Between baton flips and terrific twirls, the Wolfpack Majorettes — NC State’s resident twirling team — put in hours of hard work and dedication in creating innovative routines. The award-winning group is a staple of NC State Athletics, regularly appearing at football games and on-campus events, clad in glittering red costumes. They also actively participate in competitions across the nation, depending on the season’s lineup.

“We are kind of a two-season group,” said Olivia Kane, a third-year studying communication media. “In the fall, we are with the marching band and are performing at football games, pep rallies, all that sort of stuff. In the spring we’re more of a competitive group, and we do club things since we’re a student organization. We’ll host fundraisers for our competitions, and we host competitions and clinics … stuff like that.”

The Wolfpack Majorettes recently attended Twirl Mania International Competition, hosted at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World, and placed second in the Collegiate Classic team category. They are also looking to attend the National Majorette Contest at the University of Notre Dame in July.

“When we were practicing for Twirl Mania, we would practice every day,” said Valerie Stevens, a third-year studying business administration. “We’d get up before our 8:30 classes and meet at the gym. It was a struggle, since we were all half asleep, but it was a good thing to wake up for.”

Stevens said that on intensive training days in preparation for larger competitions like Twirl Mania, the majorettes typically practice for half an hour in the mornings, and have longer practices on the weekends.

An average practice consists of various drills meant to sharpen their craft. Each practice section is meticulously planned out to make sure each twirling-related skill is given enough attention to ensure an impressive routine. Kane detailed what an average practice consists of.

“First, you start with a warm up, then you stretch and do your basic flips — over and over to warm up your hand,” Kane said. “It’s kind of the same thing as swinging your baseball bat five times to warm up your swing. Then you’ve got to decide how much time you want to allot for each routine. Typically, I’ll spend about an hour just on my solo because it’s the longest routine.”

While Kane’s solo performances are usually only around two-and-a-half minutes long, plenty of hard work is packed into perfecting a solo routine as each section requires adamant attention to detail.

Bethany Schreiner, the current instructor for the Wolfpack Majorettes, was once a part of the team herself and returned to NC State in 2006 to help coach the team.

“I always tell people that it’s the best job around,” Schreiner said. “It’s not like work. It’s so much fun and I get to do what I love every day. The best part is that I get to watch the girls grow as people and as twirlers, and it’s really fun to see what they go on to do after they graduate from NC State. So many of our alumni come back and help the girls, and they volunteer at our competitions and fundraising events. It’s like a big family, and it really is a special program.”

The Wolfpack Majorettes share a close connection with one another, and with countless hours of practice under their belts, they are able to come together to perform splendid routines for the public.

“We had practiced so much for Twirl Mania, [and] had practiced our team routine so many times, and we went out on the floor and did the best routine we’ve ever done,” Stevens said. “Everyone could feel it. I could tell that everyone was just so focused and into it, having the best time of our lives, and then us coming off the floor hugging and cheering, [and I was] celebrating that moment with my best friends.”

The group will be hosting the upcoming Miss Majorette of North Carolina competition this April, a competition for North Carolina-based twirlers ages 3-21. Competitors will fall into different divisions and be judged accordingly.

Updates on the group’s activities as well as their upcoming competitions, can be found on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Wolfpack-Majorettes-118003201633546/