may provoke some cynical comments, but tossing a baton in the air and catching it precisely as you move across the field isn't that easy. Come on, can you do that? I've never attempted baton twirling -- the closest I've come is trying to toss popcorn in the air and catch it in my mouth.
I could not imagine what is required for twirlers, so I sat down with Seredni to learn.
Before going into my interview, I decided to do some research on baton twirling, considering I knew next to nothing about the 'sport.' I found many articles emphasizing the distinction between baton twirling and "majorettes." I was a little lost. Seredni explained that majorettes are pretty much all about the stereotypes -- "showcasing women, pageantry, pretty much just looking pretty," Seredni said. Twirlers, in her mind, are majorettes' more athletic sisters.
Seredni said she tried many sports growing up, including soccer, swimming and basketball, but the sport of baton twirling proved a unique and challenging sport.
I know what you're thinking. The sport of 'baton twirling'? Yeah, okay. Baton twirling is as much a sport as the arm curls I do reaching for the TV remote at the first sight of a "Wire" rerun.
Not quite.
Try hurling a steel rod in the air and attempting to catch it as gravity causes it to rotate faster and with more force. Think you got that? Now add gymnastic and dance moves. You didn't think you were doing all this standing still, did you? As you can see, baton twirling is actually a pretty complex activity.
How does Seredni reacte to those nay-sayers who still doubt the legitimacy of twirling as a sport?
"It makes me a little upset, but I can understand ... [they] haven't been exposed to real twirling," Seredni says.
She suggests you come to a game or the gym and watch her practice. Then maybe you can understand how much time, effort and training goes into twirling.
This brings us to one of Seredni's biggest challenges as U.Va.'s lone feature twirler -- her practices include no one but her. That's right, she is in the only one in the room at the time, listening to music and creating routines. This is where Seredni's personal drive must kick in.
Despite all the time Seredni puts into twirling, she is not considered a student-athlete by NCAA regulations. She is pretty much banned from University equipment rooms, and if hurt, she is not even officially allowed to see a trainer.
You might think Seredni spends countless hours coming up with routines for football games. Wrong. She admits to "saving official acts" and routines for competitions. She uses football games during the fall season as practice. This is her "time to have fun with twirling and not worry about competitions."
How does she feel about performing in front of thousands of spectators at football games?
"I don't really get nervous, maybe a little anxious. The forty minutes waiting in the tunnel before taking the field is probably the worst," Seredni said.
She may get a little anxious waiting to take the field, but once out there she is in her comfort zone, where she feels she belongs.
Okay, so I had to ask her the question: Has she ever dropped the baton? With a light chuckle Seredni admits that she has. Actually, Seredni feels dropping the baton is not that big of a deal. In her opinion, that's not an indication of skill level.
"A good twirler steps out and doesn't settle on 'being safe,'" Seredni said.
Like a true athlete, Seredni doesn't place much weight on titles and trophies. Of course winning competitions is nice, but what matters most is the fact that she's doing something that she loves, she said.
"Twirling can be compared to the relationship between an artist and his or her painting," she said, explaining that when it's your passion, winning and outside approval can't compare to personal satisfaction.
But she must be doing something right: Seredni is a two-time USA and World Open 2-Baton Champion and is the current 2006 College Miss Majorette of the Mid-Atlantic.
Where does Seredni plan on going from here? Seredni said she hopes to increase the number of twirlers here at Virginia, possibly showcasing a majorette line.
"Twirling is becoming more and more a part of the college football game atmosphere," Seredni said.
After graduation? Seredni admits twirling is not in her professional future. I mean, after all, she has been doing this since age four.
"I would love to do it on the side," Seredni said, adding that she might pursue getting a judge's license.
Seredni's ultimate goal is to win College Majorettes of America, once this goal is achieved, she said she will hang up her batton, although she would like to remain a part of Virginia's band.
Seredni confessed, however, that she can't imagine ever leaving her passion for batton-twirling behind.
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