Lessons from baton twirling

Yesterday was the 2014 Miss Majorette of Ohio Competition. B, who has been twirling since she was three years old, competed. I'd love to tell you that she walked away with a title and we are now heading to Miss Majorette of America, but that would be a lie. The truth is that yesterday I watched my girl twirl her heart out and get it stomped on by almost every single judge. She received last place or almost last place in almost every single event. But, we were positive and proud of the work that she was doing. Yesterday we didn't focus on the place, instead we focused on her love of the sport. "Go out there and have fun." I'd tell her before each event. And, somehow it clicked. Yes, she did receive almost last or last in almost everything.  However, she pulled out a second place for her pageant solo and was only 1 point behind first place. Without her penalties, she would have won the solo. She showed her love and the judge responded.

So, in her honor, here are some lessons that we (definitely me and hopefully her) are learning from baton twirling.

1. You can get through anything so long as you have a great group of friends to support you.

2. Not everyone is going to like you. They may not like your hair or the way you walk or your illusions, but that's okay as long as you like you. And your mom likes you no matter what.

3. Trophies are great to win,
but we are not defined by the number of trophies we've won.

4. Some days we are the winners, some days we are not, but every day we need to be ourselves.

5. No matter what life throws at you, always conduct yourself with poise and grace.

6. And no matter what you do in life, don't forget to smile! After all, you're doing what you love!

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