Being a competitive twirler isn’t exactly all that people picture.  Much like any famous athlete, when you are on top of your game, people take notice and not just judges!  Not only do you have to execute during your 2.5 minutes on the floor, but you also have to be prepared to represent yourself and the sport well throughout the contest.

Yesterday, I competed at the NCABT Intercollegiate Championships in Plano, Texas.  The NCABT, National Coalition for the Advancement of Baton Twirling, was founded in order to help twirlers earn their place among NCAA athletes.  This was my second year to represent Baylor at the contest, and it is always one of my favorites because I get to see my friends from across the country.  

Among all the festivities yesterday, I also had the opportunity to be interviewed by the Ft. Worth Star Telegram!  The reporter was astonished at the level of athleticism among all the girls, and she asked me several different questions about my involvement with the sport and what I believed it meant for others.  So many people discount the amount of hours spent in the gym and the amount of skill it takes to twirl because what most people know to be twirling isn’t what twirling really is!  All most people ever see is the “Miss Congeniality” type of twirler, but it is so much more than that!

Speaking of “Miss Congeniality,” did you know that the stunt-double for the twirler in the movie was a former University of Texas feature twirler??? Dr. Coral Noonan-Terry was one of the judges this weekend and spoke to everyone after the competition.  She even brought her batons from the movie, so obviously I had to snag a quick picture!  Interestingly enough, I thought the way the batons magically burst into flames in the movie was just part of movie magic, but I was wrong.  Coral told us that they specially made fire batons with an ignition button for the movie!

At the end of the contest, a young group of girls performed that had just started twirling.  In fact, they put their routine together in six days!  I had spoken with their coach earlier in the day because the first routine I did in front of people was done in the same short amount of time.  After the contest, all the girls wanted to take a picture with me, so naturally, I told them what a good job they had done.  One of the brothers just looked at me and said, “You were good too!”  They had lots of questions about how I got to be at the level I am, and honestly, it all comes down to hours and hours in the gym.  But, I never regret spending those hours practicing because of moments like this.  Getting to inspire young girls to reach for their dreams is absolutely priceless. 

In the end, I was rewarded for my hard work with two gold medals in 3 Baton and my favorite event, Collegiate Halftime Twirling, a routine that is crowd-pleasing and combines 1, 2, and 3 Baton with college fight songs.  I’m honored to have represented Baylor this well in my final year of collegiate eligibility.  Thanks to all those who supported and watched me along the way!  To all the aspiring twirlers, keep practicing because I can’t wait to come watch you on the football field or in the contest arena!

DaNae Couch

Miss Frisco 2010

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Love,

Madison Fuller

Teen Frisco

February 14, 2010

            “Love is patient and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never fails.”  1 Corinthians 13:4-8a.

This year I have been so thankful to add a very special group of people to my life that exemplify love all the time!  Never did I think I would join the pageant world and gain not just many new friends but a whole new family.  I only hope that I’ve loved you a small bit as much as you’ve loved me!  On this special day of love, I wanted to take some time to be thankful for all extra love in my life!

To David and Michael, thank you for welcoming me into your family and showering me with so much affection all through last year and all this year as well.  Both of you are so incredibly thoughtful, and I love y’all for that!

To Pat, you are one of the most unselfish and giving people I have ever met.  What would I do without you?

To my new MPFO family, I know we have just begun this incredible journey together, but everyone has gone above and beyond anything I could have possibly imagined.

Happy Valentine’s Day!  I hope everyone can take some time to see all the love in their own lives!  It is such a blessing!

LOVE (it never fails)!!!

DaNae

Miss Frisco 2010

February 12, 2010

            The Olympics are finally here!  Ever since I was little, I have always loved watching the Olympics on TV no matter what event was on!  Of course I have my favorite events (figure skating in the winter), but overall, I love rooting for the U.S. team and hearing our National Anthem when we win!  I know that sounds silly, but I’ve always had a soft spot for inspirational quotes, movies, or stories.  So, you can imagine how motivated I am after watching the Olympics.  As an athlete who has performed on the state, regional, and national level, I know the feeling of a job well done, and I can only imagine how much better it would feel to have the honor of representing your country on the world’s stage.  In fact, I really have imagined what I would do if twirling was considered an Olympic sport (probably work as hard as I could to make the team)!

