Off Tackle Empire is a website that is responsible for publishing “news” regarding everything Big Ten. On September 26, 2018, one of their authors by the name of GTom published an article on the website called Off Beat Empire: Batons don’t Belong. This article has offended majorettes around the country, whether they twirl for Big Ten schools or other conferences. If you have kept up with the articles that I have been fortunate enough to have published here on Her Campus, then you may have noticed that I myself am a collegiate majorette here at Florida State University. So, I’m here to say…we do belong.
I think the best place to start when addressing GTom’s article is at the very beginning. He starts off by reiterating that everybody has put in their time, everybody practices, everybody had to earn their spot, everybody has the courage to perform, and everybody is miserable. But then goes on to say that the “baton twirlers” don’t belong as if they weren’t included in his idea of everybody. Something doesn’t add up there for me GTom. We have proven ourselves the same as everyone that wears a band uniform. We toil away in the 100 degree plus weather learning marching fundamentals during band camp. We take the football field during pregame and halftime with the same school pride that the marching band represents. We are never miserable when given the opportunity to support our team.
Moving further into the article, GTom decides to attack the marching band after he already said that he was a fan of theirs and praises their hard work. He writes his original sentence referring to the marching band as a sport and deliberately strikes a line through the text and puts the word activity after it. Whether or not you believe marching band is a sport or an activity you do not need to include the word sport if you intend not to use it. If you think it’s just an activity, then call it that. If you praise the “hard-working men and women of marching bands” then why are you disrespecting them here?
GTom’s article also singles out the position of Feature Twirler. According to GTom, Feature Twirlers are just a combination of sequins, some leg kicks, spins, and a “metal rod.” Let’s work our way from the back to the front with this one. Those “metal rods” are called batons. If you can comprehend the term “baton twirler” then you should know it’s proper name. Next, these athletes are not just one or two spins and pretty kicks. These women and men are doing 3+ spins under batons flying with 80,000 plus pairs of eyes watching them. They are twisting their bodies in unnaturally beautiful ways in the hopes of captivating their audience. And those sequins you mentioned? Those sequins are the colors of their university that they represent with pride and grace.
GTom asks what is the purpose of having a feature twirler? The basis for his argument that feature twirlers lack function is they don’t lead like Drum Majors, and they don’t create music. Well, he’s missed the mark again. The feature twirlers do in fact lead the band. Right before taking the field for pregame the feature twirlers twirl downfield while they lead the rest of the band out for their first performance of the game. They might not create music, but do we criticize the flute because it does not produce the same sound as the trumpet? No, we understand that both instruments are different and essential parts of the band. The feature twirler is present for visual effect. They do not hide “park n’ bark pieces” as GTom seems to think. Their purpose is to add to the band’s visual appeal. They paint a picture and assist the band in telling the story of their show.
Let me also take a moment to ask GTom why he thinks their routines are improvised? Feature twirlers practice with the band the same as every other member. They prepare their routines all week to fit the theme of the show that weekend. They prepare their tricks, so they can perform as flawlessly as the marching band expects. They do not just walk on the field unprepared the same way the band does not just sight-read their music at halftime.
At this point in his article, GTom takes the time to try to assert his dominance over the position of feature twirler by mentioning that an unnamed “we” had a good laugh at Iowa’s Golden Girl. This is done in poor taste. You may not agree with feature twirlers position in the band but to boast that you laughed at a woman representing her university and her sport is embarrassing.
In the ending paragraph, he wraps up with the statement that he would rather see a “full trope of talented jugglers” as opposed to just one. The Big Ten is home to majorette lines as well as feature twirlers. An incredible example of a Big Ten majorette line would be the Penn State Majorettes. The Penn State Majorettes are multi-time national champions along with other various titles. So, if you’re going to state how to fix this “problem” by adding majorette lines then maybe you should look into twirling in the Big Ten before you just state your opinion. Not to mention he doesn’t know where twirlers come from. Baton twirlers come from the same place as any other athlete. They come from all walks of life. They come baring their own experiences and their own unique passion for the sport. The same passion that drives the sport on drives collegiate majorettes to our bands. We are proud to be members of our marching band families.
We do belong.
Body Image Courtesy: Penn State University