"One of the career goals for a Twirlette is to become a collegiate twirler," said Susan Usher, longtime director of the Saline Twirlettes and drum majorette coach for the Saline Marching Band.
Fiive of those Twirlettes you've seen leaping down Michigan Avenue in parades are performing during the college football bowl season. That's as noteworthy as the football team putting players in bowl games.
"This goal (of sending Twirlettes to college programs) doesn’t come easy as it involves an extensive audition process that can be very competitive and has to have perfect timing," Usher said. "Prior to the audition, it takes many years of dedication, practice and commitment along with sacrifices from each twirler and their families.
Six Twirlettes performed in college this season. Four made a college bowl game.
Jenna Huetteman, freshman, has already performed with the Miami Redhawks marching band at Ford Field for the MAC championship game and on Dec. 16 at the Cure Bowl in Orlando, Florida. Jenna is a featured twirler for Miami and a secondary education major. She will continue her career twirling and competing this next season.
On Dec. 29 Twirlettes Elly LeCursi and Sabrina Beiring, University of Kentucky Sweetheart Majorettes will perform at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla. Elly is a freshman nursing student while Sabrina just graduated and will enter the MSW program. This will be LeCurs's first bowl game and Beiring will end her twirling career at this bowl game.
Lastly, Zoë Dotts-Brown, senior and Michigan Twirler, will perform in the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl with the Michigan Marching Band. She is a chemical engineering student who will complete her tenure with the band with the Rose Bowl performance.
Emily Prentice, a senior at Eastern Michigan University, performed at the 68 Ventures Bowl with the EMU Marching Band. Her performance in Mobile closed out her college twirling career.
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