From batons, to pen, to pop bottles . . . I just can’t stop twirling! No matter what I have in my hands, I twirl it through my fingers. I’ve even made the mistake of twirling the broom, which has lead to a very nicely bruised nose – twice.

And if I don’t have anything in my hands it’s even worse. I feel like I don’t know what to do with them! I’ll fidget with my ring or my watch, then put my thumbs in my pockets, then behind my back, in front…I can’t keep them still! Whenever I get to class, the first thing I do is pull out a pen or pencil and let it fly. In addition to preventing a spell of fidgetiness, twirling (even pens) seems to calm my nerves. A test…no problem; I can handle it, as long as I have a pen in hand.

Fortunately, as long as I’m typing my fingers are satisfied too. (This is a very good thing, as I’m a computer science major.) But if I’m in front of a computer, my fingers are flying or they’re lightly dancing on the tops of the keys, waiting for my mind to wake up and tell them what I’d like to say.

My fingers want to move. They are no longer satisfied with hanging limply at the ends of my hands. How do non-twirlers not realize there are 10 digits at the end of their hands. Even when I’m walking between classes, I’ll occasionally glance down and catch my fingers in the majorette “L” position. In high school I caught myself walking down the hall with my left hand “holding” a baton and my right hand carrying my books on my hip. I might as well have been marching. Perhaps I’m just a hopeless case. I’ve gotten enough strange looks and comments from my friends. But my fingers have won – between twirling sessions, they get to do whatever they like.

If you have some tips or ideas or a short story that you think belongs in this section, please submit your 200-400 word article to . If selected, you'll be duly recognized for your contribution. I wish to promote a variety of views and experiences on twirling from across the country and even the world! This is impossible if all the articles are written from my perspective.

I remember getting yelled at my first year on the high school squad to be sharp. By "sharp" our captains meant not only to be precise, but to perform with flawless form - pointed toes, straight legs, high kicks, straight arms and proper free hands. I used to dread their comments and remarks, but now I treasure them because of how they improved my twirling.

Because of my involvement in acrobatics, I've always been a great advocate of pointed toes. A flexed foot sends chills down my spine. It took me about ten years, however, to discover how to properly point my toes. I believe the phrase "point your toes" is inaccurate because you are actually pointing your foot and not just your toes. For almost ten years I would curl my toes under and end up with an odd looking pointed foot. This at least was better than curled toes with a flexed foot, but not nearly as good as the corrected, pointed foot. (By the way, curled toes can't be seen through shoes, so if it helps you I don't see why it's a problem.)

After the toes, our arms and legs were constantly being corrected. As far as your limbs are concerned, there is not much to do but straighten them and lock them into the appropriate position. I know, it's a lot harder than that because your arms do get tired, but that's why you have to practise. If you straighten your arms and legs when you twirl and kick, you'll notice a great difference in your performance quality. (Try video-taping yourself to see!)

It's a given that higher kicks and free hands/arms can make or break a performance. In these two areas, though, nothing but lots of time stretching and practising will fix the problem. These two points of "sharpness" are so valuable, that you can't afford to ignore them.

Remember that to perform "sharp", you must practise "sharp". I am one of many living proofs that if you practise improving your form, you will see great results. The very next year, I became Feature Twirler of my high school squad.