One of the captains of the Stillwater Color Guard spends much of her free time twirling something other than a flag.

Junior Madelyn Calvert competes in baton twirling outside of school. She started after she watched her sister in a competition. 

“I find baton twirling pretty fun,” Calvert said. 

Calvert takes baton twirling classes at Thriller Dance Studio, and said she spends her time practicing at the gym or at home to perfect her routine. Madelyn prefers to practice at the gym rather than at home because she has more space. 

“When I’m in the gym, I will run through everything, and then I will work on the hard tosses and catches,” Calvert said. 

Calvert had her first competition of the season on August 19, and she said it went well. She competed against more people than she ever has before, and she even moved up an age division. 

“I think it went pretty well,” she said. “I had a lot more competition. I faced some college students.”

Madelyn advised anyone who wants to be involved in color guard to take a class at Color Guard Clinics on May 5, 9 and 12. Auditions will be held on May 14.