This year's recital was held in support of Ronald McDonald House in honour of June Wilson, mom of Tammy and grandmother of Caityn, who passed away in March of 2022. June has always been a supporter of baton and was one of the builder of baton twirling in Manitoba.

The recital was fun and we had a chance to see what everyone was working on! It was well attended and we collected so many items for RMH!

Many congrats to Emma Baker, Aerial Fusion Athlete of the Year and the recipient of the Aerial Fusion Role Model Award.

 

 

 

They did it!

The athletes of Aerial Fusion participated in the Canadian Open Virtual Individual Disciplines competition. We are so impressed with their resilience and determination to even compete in this competition but are also so happy with their results:

Kaitlyn - 1st in C Solo Dance 12-14 (moved up to BN), 4th in BN Junior 2 Baton (moved up to BI), and 3rd in BN Junior Solo (moved up to BI). Awesome work!

Emma - 1st in BN Senior Solo Dance (moved up to BI), 1st in BN Senior 2 Baton (moved up to BI), and 2nd in BN Senior Solo. Amazing job!

Hailey - 1st in C Solo 15-17. First time competing at Canadians and we hope you get the full experience next year!

Caitlyn - 1st BA Collegiate Medley and 3rd BA Collegiate Solo. Nice work!

Laura - 3rd BA Collegiate 2 Baton, 4th A Collegiate Solo, and 3rd Senior A Freestyle. That no drop freestyle will be a memory to hold on to for a long time. Great work!

Alexa - 1st BA Collegiate Solo, 2nd BA Collegiate 3 Baton, and 3rd A Collegiate Solo Dance. Awesome work!

The parents and coaches are proud of you all. See you in the fall!

What a crazy 16 months this has been! Aerial Fusion Baton was very happy to be able to have a year

end recital this year - virtually of course! You can check out our 25th anniversary recital at this link:

https://youtu.be/vlnVVp-wtWI

Enjoy the show! Thank you all athletes, parents, and coaches for your hard work this year!

Wow! What an experience at the final International Cup competition as we know it - IC 2019 in Limoges, France!

Despite some illnesses that were floating around, the athletes performed really well and represented Canada will grace, dignity, and pride! Here are the results:

Laura - 2 silver medals in very large divisions - 2 Baton (60+ competitors!) and 3 Baton and 5th in a tough Level A Artistic Twirl 

Alexa - Gold in 3 Baton even while battling through a cold all week and 7th in 2 Baton

The 2019 Canadian Winner/Championships were fun and successful for Aerial Fusion Baton! We introduced our mascot Lola to the world and she turned out to be a fun addition to the family! 

Here is how the competition went for us:

Laura - Gold Coll BA 2 Baton; 5th Coll BA 3 Baton; 4th Coll A Solo; 3rd Coll A Medley; 5th Coll A Solo Dance

Alexa - 4th Coll BA 3 Baton; 5th Coll BA Solo

Aerial Fusion Baton hosted its annual recital in support of Villa Rosa. All athletes had a chance to show off their skills and we also gave out some awards:

Most Improved: Kaitlyn and Amber

Role Model Award: Caitlyn

Athlete of the Year: 5th - Kaitlyn; 4th - Amber; 3rd - Alexa; 2nd - Caitlyn; and 2019 Athlete of the Year - Laura

Great job to all athletes and all the best for the rest of the season.

 

Four of our AF athletes travelled for a competition in Regina in late March 2019. It is always great to see our athletes challenge themselves Ito compete in another province and environment. Many great lessons were learned and I hear that there was a lot of fun in the hotel after the competition!

The MBTSA Pre Competitive Challenge was held on April 7, 2019. Congrats to Danika who became the 2019 Pre Competitive Runner Up!

Great work Danika and coach Stephenie!

The 2018 Canadian Championships were held in Winnipeg this year and AF athletes performed really well! 

Congratulations to Caitlyn - 2018 Senior B freestyle winner! She battled so hard to stay consistent and it paid off - nice work! Caitlyn also finished 3rd in the Sr BN 3 Baton event.

Congratulations to Laura - She had a no drop freestyle performance in final round and finished 6th in the Senior A division! Awesome!

Congratulations to Alexa - Silver medal in BI Collegiate 3 Baton and a no drop solo dance! Amazing!

Congratulations to Jenny - 4th place in Collegiate BI 2 Baton! So nice to see you out there competing again!

Congratulations to Kaitlyn - first time at Canadians and a no drop medley! Great work!

Congratulations to AF Virtuoso - Silver medal in Senior A Small Twirl Team. You had a season's best performance - nice work!

