Meet Preteen Miss Majorette of America Blake Gilliam 👑

Blake Gilliam has been around baton twirling for almost literally her entire life.

The 11-year-old recently moved to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and competed at her very first Nationals when she was just one year old. With a mom who coached twirling, Blake grew up in the gym, around teammates and with a baton never too far away.

We caught up with Blake to talk about her road to the crown, twirling with her sister, her favorite competition traditions and what she hopes to accomplish in the sport someday.

Twirling Since She Could Walk

Blake's twirling story started early. Really early.

"I've been twirling as long as I can remember," Blake said. "When I learned how to walk, I was marching!"

With her mom coaching, Blake naturally spent plenty of time at practices and competitions. She competed at Nationals at age one and has been part of the twirling world ever since.

Today, her favorite event is strut because it gives her the chance to show off her artistic side through bodywork and styling.

Twirling has also become something she gets to share with her sister.

"I love doing team with my sister, and we even have some parts together!" Blake said.

Getting Ready for Competition

Open Blake's baton bag and you'll find the usual twirling necessities, plus something a little more unexpected.

"I always have my towel with me, but I also love to collect pens, so I keep some in there," she said.

Her competition mornings also have their own soundtrack. Blake's mom wakes her up to music from her favorite singer, Taylor Swift. If Blake were choosing a song for her dream twirling routine, she'd go with Confident by Demi Lovato.

"I love the song. It pumps me up for sure!" she said. "My teammates and I love listening to it anytime we are in the car together."

Wait... Did I Win? 👑

Blake went into this year's pageant with a simple goal: have fun.

She always strives to place in the top 10 in all three portions of the pageant, and as awards were being announced, she knew she had accomplished that goal. What she wasn't doing was keeping track of everyone else's placements.

As the announcers reached the top three, Blake started wondering why she still hadn't heard her name.

"I was a little shocked that I hadn't heard my name and a little confused why everyone was staring at me," she said.

Then came the clue that made everything click.

"It wasn't until they announced 'from Virginia' that I realized I won!"

The moment became even more special when Blake realized who would be there to crown her: her Miss Majorette of America sisters from the previous year.

A Special Role Model

Blake has been surrounded by coaches, teammates and older "big sister" twirlers who have helped shape her throughout her journey. One person who holds an especially important place in her life is Lexi Duda.

"Lexi has taught me so many things even beyond baton twirling," Blake said. "She's helped me with my confidence, mental toughness, to be the best version of myself and, most importantly, to go out there and have fun!"

Their relationship has grown into something that goes well beyond coaching.

"Lexi is like family. Sometimes she's the big sister I never had, and sometimes she's a second mom. Her baby, Luke is like the baby brother I've always wanted. " Blake said. "I'm so grateful for the entire Duda family, but especially Lexi."

Meet Blake Beyond the Baton 🎨

When Blake isn't twirling, there's a good chance you'll find her drawing. Right now, she's working on perfecting how she draws faces. "It's a good challenge," she said. "Can you tell I'm competitive?" 😉

She also has a hidden talent that many of her twirling friends may not know about. Blake has been learning German since kindergarten!

Her parents don't speak the language, so Blake and her siblings like to call German their "secret language." She hopes to put all those years of practice to good use by traveling to Germany someday.

A few more Blake favorites? She LOVES Chipotle, Wicked is her favorite movie, she's choosing the beach over the mountains and she's definitely a cat person. And when forced to choose between sweet and salty? Both. She simply can't decide!

The Kind of Twirler She Wants to Be

For Blake, her biggest goal in baton twirling isn't a particular title or trick.

It's becoming the kind of twirler she once looked up to.

"When I was little, I used to copy everything the big girls did," Blake said. "I used to want to leg hold just like Mackenzie Bronk. I used to try to hit the ceiling before I could even do a thumb toss properly!"

Those older athletes gave Blake examples to follow and helped push her to become a better twirler. Now, she hopes she can do the same thing for someone else. "If I could make an impact on young twirlers, be the reason a little girl picks up the baton or push somebody to work a little harder to achieve their dreams, being a role model would be my ultimate goal."

At just 11 years old, Blake already understands something pretty special about wearing the Miss Majorette of America crown. It's not only about what you accomplish yourself, but also about the twirlers who might be watching you and dreaming a little bigger because of it.

Congratulations to Blake Gilliam, Pre-Teen Miss Majorette of America! 👑✨

We can't wait to watch Blake enjoy her year with the crown and continue becoming the role model she once looked up to herself.