Baton twirling conjures the image of a football game or parade. The figures in flashy outfits many times accompany the band at halftime of a football game.
They twirl sometimes flaming metal, stick-like things to add a little zip and flash to a group or they dazzle crowds on parade routes as they spin their batons faster than the eye can see and fling them high in the air, performing a ballet or dance move while they wait for it to come down.

All the flash and dazzle and dance expression make baton twirling an artistic form, but like dance, it takes a lot of stamina to pull out a routine, it takes a lot of practice – to the point that it becomes a full time job – to perfect and it can get downright stressful around competition time. And that is exactly the point at which the Richmond Royalettes found themselves last week just before state competitions.

On Wednesday, June 18, the Royalettes were in the third day of four straight eight hour days of practice with state competition coming up June 21 and 22. The music to their core performance – a mish-mash of songs from “Hairspray” – had been set since early in the year and though some members had been away at college, the team had been hitting their spots and getting their steps down for months, but the week before major competition is all about tightening up and perfecting.

“Can I see that part with a double spin?” Amy Williams shouted from high up in the stands, as the senior twirlers went over one part of their core routine. Williams flew in from California for two days to give the team a feel for what they’d be judged on. “I don’t know if that’s going to look better as a double or a single,” she fretted to Royalettes’ director Diane Gunnels.

The music restarted, rewound and restarted multiple times before moving on to the next problem spot, which to the untrained eye didn’t look like a problem at all. The girls on the floor dance in time and on rhythm with the music while maneuvering the batons not just in their hands but around their shoulders and necks and then tossing them high while dipping and spinning underneath them as gravity took over.

“Most of these girls are on the national level,” Gunnels said, letting Williams take over the practice. “They practice at least three days a week during the school year and then during the summer, they practice about 32 hours per week for the four weeks before nationals and this one week before state competition. It’s very intense … It’s a big commitment but our goal is to be the top core in the country. This is a world qualifying year and there will only be one team that gets to represent the United States. We want to work towards that goal.”

The senior core, ranging in age from junior high through college, chatted quietly as Williams and Gunnels discussed their next move but quickly focused when one of the other spoke up to give directions, and when the run through came for the seven-minute program, the team easily slipped into performance mode.

“You’re just a little off center,” Williams said after the final stage pose. “The judges are going to be from here to about here (pointing to the empty section of the Monacan gym where the bleachers separate) so I’m barely left of where the last judge will sit and you’re off center.”

Cores are judged on twirling ability, formations, smoothness and gracefulness, showmanship, presentation and, of course, how many times the batons hit the floor. All things considered, as practice ended, the groups were just hitting their stride. Competing in core (more than 12 people on the floor), team (smaller groups) and individual spots for the state competition and in categories ranging from beginner to senior, the teams didn’t miss a beat.

And they continued the trend into state competition. Six teams were named champion including the senior twirling corps with “Hairspray.” Other group winners were the juvenile twirling corps with their mix of Disney songs, the senior large and small dance twirl team for “Stella,” the junior advance large dance twirl team for “Antz,” the beginner juvenile dance twirl team for “Kim Possible,” and the beginner tiny tot dance twirl team for “Twist.” Many individuals also placed.

The Royalettes begin practice in September and run through July’s national competition – this year being held at Notre Dame University. The group is sponsored, in part, by Chesterfield County Parks and Recreation and draws most members from the metro Richmond region. With twirlers from as young as 4 up to 21, the Royalettes feature something for every level and have many members on high school and college twirling teams.

Now in it’s 27th year, the Richmond Royalettes team also features several second-generation members and most of those on the senior team have been together for 10-plus years, which Gunnels says has helped the Royalettes consistently garner a top-five standing nationally.

“I think that’s the secret to our success, that we’ve grown up together,” Gunnels said. “I think that’s a unique thing.

“They come in when they’re six and still have the [same] personality [now] that they [had then],” she continued, addressing the effect of team chemistry on a twirling team. “I’ve got ones that are line monitors and I’ve got ones that are always going to be the showmanship personalities and I’ve got ones that are the perfectionists, you know, they come in and they learn how to work together.”

Full results from the state competition online at www.royalette.com.

Sara Page is sports editor for the Midlothian Exchange.