The Main-E-Acts Baton Twirling Team plan to travel to the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, to compete in America’s Youth of Parade, the National Baton Twirling Association’s Grand National Baton Twirling Championships held July 23-27, according to a news release from Andrea Fletcher, director and coach of Central Maine Twirling Corps & Main-E-Acts Baton Twirling Team.

The parade brings together the best baton twirlers, teams and corps in the world for a series of National and World Open Championship contests. This year’s events will mark more than 70 years since the founding of majorette competitions of this kind; however, this event is far from the twirling contests of the 1940s and 1950s, according to the release.

A weeklong athletic event, AYOP features more than 4,500 competitors executing the highest degree of dance, gymnastic and strutting skills all under the flight of one, two, three and even four batons. For one week, the best of the best twirling athletes from across the country are together under one roof to showcase the art and sport of baton twirling. This year’s championships will also select the USA Team to compete at the World Baton Twirling Championships held in the Netherlands in April 2020. The week of July 23-27 is recognized as National Baton Twirling Week, according to the release.

The Main-E-Acts Baton Twirling Team was created in 2004 and is the travel component of the Central Maine Twirling Corps, a larger baton twirling program supported and offered by the Augusta Recreation Department and the Bangor Parks and Recreation Department. Team members are selected by the director of the Central Maine Twirling Corps for their outstanding twirling and dancing abilities, as well as their enthusiasm, dedication and passion for the sport of baton twirling.

These 20 young women, ages 10-18, represent the towns of Augusta, Bangor, Brewer, Bucksport, Hampden, Kenduskeag, South Paris and West Gardiner, and are coached by Fletcher, of Portland; Meagan Sawyer, of Old Town; and Morgan Sorey, of South Portland.

As the reigning 2019 Northeast Regional Senior Twirling Corps, Senior Dancetwirl, Twirl Team and Halftime Show Team Champions, the Main-E-Acts are looking forward to taking their twirling to the next level in Indiana. Since the release of school, this group of determined young ladies has been training together 15-20 hours a week, and spending countless more hours practicing in their own driveways, parking lots, back yards, school gyms, and recreation centers.

Twirlers attending this year have been twirling for 4-13 years, and six members of this year’s team will attend Nationals for the irst time. These hardworking young ladies are excited to challenge themselves with this event, watch phenomenal twirling teams and meet some of the greatest athletes in their sport.

The Main-E-Acts will compete in the Preteen, Junior and Senior Dance Twirl Team, Junior Twirling Team, Senior Twirling Corps and Senior Halftime Show Team championship divisions, as well as in numerous individual twirling events.

Twirlers competing include Ryleigh Baldwin, of Augusta; Mollie Berglund, of West Gardiner; Paige Blackwell, of Bangor; Amanda Cameron, of West Gardiner; Jolie Canwell, of Chelsea; Cassidy Fish, of Hampden; Jessica Hymas, of Brewer; Thea Kanaris, of Augusta; Morgan Mayhew, of South Paris; Megan McCormick, of South Paris; Kate Morin, of August;  Ingrid Plant, of Hampden; Helen Rebar, of Bangor; Makenzie Sayers, of Brewer; Alanna Thomas, of Hampden; Embree Thomas, of Hampden; Grace Thompson, of Kenduskeag; Autumn Trafton, of Augusta; and Lila Tucker, of Bangor.

For more information on the Main-E-Acts’ participation in the 2017 NBTA Grand National Baton Twirling Championships, visit centralmainetwirling.com or on Facebook.
For more information on the National Baton Twirling Association and/or AYOP, visit batontwirling.com.