            So, with the 2010 Olympics getting underway, I encourage everyone to tune into NBC and watch as the U.S. team go for gold!  We have some wonderful athletes ready to show off their skills and represent us with pride!  I know I can’t wait!

Blessings,

DaNae

February 6, 2010

            When I was little, I used to love playing dress up and having all my friends over for tea parties!  Saturday, I got to relive all of those fun memories at the MPFO Princess Tea Party.  We are so lucky to have such a beautiful group of girls this year!  It was fun getting to eat some yummy goodies and sip on delicious tea with all the girls.  Plus, we got to teach them how to write Thank You notes just like a real princess!

            I’m very lucky to have my precious princess Laynee back for another year, and ironically enough, we both wore Eiffel tower dresses to the party!

            Special thank you to our gracious hostesses: Betty, Karen and Princess Elle!  Thanks to Pat for providing all of the wonderful goodies for the girls as well as the cutest cakes ever!  Lastly, thanks so much to Cheryl for coordinating the entire event and working with our Lone Star Princesses and families all year!  All of these women are such an important addition to our MPFO family!

Blessings,

DaNae

Miss Frisco 2010 

February 6, 2010

The Princess Tea Party! Where do I begin? It was such a blast! I’m so excited that I was able to be a part of such a fun day with so many special girls. The LSP Program is something very dear to my heart. That’s where it all began for me. In 2006 my older sister Morgan was Teen Frisco and I was a princess for her. I learned so much through being a LSP and I was really inspired to one day hopefully be on that Teen Texas stage as a contestant. And here I am! This past weekend I know I saw 7 precious little girls who might one day be on that stage too!

Princesses…  Emily, Sheridan, Rachel, Marly, Laynee, Elle and T’yonna. What a great group of girls we have! You guys are all so beautiful on the inside and out! I had so much fun getting to spend time with you all, and I can tell that we are going to have a blast this year! I can’t wait to come down those steps at Teen Texas this summer and be greeted by the most adorable group of princesses I could ever ask for!

Princess Moms, thank you all so much for driving all the way to Dallas to allow us 4 titleholders to spend the day with your daughters. I could not be more pleased with the group of girls we have and I thank you all so much for being a part of this year! Miss Texas week is going to be so much fun!

Thank you so much Mrs. Betty for hosting the party in your house! You are so sweet and it was so nice visiting with you! Mrs. Pat, you are just wonderful! Thank you so much for everything! From the goody bags, to the amazing tea cup cake! I really do appreciate everything you do for the MPFO! Mrs. Cheryl, you are simply amazing! You do so much for our LSP’s and I can’t thank you enough! Karen and Elle, thank you for being wonderful hostesses! You both are such sweet people, and I have enjoyed getting to know you both over the past few years!

This weekend will be something I remember forever! It was such a fun day, and I am so excited about getting to spend more time with each and every one of these girls! Thank you again to everyone who was a part of the Lone Star Princess Tea Party!

God Bless,

Teen Frisco

Madison

February 4, 2010

January went by so incredibly fast.  The amazing appearances, parties, and photo shoots  the girls have already mentioned were a tremendous start to the New Year, not to mention Winter Meeting, and best of all, Miss America!!  Kristen was amazing and I am so proud of her and how well she represented herself and our great state of Texas.   I spent the rest of the month being a teenager (haha).  I started and finished the classroom portion of drivers ed!!! (I will be sure to warn you when I’m on the road!)  In the middle of all of this…the pulling of the wisdom teeth.  You know, I have always wondered why they call them wisdom teeth and wondered if it is a good thing that so many people have to have them taken out?? J

I have had such an amazing week!!  Last weekend, I had the opportunity to attend The Frisco Chamber of Commerce 26^th Annual Awards Celebration with Ricardo.   We had a wonderful time handing out many awards throughout the evening.  In addition to dinner, guests enjoyed both live and silent auctions, but the highlights of the evening were performances and the announcements of the winners of the ‘Frisco’s Got Talent” contest, and let me tell you…Frisco definitely does have talent!  I had the chance to meet and talk with the 5 amazing finalists who sang, in fact, one girl composes her own music and has written over 50 songs!!  They were all fantastic and such kind people.  I also met Tony Felker, Frisco Chamber President and Maher Maso, Frisco’s Mayor!  It was an incredible evening and I was so blessed to get to spend it with Ricardo. J

