Another week, another game day, another college twirler takeover! This week from the University of Minnesota we welcome sophomore, Paige Nikodem. Paige is a Law of Sociology, Criminology and Justice Major. She has been twirling since the age of 2 in Wisconsin as a part of Julie's Touch of Silver.
The UMN feature twirlers are under the direction of Nola Mcdonald and the University of Minnesota band is under the direction of Betsy McCann. A classic UMN game day kicks off with a morning rehearsal to prepare and then the feature twirlers grab a much needed gameday bagel. Which leads us to the beloved Ski-U-March, march over and perform at Gopher Spirit Rally where the band welcomes the UMN football team into the stadium. Next
we move on to the best part of the game, halftime. For the UMN feature twirlers, halftime usually consists of one, two, and three baton routine along with some duet and trio tricks. Paige’s favorite ticks are variations of toss walkovers, variations of toss illusions, rolls, and three baton combos. Her favorite shows to perform are the Karaoke Show, Minnesota Marvels Show, and the Trailblazers Show. Once the lights go down the UMN football team sings the Alma Mater while the band plays. After the football game the feature twirlers perform with the bands in their post game show.
There is a lot to enjoy about being a University of Minnesota feature twirler. One of Paige's favorite memories
comes from band camp, where the band vets surprise the rookies with a performance. She values the opportunities to perform in front of thousands of people and seeing the excitement is something no one will ever forget, as well as feeling a sense of belonging with the band and the University of Minnesota. The UMN Feature Twirlers have been dreaming of twirling for a University, living their dreams has been nothing short of amazing for them. Thank you for tuning in this week, don’t forget to watch the takeover this weekend and come back next week for another takeover!