Ashley Bishop
Year: Junior
Major: Marketing
Hometown: Cooper City, FL
Samantha Grutzner
Year: Junior
Major: Exercise Science
Hometown: Terra Ceia, FL
Elyssa Aull
Year: Senior
Major: English Education
Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
Her Campus (HC): What is your favorite thing about being a Feature Twirler?
Samantha Grutzner (SG): I think it’s the freedom. I think it’s a lot of fun to get to run around through the formations. That’s my favorite part – the running. And just getting to leap around and play.
Elyssa Aull (EA): Kind of going off of that, I like having the practice time to work on individual stuff I need to work on, personally, and getting to choreograph my own routines. It’s a lot of fun.
SG: Creative freedom!
All: Yeah!
Ashley Bishop (AB): For me, it’s more of the game day atmosphere and definitely the crowd reactions. Those are the most rewarding.
EA: The ooh’s and ah’s!
AB: Yeah, the ooh’s and ah’s! We put so much hard work into everything that we do. It’s just so rewarding to hear the student section when we light up fire and everything.
SG: Yeah, they love that.
Pictured: Samantha Grutzner; Image courtesy of D’Vel Photography
AB: It’s just great to get that first-hand experience as a Feature Twirler.
HC: Elyssa, since this is your first year as a Feature Twirler, what does it feel like for you to be in this position?
EA: I’m in love with it! It’s great, and it’s really awesome to have these two here to help me get adjusted. At first, I was really nervous and unsure about how everything went because I was just used to being on the line with the other girls. I wasn’t sure how things went for pregame or halftime with things like fire and the formations. I had no idea that there would be so much traveling throughout the band! I kind of had this idea of just standing in one spot in the end zone and twirling for the crowd, but these two have been really great at helping me learn.
Pictured: Elyssa Aull; Image courtesy of D’Vel Photography
HC: And what about you, Ashley and Samantha, since both of you are returning Feature Twirlers this year?
SG: It’s still a learning experience, I think.
AB: Yeah, definitely.
SG: Last year, we came into it totally blind because we didn’t have any veteran Features to tell us what to do. And Dr. Plack was just like, “you do you!”
AB: (laughing) We had no idea!
SG: It’s still a learning experience, but getting a third is so much fun!
AB: We have so much more to do with three.
SG: Yeah we do, and it’s really cool. It’s totally different from last year.
AB: And we’re definitely fortunate to be back and get to experience this the second time around. I mean, last year was great ending at the BCS National Championship, but to have the chance to do it all again is really exciting. And it definitely is still a learning experience for us, because now we have a different element adding another Feature with us.
SG: I think we’re all really honored to have this position. So every year is a new opportunity and a great experience.
EA: Absolutely.
HC: How much are you all in love with your new costumes for this year? I know I am!
Pictured: Ashley Bishop; Image courtesy of D’Vel Photography
SG: We weren’t sure about our Pregame costumes because they were just kind of given to us, but it’s been really exciting! I think they look so great on the field. We’ve gotten a lot of great comments on them. They coordinate with the costumes for the Majorette line as well, so that’s awesome.
HC: And you design your own Halftime costumes, right?
All: Right.
EA: I know that I only got a little pencil sketch of mine in June, maybe May, and then didn’t hear a word about it until it was time for it to be shipped to me! It was a complete surprise, but I love it.
SG: It’s like Christmas.
AB: Yes! Getting your new costume is like Christmas morning!
EA: When the package arrives at your door it’s like, “oh my gosh, it’s actually here!”
SG: It makes it all real, I think.
AB: Yeah, and for me, this is my favorite costume so far. I feel like mine has a lot of tradition behind it because I took the football jersey and made it into a costume. I think it’s really great that I can bring all of the tradition and everything into a costume because for us, [the costumes are] so much more than that; they’re how we’re represented on the field as well.
HC: Pick your favorite performance: Pregame or Halftime?
EA: Wow, that’s a hard one.
AB: For me, it’s Pregame for sure!
SG: You can’t compare them really. I would have to say my favorite is Halftime. It’s always fun to see the new formations and, because I love running around in the formations, it’s a lot of fun to pick my spots!
EA: Pregame is so traditional, though.
SG: Yeah, that’s true!
AB: The first step-off of Pregame is so much fun!
EA: That exciting and overwhelming feeling of being out there for FSU is so incredible.
SG: When we’re brought to attention, it’s the most out-of-body-experience.
EA: I feel like Halftime is a performance where I can show off my skills more, but Pregame is about being out there for the school, for FSU.
AB: It has Florida State written all over it!
SG: That’s how I feel too. Halftime is easier and fun, but Pregame… there’s no comparison.
AB: You’re there for your school and no other reason.
EA: It’s really hard to compare the two.
AB: But they’re both breathtaking performances.