By Ashley Gore, Staff Writer
TALENT: Poly senior Alexis Brewer uses her unique talent in both school assemblies and national competitions.
Hundreds of kids crowd into the outer space-themed gym for the annual Midwinter Assembly. Showstoppers and 8-Pac perform their usual numbers amongst the black lights and stars. Suddenly, the hosts announce a new act. One girl walks into the middle of the gym and places glow-in-the-dark sticks on the floor. Music starts playing, and even though many students would rather talk to their friends than watch the entertainment, she captures everyone’s attention. Those sticks are called batons, and the girl is called Alexis Brewer (12). She twirls batons… and makes it look easy.
Brewer has twirled batons for twelve years. Her career began in cheerleading, where baton twirling first caught her attention. What started as group classes turned into private lessons, and Brewer fell in love. Over the years, Brewer has amassed a multitude of awards, some of the most prestigious including Miss Majorette California in the advanced division in 2009 and 2010. Her team has ranked in the top 5 at nationals for the past two years.
One cannot simply learn the precise, impressive skill of baton twirling overnight. “It came somewhat naturally to me to begin with,” Brewer admitted, “but progressing on to more advanced tricks requires a lot more practice.” She hones her craft at least one to two hours a day, and uses all of Saturday to practice as well. All of her hard work should certainly earn her more titles and trophies, along with her dream of someday twirling at the University of Southern California.
Not only does Brewer excel at baton twirling, but she loves every second of it. The crowds she performs for buzz with every trick she nails, and the energy of their applause combined with her passion for what she does always manages to fill the room. While discussing her love for twirling, Brewer happily gushed, “Baton is a huge part of me and I cannot picture my life without it. I have learned so much from it and met so many amazing people, and once I am done twirling I hope that I can be as great of a coach as my coach was for me!”