Breakfast of Champions Spotlight: Twirlers to be reckoned with

October 2, 2013 · 0 Comments

By Jen Meron

Meet Madi, Bridget and Leyla. These three young ladies are members of Aurora’s Spectrum Baton Club, twirlers who are making their mark on the baton world.

Madi Georgopoulos is 13 and has been twirling for eight years; Leyla Ozturk is 14 and has been twirling for five, and Bridget Lynagh, 11, is in her sixth year. Over the years, these girls enjoyed being part of their baton club, Spectrum North, competing in local competitions, and participating in parades and shows.

But last season, these three simultaneously caught on fire and became competitive twirlers to be reckoned with.

Coach and choreographer Jennifer Meron decided to form a Dance-Twirl trio with them, with the goal being to stand on the podium at the Ontario and Canadian Championships.

The girls took the challenge and ran with it, showing dedication and effort beyond anything they had previously displayed.

All the girls upped their training time in the gym, not only for team, but also for the individual events they compete in.

At the Canadian championships in Moncton, NB in July, 2013, the girls were up against stiff competition from across the country, including two powerhouse teams from Saskatchewan.

“I was a little worried given their young age and relative lack of national level experience,” confessed Meron, “But at the same time, I knew they would leave it all on the floor and give me their best effort, and that’s all I could ever ask for”.
Their best effort proved to be enough!

The team did a near perfect performance that had the crowd on their feet, and their coach smiling!

When the results were announced, Spectrum’s Trio was not only on the podium, but had earned the Gold!

The fantastic performances continued with the girls individual events, as did the super results. Bridget won the silver medal in her age division in both solo and two baton. Leyla won the Bronze medal in solo and placed fourth in two baton in her age division, and Madi placed fifth in her age division in solo.

Very impressive for three young ladies at their first National Championship!

After taking a few weeks off, the girls are back in the gym this week, and the new goal is back-to-back gold medals when the team travels to Calgary, Alberta, for Nationals in July, 2014.