FORT WORTH, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) — Adaline Bebo is a reigning world champion in twirling. But it’s how you reach that level in discipline that many don’t know much about.
“About my sophomore year in high school, I would do 4 a.m. practices. And, I did that all the way through college, so I could get in my training before classes,” Bebo explained.
She first picked up a baton when she was 9-years-old and quickly realized it could take her a long way.
When asked what are some of the stereotypes she’s heard about twirling, Bebo said, “So you march in parades? Can you twirl fire? Can you twirl this pin saw?”
She continued to say a lot of twirlers struggle with people saying it’s not a sport, “but, it’s really important to remember that seeing is believing for a lot of people.”
Bebo graduated from Baylor in 2019 with a degree in neuroscience and part of her education was paid for by a twirling scholarship.
“Almost any school in the south… major universities… offer at least some form of scholarship to be a baton twirler, even if it’s just a costume allowance,” she said. “That goes all the way up to a full-ride. So, being aware of these scholarships, and knowing that you have that opportunity to look forward to… makes it often times completely worthwhile.”
Bebo has enjoyed the spotlight, having once been Miss Fort Worth, Miss Park Cities and even Miss Dallas.
But no longer an active competitor, Bebo hosts clinics teaching the art to kids as young as age six.
“It shouldn’t be a goal informed by their parents or their coaches,” she said. “It should be a goal informed by their own heart.”
More than anything, Bebo has enjoyed carrying the baton and wants to pass it to the next generation.
“Whether it’s to perform at a high school… at a state level… or at a college. Whether it’s to be a world champion, or on Team USA. Even if it’s to perform at a local parade, or twirl for themselves. It’s important to acknowledge that every single one of those goals is completely valid and worth pursuing,” she said.
