CRANFORD, NJ — The Diamondettes, a baton-twirling team of four girls new to the sport, took first-place honors at a United States Twirling Association novice competition at the Rahway Recreation Center on Sunday, May 1. The quartet, who just began twirling in September, are Leyla Akin, Liana Torres, Natalyn Molina and Megan Charlton.
Scoring at the competition was in choreography and baton content, skill, and unison. In a team competition, teammates twirl at the same time.
“It’s sort of like with dancers,” their coach, Nicole Marie Placca, said in a telephone interview on Monday, May 9. “You want to see them in unison. The girls are dancing, as well as twirling. The Diamondettes never had performance experience, let alone twirling experience. The fact that they were even able to hold their own is extraordinary.”
The foursome, whose name derives from their practice site, Diamond Gymnastics Academy in Cranford, danced a three-minute routine to “Somebody To Love,” from the new Disney Cinderella movie. They competed against four other teams. Placca said the teams are entered into categories: “Twirl and Dance,” which focuses on choreography, and “Twirl Teams,” which focuses on twirling unison.
“Our competition season is over,” Placca said, “but we will work during the summer. The season is from the last week in August to the beginning of May.”
The All-East USTA Championships will be in Wildwood in May, she said.
Placca also teaches twirling at Sunburst Gymnastics in Union. But unlike her Diamond Gymnastics competition program, at Sunburst she teaches students who are just taking lessons and not participating in competitions. Altogether, she has 23 students, ranging from 3-year-olds to high schoolers.
“Twirling used to be a big thing,” she said. “You wouldn’t go to a sports event that didn’t have a twirler. It’s a dying art and not so popular anymore. It’s a specialized skill. There used to be a big studio in Union with 20, 30, 40 girls.”
Placca began her program four years ago at the Cranford facility.
“Diamond was the first private program around since Maiore had her studio.” Placca continued. “There are some programs in North Jersey.”
For the last 12 years, Placca has also been the twirling adviser for Union High School. She said it is one of the few New Jersey schools with a program.
“Girls with no experience set records for the school,” she said. “In so short a time, I know what girls starting out at an early age can do.”
But twirling — actually a combination of dancing, gymnastics and twirling — is not without its risks. In addition to bumps and bruises, an accident can result in broken teeth or a concussion, as one did for a Placca student this past season.
“So many kids shy away from a sport because they don’t have the skill or they don’t fit a mold,” Placca said. “But athletes don’t have to look a certain way. The focus of my program is to be a successful individual. I try to build upon motivation and self-worth. Pretty much all my girls never did anything athletic before coming to me.”
Her program, she said, provides lessons tailored to meet the needs and abilities of the individual in a safe, judgment-free environment.
For more information, contact [email protected].
Photo Courtesy of Nicole Marie Placca