Is Baton twirling a sport?
For twirlers and their families, this a sensitive subject. Of course twirlers are athletes! More than 30 countries participate in twirling competitions on an international level. A seasoned twirler will have the hand-eye coordination of a tennis champion, the strength of a shot putter, the accuracy of an archer, the hands and eyes of a wide receiver, the grace and poise of a ballerina, the flexibility and audacity of a gymnast, and the endurance of a cross country runner. A twirler can pull off these sports at least at an amateur level. However, few if any of these athletes can so much as hold a baton correctly. So, yes. Baton twirling is a sport, a spectacular, traditional, and always amazing sport.
