Name: Rachel Greco
Hometown: Gresham, Oregon
Year: Junior
Major: Exercise Sports Science, Pre-Occupational Therapy
Have you ever wondered who that girl is that you’ve seen twirling baton during sporting events? Meet Rachel Greco, the current Featured Twirler for the Oregon State University Marching Band!
HC Oregon State: How long have you been twirling for, and how did you get into it?
Rachel: I have been twirling for 12 years. I started twirling at my hometown dance studio, Stites Performing Arts Center, which I have been dancing at for 16 years. My sister is the reason I started. She would come home from class and show me tricks she learned. It made me really want to try a class and once I did, I loved it. I joined the Portland Kelly Kadets Baton Corp a couple years later and went off to compete locally, regionally, nationally and internationally both with a team and individually.
HC Oregon State: What made you decide to try out for the Feature Twirler position at OSU?
Rachel: What made me interested in being Oregon State’s Feature Twirler was mainly the opportunity to be able to perform and really keep going with a sport I love without the stress of competition. Also, Oregon State is the only university in Oregon to have a twirling position. I tried for other out-of-state schools, but when I auditioned for OSU a feeling of pride and excitement overcame me, and at that point I knew I wanted to twirl for the Beavers.
HC Oregon State: What is your favorite thing about twirling with the OSU Marching Band?
Rachel: It’s really hard to have one favorite thing when twirling for the OSUMB. I love marching band! The games are exciting, the program is fun and the music is great, but what really tops it all off is the people. The Oregon State University Marching Band is made up of great faculty, staff, musicians and color guard members – ultimately resulting in a 300-person family. We all spend countless hours together rehearsing, traveling and playing at games and other various events, which results in everyone creating friendships and relationships that really mean a whole lot. Being the only one in my position, at first it was a little intimidating, but the band took me in without question. When I’m on the field, I am out there with all of my friends putting on the show of a lifetime. The overall experience of being on the field is just amazing. I absolutely love it.
HC Oregon State: What is the craziest thing you have ever twirled?
Rachel: Twirling gives me the ability to be able to manipulate and use many different types of apparatuses. There are many “crazy” things I have twirled. I suppose the one everyone expects for my answer is fire – I can twirl up to three fire batons at once. I have also done fire staff, poi and fans. And yes, I have caught on fire; but only once and it was just a minor burn to my hoodie.
The weirdest thing I have twirled, however, was a plain old stick for a talent show. Un-weighted and unplanned, I managed to twirl it just like a baton. This was crazy to me because I was told that that was nearly impossible. I can also twirl hula-hoops and flags in a trained way. Having baton twirling skills has given me the ability to train with many other types of twirling and apparatuses as well.
HC Oregon State: What are your plans for after graduation? Do you plan on keeping twirling in your life?
Rachel: After I graduate, my plans so far consist of graduate school, my own wedding (yes, I am engaged), becoming a certified judge for the sport of twirling, and hopefully volunteer teaching some twirling classes at a local studio just for fun.
HC Oregon State: Twirling is kind of a unique sport. Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers about it?
Rachel: Twirling can be a complicated sport. It consists of a few components: the ability to twirl the baton itself, extensive dance training, gymnastics training with emphasis on floor exercises, and, if you’re a college twirler like me, the ability to do a 75 yard sprint within a certain length of time (depending on the music). Like any sport, twirling takes commitment, dedication, determination and the ability to take a hit and keep going. I mean that literally – I have had some gnarly bruises and a few minor breaks. Hand, eye and foot coordination is also a major key factor specifically for twirling.
It is a fascinating sport. Intricate and detailed down to the last trick. I absolutely love twirling, and I love being able to twirl for such an amazing school and awesome team such as the Beavers. I am so honored and grateful to be a part of the OSUMB and to be in the position I am. If you see me during the pregame show, halftime, beaver walk or tail gating, come say ‘hi!’ And, if you want to, “like” me and the other past and future twirlers of OSU on Facebook: Oregon State University Feature Twirler(s).