OLDS — Local youth Zoe Boyd is preparing to compete in the International Baton Twirling Federation’s World Baton Twirling Championship & Nations Cup, which will be held Aug. 4-13 in Liverpool, England.
Boyd, 15, trains at the Inspire Dance Studio and Baton Twirling Club in Olds.
Jenna Jemieff, who runs the club, says a total of about 2,400 people ranging in age from about 12 to 25 will be competing in that event.
“That is, like, the epitome of our sport. That’s the largest competition, that’s the most prestigious competition (in the world),” she said during an interview with the Albertan.
Jemieff will also be going there as a judge.
"This is my fifth time judging an international baton competition so I feel confident and prepared for the event," Jemieff wrote in an email.
Boyd will be competing as part of a team Canada baton twirling squad.
She had a chance to hone her skills against the best in the country earlier this month when she competed in the Nationals, held July 2-7 in Edmonton.
Boyd says she still has some fine-tuning to do in preparation for the Worlds.
“Some of my routines, they need a little work,” she said.
“I have to piece them out, piece sections out – if that makes sense – and then you drill them.
“And that really helps. They're called no-drops. So if you catch all the sections without dropping them and then you do the whole routine.
“You put all the sections together and then you do a no-drop. I like to do five of those of each of my routines before I compete, and it really helps.”
Boyd said it’s not always the big tricks where the baton that is tossed high that require extra work. Often the ones where the baton is tossed close to the body can be challenging.
Boyd has been baton twirling since she was about seven years old. In that time, she’s experienced four competition seasons.
“I was at school and they had a class of baton twirling in the gym and I walked past and saw them (and I thought) ‘I want to try this,’” she said.
Boyd has also suffered some injuries in the sport.
“I’ve broken my nose twice,” she admitted.
The latest incident occurred during provincials in May.
"I was just about to go on for one of my routines and it hit me in the face and it was bleeding really bad and I had to compete.”
It was observed that her nose appears to have healed well, in just a couple of months.
Boyd agreed.
“The bone in there is kind of crooked, but it doesn’t matter,” she said with a short laugh.
Given the possibility for injury, Boyd was asked why she continues to do baton twirling.
“It’s my passion,” she said. “I don’t know if it would be weird to say it, but it’s what I live for, because I have so many friends and so many memories from the sport.”
