Willoughby woman finishes fourth at baton twirling world championship
Aug. 25—Willoughby resident Mikayla Schuller recently competed at the World Baton Twirling Federation World Championship, earning fourth place in the junior women's short program and freestyle categories.
Schuller, a 2021 South High School graduate, competed from Aug. 4-7 in Turin, Italy. This was her first world championship appearance.
"I was really nervous but also really excited," she said.
Schuller began by competing in the short program. She explained that twirlers were scored based on their ability to correctly perform the same routine, including elements such as speed and technique.
"I was really nervous for that, but after stepping out on the floor for the first time, I felt a little bit better," she said.
For the freestyle portion of the competition, twirlers selected their own music. Schuller noted that they were scored based on their skill and interpretation of the music.
She competed in three freestyle rounds and only dropped her baton once as she performed to "Is That Alright?" by Lady Gaga, from the movie "A Star is Born."
"By the time I did my freestyle, I felt a little more relaxed, even though I was nervous," she added.
Schuller's performance at the world championship came a month after the National Baton Twirling Championships. At that competition, Schuller won first place in the 19-year-old solo, two-baton, three-baton, strut and artistic twirl events, as noted in a news release from the United States Twirling Association.
Though this was her first world championship appearance, the news release noted that Schuller previously traveled to Europe to compete in the 2019 WBTF International Cup, which was held in Limoges, France. According to the event's results page, she placed first in the women's class A 15-17 two-baton event and fifth in the women's class A 15-17 three-baton event.
Schuller will return to Europe in August 2023, when she will compete at the International Baton Twirling Federation World Baton Twirling Championship and Nations Cup in Liverpool, United Kingdom, along with current Riverside senior Erienne Hay. Schuller will compete in two-baton, three-baton and duet events.
Before she returns to the world stage next summer, Schuller will twirl on the gridiron this fall for Florida State University, where she is currently a sophomore mechanical engineering student. This season, she will be one of three featured twirlers for the Marching Chiefs.
"I'm really excited because I just love the atmosphere of Florida State and I just love the atmosphere of the majorettes and everyone there," she said.
Schuller added, "Being able to step on the field for the first time and doing pregame, I'm really excited, and I can't wait."
