Anyone that has watched Platteview’s Marching Band show since 2021 has likely seen their phenomenal baton twirler. Presley Smith (11), Platteview’s twirler has followed in her aunt’s and mother’s footsteps, twirling since she was only three-years-old.
Presley’s dedication to her art is proven each and every week. Practicing around sixteen hours a week, Presley takes the activity seriously. At early morning Marching Band practices, she choreographed her own routine for the band’s Greatest Showman-themed show. Presley commented on the struggles with the performance – how she was “running around, because I was required to get to various places very quickly. I felt like I was supposed to be everywhere at once, and I wanted those transitions to still be clean.”
Presley also rehearses and polishes new tricks to improve her performances. To do so, Presley trains at Sue’s Stepper-etes Baton and Dance studio in La Vista, NE. Furthermore, Presley competes in baton competitions. As a result, she earned the opportunity to travel to the Netherlands to represent team USA at a world competition. She explained that “Performing alongside girls I’ve looked up to and who have coached me for the past thirteen years is something I will never forget.”
However, after Presley graduates in 2025, PHS’s Marching Band will be without a twirler…or will they? At Sue’s studio, a handful of future Trojans attend lessons for baton twirling. Around the time she leaves PHS and begins her college journey, those young Trojans will arrive in the high school. Presley gave advice to future PHS twirlers, stating, “Competition twirling is much different than field twirling, so I suggest new twirlers for PHS get to know the crowd. Have fun because you are doing it for the fans, for the players, and for yourself.”