The week did not stop there…Wednesday night I attended the DIFFA 2010 Silent Auction Party in Dallas.   I love attending DIFFA events!  Everything is so beautifully decorated, the music is fun, and the atmosphere is happy and upbeat and the food…!!!  Wolfgang Puck was one of the sponsors…I will let that speak for itself J   I had a blast with Miss Teen Fort Worth, Rachel Callicutt.  We had such fun meeting and welcoming each guest upon their arrival.  Several other titleholders were in attendance, as were many of our pageant family members.  It was such a wonderful time as we all gathered to help raise money for such a crucial cause…fighting AIDS.  My sincere thanks to Bobbie Crowder Scott for always allowing us to help with these important events.  Thanks Bobbie!!!  I had a blast and can’t wait for next time!!

Looking forward to our LSP Tea Party on Saturday! 

With love to you all and God bless,

Kaitlyn Wilson

Miss Teen Plano 2010

As many of you watched on TLC, I was sitting in the theater at the Planet Hollywood anxiously awaiting the announcement of the new Miss America!  Going to Miss America was probably one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life!

            For those of you who watched the pageant unfold at home, I would like to share some of the highlights of my trip!  First of all, my flight left Dallas on Friday morning at 6:30! Needless to say, my alarm went off at 4 a.m., and I was still very exciting about flying to Las Vegas.  I was probably the most energized person up at that hour!  The first order of business after arriving to Las Vegas, other than breakfast, was going to the Trade Show.  I was amazed at all of the shops, full of beautiful dresses, swimsuits, and other wonderful pageant accessories.  My favorite purchases included: the Miss America program book, a Miss America journal (I love writing!), and a much needed Miss America pen!

Friday evening, my mother and I attended the Evening of Dreams along with Kathryn Dunn, Miss Plano.  Much to my disbelief, my mom and I sat at a table with several representatives from the DSW Shoe Warehouse along with Miss Illinois and Miss South Dakota.  The evening was full of stories from former Miss Americas, but the main theme of the dinner was to recognize all of the men and women that selflessly serve our country.  I have to admit, I was slightly star-struck that so many former Miss Americas were in the same room as I was, and I had to sneak in a picture with a few including Gretchen Carlson, Erika Dunlap, and Katie Stam!  I also caught up with our very own, Kristen Blair, who was simply radiant!

When the big day finally arrived, I woke up with butterflies!  I always get more nervous watching my friends compete than actually competing myself, but I still had to wait a while before the final competition.  So, I spent my morning anxiously waiting in line to meet and get autographs from the former Miss Americas!  I waited for almost two hours only to be told that the ladies would only be signing for 5 more minutes!!! Lucky for me, I had my mother and grandmother there to help me race through the line!!  Not only did I get autographs from 20 Miss Americas, I also met Phyllis George and Shirley Cothran, two of Texas’ own!!  I then went back to the trade show to talk with Phyllis George and get a copy of her book, Never Say Never, YES YOU CAN!  I can’t wait to read it!

            After I changed from the day, it was finally time to go to the Miss America Finals!!!  I can’t not even begin to tell you how loud the Texas cheering section was each and every time Kristen made the cut!  She did an absolutely fabulous job and represented us with grace and beauty.  Congrats on making the top 10, Kristen! You are such a role model to all of us!  The entire show was so much fun, and the new Miss America, Caressa Cameron will do a fantastic job this year!  I got to talk with Kristen at visitation after the Finals, and she was humble and gracious as always.  I could not be prouder of how she is both on and off the stage!

            Thanks to everyone who made this journey possible!  It was definitely a learning experience, and I can’t wait to put my focus on Miss Texas this summer!!!

DaNae Couch

Miss Frisco 2010

My job as Phi Delta Theta Sweetheart is best described by my good friend Adam: “well, you’re kind of like a dude in our fraternity, but you’re a girl.” And I’ve come to find out that being a “dude” means getting my hands dirty. On Thursday it was such a nice day out, so the guys and I decided to go to the Waco Gun Club and shoot skeet!

Skeet is different than target shooting. In skeet, shooters attempt to break clay disks flung into the air at different speeds and angles, (meant to emulate bird hunting). One must be on their game at all times, or you’ll miss all the targets!

It took me a couple tries to get the hang of it, but before long I was shooting like a pro!

Who would have known that Miss Plano is really just “one of the guys?”