“Baton twirling is coming back to our area strong,” a news release from Phillips Fancy Footwork said. Phillips Fancy Footwork has six feature twirlers at five local high schools this season.

“It has been a very long time since this many of my students have been twirling with the bands! I remember growing up probably 30 yrs ago my mother Marsha Phillips had many twirlers in the area! Then twirling died off in this area! Mostly due to the difficulty of this sport! It takes many yrs and hard work to become the icing on the cake to the band,” owner and coach Alana Jones said, according to the news release.

Leah Wetzel is a senior at Muncy High School and has been twirling with the band since 8th grade, Kailin Banzhof, junior, and freshman Leslie Eshleman are feature twirlers with the South Williamsport band, Bentley McNett, freshman, twirls with the Warrior Run band, Anabelle Bender, 8th-grade student, is the feature twirler with the Hughesville band and Kylie Webster, 7th-grade student, is the featured twirler with the Mongomery band.

“This is Anabelle and Kylie’s 1st year,” the news release said. “All these girls are competitive baton twirlers that are use to a 3-minute routine and performing on a gym floor, the football field is very different and takes getting use too- grass and turf. They all have adjusted well to performing a 15-minute show. If you watch Friday night lights you will see these girls twirl multiple batons, glow batons and fire! The girls enjoy watching their idol Makenzie Bronk the Blue Saphire with the Penn state Blue Band. Makenzie was here for a clinic this past June to help the girls expand their skills to the football field.”