Around the time she was five years old, Aviana Shellman started dancing where she was given the opportunity to try baton for the first time. And, ever since dancing in preschool, the now-14-year-old St. John Neumann student had a love for baton twirling.

“My first private lesson coach made me love twirling. I still use the towel she bought me at my first nationals as good luck at every competition,” Shellman said.

That passion and love for twirling has led Shellman to Paris, France where she’ll be representing the United States as part of the Nations Cup Level A Senior Team in August of this year.

The International Baton Twirling Federation World Freestyle and Rhythmic Twirl Championship and Nations Cup is scheduled for August 5-9.

“Two years ago, we transitioned her to a team called the ShowTwirlers. They’re out of both Altoona and Findley, Ohio,” Vanessa Shellman, Aviana’s mother, said. “So, she twirls for them now and she practices once a month in person. She does long weekends out in Ohio.”

The ShowTwirlers is a competitive baton twirling team that consists of baton twirlers from the ages of 3 up to 25. The twirlers compete at local, state and national competitions. The Altoona-based group previously won the International Baton Twirling Federation World Baton Twirling Championships and Nations Cup in 2023 with the Level A Twirl Team consisting of Reese Storm, Abby Fleming, Courtney Detwiler, Natalie Weber, Savannah Helton-Urbassik, Emilee Starr, Kenzie Detwiler, Breanna Dickey, Carissa Wolfe and Shayna Miller.

This year’s Level A Senior Team, known as the ShowTwirlers, heading to Paris consists of Shellman, Elaei Brown, Rylee Fennell, Haley Glitsky, Cassidy Hunter, Drina Jones, Jasmine McCulley and Lilly Stahlmen. All except Brown and Fennell are from Pennsylvania as Brown and Fennell are from Ohio.

The baton twirling routines consist of all eight members wearing their matching outfits and performing a synchronized routine to music. The scoring involves points on a 100-point scale. The judges base points on content (30 points), precision and unison (30 points) and general effect (40 points).

The routines also have guidelines and rules, such as not being allowed to do aerial acrobatics with or without toss and not allowing double element tricks under the toss. However, there are no restrictions for rolls or contact material.

The routines are a minimum of three minutes and can go up to three-and-a-half maximum for the Nations Cup.

Aviana Shellman and her teammates are excited for Paris and competing among the best. The competition in Paris is stretched over a week. The Nation Cup A, ParaTwirl Exhibition and opening ceremony is the first event on Wednesday, Aug. 5. The preliminary rhythmic/pair and floor test is on Thursday, Aug. 6 and preliminary freestyle/solo and floor test is Friday, Aug. 7.

The preliminary team and semifinals solo freestyle and rhythmic is Saturday, Aug. 8 and the finals and closing ceremony is Sunday, Aug. 9.

Shellman competed at the US Trials in South Carolina recently which takes one nation’s cup team, one world team and then individual athletes for kids who freestyle to the world competition.

“(Aviana’s) team qualified by placing first,” Vanessa Shellman said. “They will be the Nations Cup Level A Senior Team in Paris.”

Shellman is one of eight baton twirlers on the team that’s going to Paris to compete and represent the United States.

“She twirls individually and with team. She twirls on two teams, a juvenile team which is her age group and a senior team, which is the team that qualified,” Vanessa Shellman noted.

At the US Trials, there were five teams who participated from across the country to be able to represent the United States as the Nations Cup team.

“I can’t wait to travel to Paris and to compete with my teammates,” Aviana Shellman said. “This has been a goal of mine since I started with The ShowTwirlers.”