Special congratulations to Alyssa as well - 2018 Sharon Holliday Award for Sportsmanship recipient - thank you for the leadership that you display!

And congrats to all parents and supporters - the athletes could not do it without you. Enjoy the summer!

Right before Canadians, we had a special visitor come to our practice session. Leisha and Jane's former coach, Carrie, was in town and worked with the athletes. 

Carrie is from the Toronto area and began working with Leisha and Jane in 1985. She is very creative and an innovator in the sport. She gave some great advice to the athletes and inspired them to do their best. Thank you so much Carrie!

Over the May long weekend, Laura (along with Leisha) traveled to Hamilton, ON to compete in the 2018 Canadian Team Trials. This competition selected the athletes who would represent Canada at the 2018 World in Florida in August. 

This was Laura's first year in a very competitive Senior division. She performed an incredible short program. Althoug

h she had a couple drops in her freestyle, we are so proud of her progress and she scored her highest marks of the season. Great job!

Special congrats to our Nova Scotian friend Alyssa who finish 5th in the division and was named as alternate to the national team! Great job Alyssa!

Time to get ready for nationals!

In early May, we had the annual Aerial Fusion recital. This year, we supported Siloam Mission and asked those who attended to bring a new pair of socks or underwear for those in need. Despite the fact that the recital was during a Winnipeg Jets playoff game, the turnout was good and we collected quite a few items for Siloam Mission

The recreational, pre-competitive, and competitive athletes presented their routines from the year and we gave out annual awards! Congrats to all athletes for their hard work this season. Special congrats to:

Alexa - Aerial Fusion Role Model award

Caitlyn - Most Improved 

And the Athlete of the Year results:

Jenny - 5th, Kaitlyn - 4th, Alexa - 3rd, Laura - 2nd, and Caitlyn - 1st and AF Athlete of the Year!

Congrats everyone!

The Pre-Competitive Challenge was held in April at Greendell CC. Kaitlyn and Hailey represented Aerial Fusion at this event.

Special congrats to Kaitlyn who was the winner of the Pre-Competitive Challenge event! Great job!

And congrats to Hailey who competed at her first competition.

We look forward to your progress in the future! Way to go!

In August 2017, AF athletes headed to Porec, Croatia for the 2017 International Cup.

Croatia was stunning and the competition was an amazing experience. Check out the newspaper article about the experience: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/sports/Local-twirlers-earn-place-on-podium-446846953.html

Congrats to our AF athletes (and Alyssa!): 

Jessica: 1 gold (pairs), 2 silver (3 baton and solo), 4th (AT)

Rhaychelle: 1 gold (pairs), 9th (3 baton), Team Toba 

Alyssa: 2 silver (AT and 3 baton), 9th place (Solo and 2 Baton)

Laura: 4th (pairs), 19th (AT), Team Toba

Caitlyn: first time at IC with Team Toba

We are all so proud of all of your accomplishments! Great job and a nice way to end off the season!

In July 2017, Laura, Caitlyn, Rhaychelle, Jessica, and Jane traveled to St. John, NB to attend the 2017 Canadian Championships. From the stories told, it would seem that many beavertails were consumed!

Congrats to AF Fix U who received the bronze medal in a tough Senior A dance twirl field. 

Congrats to Jessica for winning the B Collegiate freestyle event!

In front of a packed gym, the athletes from Aerial Fusion Baton twirled in support of CancerCare Manitoba at the year end recital. We raised $350.00 and are so appreciated of all family and friends who were able to attend.

Every year, we hand out some annual awards and this year was no different! Congrats to:

Jessica - AF Role Model Award

Caitlyn - AF Most Improved Award

Laura - AF Athlete of the Year

We are so proud of our pre-competitive and recreational athletes as well! Thank you to all parents and coaches!

Congrats to Dankia, Isabella, and Kaitlyn for attending the Pre Competitive Challenge and Badge Workshop. Kaitlyn did a great job earning almost all red ribbons and then they all learned their badges for testing next week. Update: Congrats! Danika passed her orange badge and Isabella passed her yellow badge. Kaitlyn completed her red badge.

 

In late October, AF athlete took part in the MBTSA Clinic with guest Ginnette from the USA. They had a chance to learn some new tricks and also had the annual season awards. Congrats to our athletes for their placing

s from last season!

Special congrats to Laura for special recognition for duet (national champ), Team Toba Amaluna (national champs) and 3rd place Senior High Point. Congrats to Caitlyn for special recognition for Team Toba Amaluna (national champs) and to Rhaychelle for 5th place Collegiate High Point, Jessica for 3rd place Collegiate High Point, and Nikisah for 2nd place Collegiate High Point. Finally, congratulations to our club volunteer of the year, Sheryl!

