As Chloe Ruth was sitting in her Kindergarten class, she saw something amazing that would change her life.
“One of my friends would twirl in Kindergarten and would bring in her pom poms and her baton to school because she had a recreational class on Monday nights, ” Ruth said. “The next thing you know I joined the following year.”
Ruth’s curiosity about twirling was so strong, she knew she had to be a part of the program. Now, she is among some of the top twirlers in the St. Louis area. Ruth’s skill, grit, and determination has grown every year, allowing her to be on multiple twirling teams.
“I am a part of the St. Louis Performance Academy, in which my coach, Emily Wicks Hawkins, runs as well as the Oakville Tiger Twirlers, which is the team here at Oakville,” Ruth said. “Emily’s skill has truly rubbed off on me, with her amazing experience with twirling at Ole Miss, cheering for the Rams football team and participating in pageants.”
The young twirler’s dedication to her passion is lengthy, but worth it, as she spends almost 23 hours a week practicing and rehearsing. Ruth’s readiness and preparedness is key for her success, saying that she performs for sporting events, St. Louis Performance Academy, community events, competitions in the United States and oversea competitions.
“Twirling takes up the biggest chunk of my life, probably more than school,” Ruth said.
Yet, she believes the constant practice pays off, getting her and her team prepared for the Baton Twirling World Championships, as well as growing the team’s relationships.
Constantly being surrounded by people who share the same passion is encouraging and inspiring to many, but this twirler’s heart is touched, especially by her fellow twirlers.
“I have a lot of influential people in my life, like my coach and the older twirlers, who I look up to greatly,” Ruth said.
The friendships that Ruth has gained in her twirling career has impacted her life, as she has been with similar girls for over a decade, bringing each other closer to victory each year.
Besides twirling in the state and around the country, Ruth has traveled overseas to Liverpool, England for the International Baton Twirling World CHampionships this past year.
“My proudest moment was my first World Championships because we represented Team USA,” Ruth said. “We got to twirl against all of the other countries, like they do in the Olympics. I felt great during the performance. I wasn’t nervous because we had worked on our routine for so long.”
Ruth’s competitive spirit and hard work paid off when her team won Silver. By putting in the long hours and exertion, she hopes to qualify this upcoming season for Worlds, where her team will potentially be going to Italy.
The excitement and passion twirling holds in Ruth’s heart is unmatched, allowing her to put blood, sweat, and tears into her performances.
“When I am performing, I kind of just black out,” Ruth said. “I don’t see anything until the ending pose. I kind of just do it.”
