CMB: Name, where you are from, where you go to school, and tell us a quick snapshot of your twirling career:
SW: Sydney Webster, Lubbock Texas, Texas Tech University. I have competed in twirling at the state and national level since I was 5 years old. I have been the Feature Twirler at Texas Tech since 2013 and will graduate this December.
CMB: Favorite memory being a part of your college marching band?
SW: My favorite memory is attending the Holiday Bowl in San Diego. Our band was fortunate enough to spend the week in California, and that trip was amazing! We were able to attend so many fun events and pep rallies. Traveling on band trips is always exciting because you make a lot of new friends, while being able to twirl and cheer on your school!
CMB: Finish this sentence… “One time at band camp…”
SW: One time at band camp I accidentally hit a passerby with my baton, and apologized for 5 minutes straight. It turned into a running joke that I would endlessly apologize to anyone I accidentally bumped or ran into. It was hilarious!
CMB: What is your favorite accomplishment in your twirling career and tell us what it took to achieve that dream?
SW: My favorite accomplishment is winning College Miss Majorette of Texas. I felt proud of myself for that award because it required a lot of dedication and hard work! There are many great twirlers in Texas, especially at the college level, so it was an honor to be given that title. Collegiate twirling is something so important to me, so that award was very, very special!
CMB: What advice do you have for high school-aged twirlers in deciding a school to go to?
SW: Everyone is different, so find out which schools you are interested in and visit them! If you are able, speak with the university’s band director ahead of time and see if you would be a good fit. It is so important to get along with band members and your band director, so choose the school that you feel like you would have the most fun at and be the most passionate about!
CMB: What is one thing that you always have to do before a game starts?
SW: I always say a quick prayer before pregame and retie my shoes. Even if they’re perfectly fine, I make sure to triple knot them.
CMB: If you had to live on one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
SW: Absolutely pizza…it is my game day ritual to eat pizza after the game! I seriously can’t go longer than a week without it!
CMB: What advice do you have for other college twirlers?
SW: Always be nice to band members, because you will be with them for four years! You are around each other so often, basically every day, so you will want to have friends. Of course you can surround yourself with other twirlers (if your school has them), but make sure to be kind to band members. After all, we wouldn’t be able to twirl if it weren’t for them!
CMB: When you were a young twirler, what college twirler(s) did you look up to, where did they twirl and why did you admire them?
SW: I admired Lee Bobbitt. She was the Feature Twirler at Texas Tech 2005-2008, and I admired her because she was always so kind and graceful! She went through a lot of adversity while in college and always managed to stay thoughtful and helpful, especially to younger girls. I definitely continue to look up to Lee to this day!
CMB: What are the next steps for you, inside and outside of twirling?
SW: I am graduating from Texas Tech this December, so unfortunately this is my last semester of collegiate twirling! I hope to move to the Dallas/Fort Worth area where I can get a job in Public Relations. I am a twirling coach to a small class of girls, so I definitely hope to continue teaching twirling! I think it’s so important to teach younger generations about twirling so the sport can continue and become more popular.
CMB: Bonus question – anything else that the fans of College Marching and College Twirling should know?
SW: If you are a collegiate twirler, always be confident in yourself and carry yourself with poise, because you never know who is watching. Twirlers are role models to younger girls all over the nation, so we need to be a good example and show them how cool twirling can be!
Leave a Reply