In August 2016, Laura was a part of Team Canada and served as the alternate for the Junior freestyle team at the World Championships in Helsingborg, Sweden. AF would like to congratulate her on a job well done and we know that she learned quite a bit by watching the competition. Coach Leisha, along with former AF athlete and coach Kayla, surprised her in Sweden (as seen in the picture!) and they enjoyed the competition as well including perfect scores by Keisuke Komada from Japan and the Japanese Team....amazing. When you see Laura, ask her about her trip!

Check out Laura's music test - each athlete has an opportunity to do their routine on the floor to check their music before the competition began. As alternate, she did a music test (just in case) and had a chance to twirl on the competition floor - very exciting! Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7I722l6zOU

Nice job Laura!

In early July, Caitlyn and Laura attended the Canadian Championships in Edmonton, Alberta. Full results for

 all events are up on www.cbtf.ca. Here is how they did!

Laura - Finalist in Junior Women's freestyle, Senior A Solo, Medley, and Solo Dance. Along with Yonatan, Laura won the Senior A Duet event and they are National champs! She also competed in her first Grand National competition in the Duet event. Laura was also on Team Toba Amaluna who won the CBTF Jr B Team division! 

Caitlyn - Caitlyn won the Jr BN Solo division and is a national champ as well! She was a finalist in Jr B Medley and Solo Dance as well. Finally, she was also on Team Toba Amaluna who won the CBTF Jr B Team division.

Congrats to Laura and Caitlyn and their parents! Lots of work to do still and lots of lessons learned at this competition but that is what it is all about in the end! 

 

Over the May long weekend, AF athlete Laura along with coach Leisha traveled to Whitby, Ontario for the Canadian Team Trials. This competition selected the athletes who will be representing Canada at the

 2016 World Championships in Helsingborg, Sweden in August 2016. Laura had a stunning first round and made it finals for the first time in her career. She ended up in 6th place in the Junior Women's division (Note: For all results, check www.cbtf.ca). Due to the withdrawal of a couple Junior athletes and because Laura made it to finals, she was offered the alternate position for the Canadian Team! The picture to the right is the 2016 Canadian Contingent and Laura is on the end - second row. She will be leaving on August 6th and traveling with Yonatan who will be competing in the Junior Men's division. What a great opportunity for Laura! Many thanks to her parents for allowing her to have this opportunity. We look forward to hearing all her stories in the fall!

In mid-May, Caitlyn attended an open competition in Halifax! It was a great experience for her and a very long day of competition! Thanks to Alyssa for mentioning this opportunity! Also, thanks for Tammy to taking her on this trip!

This year, AF decided to support KidSport for our year end recital!

Special Awards for given out including the following:

AF Recreational/Pre Competitive Award: Alex

Most Improved: Caitlyn 

Most Dedicated/Sportmanship: Laura

Athlete of the Year: 5th place - Jessica, 4th place - Rhaychelle, 3rd place - Caitlyn, 2nd place - Laura, Athlete of the Year Award - Nikisah

Thanks to Yonatan from Greendell who came to perform as our special guest!

Congratulations to all our athletes for a fun year. Also, thanks to parents and supporters for letting them all experience this wonderful sport! 

AF participated in the 2016 Provincial Championships at the end of April. There wer

e some good performances but definitely need to do some more work before Nationals! They will be working hard! Here are the results - a 'Q' indicates that the athlete qualified:

Caitlyn: Junior B Freestyle Bronze medalist (Q), 5th Jr BN 2-Baton (Q), 3rd Jr BN Medley (Q), 3rd Jr BN Solo (Q), 5th Jr BN Solo Dance (Q)

Jessica: 2nd Coll. BI Solo (Q)

Nikisah: Senior A Freestyle Gold medalist (Q), 1st Coll BI Solo (Q), 1st Col BI Medley (Moved up to A! and Q), 1st Coll BI 2-Baton (Q), 1st Sr A Short Program

Laura: Junior A Freestyle Gold medalist (Q), 1st Sr A Solo (Q), 1st Sr A Medley (Q), 2nd Sr A Solo Dance, 1st Sr Duet, 2nd Jr A Compulsories

 

In April 10, Manitoba Baton hosted the Pre-Competitive Challenge. Congratulations to Jonny, Kaitlyn and Alex

who participated in the event and did really well in the events that they entered. We are proud of them! Great work!

Congratulations to all the AF athletes who competed at the 2016 Unicity Competition! Special congrats to Nikisah who tied for the overall Collegiate High Point award!

