Published: April 25, 2008 11:05 pm      

Twin twirler wins big

Once upon a time, nearly every little girl owned a baton, and would spend hours in the yard twirling and throwing and doing all kinds of moves with the sparkly sticks.

But over time, twirling became less popular, and seemed to be replaced on football fields by drill team or dance routines. It even seemed to become less popular in parades.

Adrianne Douglas, a 15-year-old freshman at Blooming Grove High School, is taking the twirling world by storm. On April 19 in Liberty City, Adrianne was named the 2008 two-baton dance twirl state champion, and placed first in divisionals. She competed in the age 15 to 18 category, and won over high school senior girls, as well as girls in college.

“Adrianne’s only been taking twirling for three years, from Shirley Knapps at Sokol Gymnastics and Twirling in Ennis,” said father Gary Douglas. “But boy, does that lady know her stuff!”

Adrianne, the daughter of Gary and Lori Douglas, and Tina and Jeff Jelinek of Eureka, has a variety of interests. She is a member of Calvary Worship Center, and has been singing most of her life. She performs in a group with Gary and Lori, and her siblings, Colton, Hannah, Savannah and Garrett. Roles in the Warehouse Living Arts Theatre productions of “One Life to Murder” and “Music Man” were accompanied by a role in the Hope Center’s production of “Fiddler on the Roof.”

“I liked twirling when I was little, then decided to take it up again,” Adrianne said. “It was scary, competing against those older girls. Some of them have been twirling since they were little.”

Adrianne is planning to attend college, though she’s not sure where. Since she was small, she has always wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement.

“The crazy part of this is, that when Adrianne’s mother was pregnant with her, the doctors advised us to terminate the pregnancy,” Gary said. “They told us she would be mentally handicapped and deformed. We prayed, and God was faithful, that was for sure.”

“This win makes her eligible for scholarships for college,” said Lori. “We’re hopeful she will stick with it, and twirl through college. She could also be considered for a choir scholarship.”

“There was some stiff competition up there this time, and one girl was really good,” Gary said. “But the level of difficulty of Adrianne’s routine was much harder, which gave her the edge.”

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Deanna Brown may be contacted via e-mail at deanna@corsicanadailysun.com