Congrats also to the Pre-Competitive athletes who completed their events - Kaitlyn, Jonny, and Alexandra! 

Competitive results are as follows:

Caitlyn: 1st Jr BN Medley, 2nd Jr BN Solo Dance, 4th Jr BN Solo, 3rd Jr BN 2 Baton, 3rd Jr B Compulsories

Jessica: 2nd Collegiate BI Solo

Laura: 1st in Sr A Medley and Solo Dance, 2nd Sr A Solo, and 1st Sr BI Duet (score to advance to A!), 1st in Compulsories

Nikisah: 1st Collegiate BI Medley, Solo, and 2-Baton, 1st Sr A Short Program

Only a few weeks until the Pre-Competitive Challenge and about 1 month before Provincials and the Year End Recital - a busy month ahead!

Great job and thanks coaches and parents for all your hard work!

On February 21, 2016, AF athletes competed at the Valentine's competition hosted by Greendell Baton.

It was a long day as the Sundown Optimist Buffalo Gals from Regina also came down for the competition. It was so fun to have them here!

It is still early in the season but there were some great results by our competitive athletes:

Caitlyn - 3rd in Jr BN Medley, 1st in Jr BN solo, 2nd in Jr BN Solo Dance, and 1st in Jr BN 2 Baton

Laura - 4th in Sr A Medley, 7th in Sr A Solo, and 1st in Duet (with Yonatan - moved up to BI!)

Nikisah - 1st in Collegiate BI Medley, Solo, and 2 Baton

Rhaychelle - 5th in Sr A Medley, 3rd in Sr A Solo Dance, 6th in Sr A Solo, and 1st in Sr BI 2 Baton

Special congrats to Alex, Kaitlyn, and Jonny who competed in their first pre-competitive events!

See you at Unicity - March 19/20 at West Kildonan Collegiate!

 

Please note the following dates for the 2016 competition season:

February 21, 2016 (Greendell CC) - see Forms link for the form!

March 19 and 20, 2016 (West Kildonan Collegiate)

April 23 and 24, 2016 (Tec Voc High School)

May 20-23, 2016 (Canadian Team Trials at Centennial College in Ontario)

July 3-10, 2016 (Canadian Championships - Edmonton, AB)

August 2016 (World Championships - Sweden)

 

The AF recreational and pre-competitive athletes have been busy! Congrats Reija and Zara who participated in the 2015 Santa Claus/Grey Cup Parade (pic above!). Also, congrats to all the athletes who completed their white ribbon in December 2015.

Now to get ready for the Valentine's competition at the end of February (for some!).

Great work!

What a great season 2014-2015 was and AF athletes were rewarded at Manitoba Baton Twirling Sportive Association's awards banquet.

Here are the high point award results:

Laura - 2015 Junior High Point Award winner! (CONGRATS!); Sport MB Award of Excellence (Jr A Pairs, Dance Twirl, Team Toba, and individual A events)

Caitlyn - 4th place - Junior High Point

Rhaychelle - 3rd place - Senior High Point; Sport MB Award (Jr A Freestyle & Pairs, Dance Twirl, Team Toba, and individual A events)

Jenny - 4th place - Collegiate High Point; Sport MB Award (Dance Twirl and Team Toba)

Nikisah - 3rd place - Collegiate High Point; Sport MB Award (Sr A freestyle, Dance Twirl, and Team Toba)

Jessica - 2nd place - Collegiate High Point; Sport MB Award (Dance Twirl)

Our special guests, Sara and Jenna, joined us for our picture! They were here for the MBTSA clinic and were fantastic.

Special congrats to our awesome parents who serve on the board as well as our club Volunteer of the Year, Edie Parisian. Also, thanks to Tammy for planning the banquet and for her service to the board at Publicity Rep.

Lots of work to do for 2015-2016 but we are up for the challenge! 

 

Over the Thanksgiving long weekend, Leisha and Jess ventured to Bowie, Maryland for the 2015

iTwirl Clinic. It was hosted by the USTA and was an amazing opportunity to learn and meet new people. Jess came away with lots of valuable information and tricks that will help her for this year. The headliner was Toshimichi Sasaki from Japan (former world champion and in the pictures!) and he was absolutely amazing. We were joined by several athletes and coaches from Regina as well! It was a great experience!

Congrats to Laura and Rhaychelle who each received invitations to participate in the 2016 Twirlmania Invitational Gold competition that will take place in Disney World in February 2016! This is Rhaychelle's 3rd invite and Laura's first. Way to go and hope that you can represent AF at this prestigious competition. Keep it up!

What a summer this has been!

In August 2015, five AF athletes attended the International Cup which was held in Abbotsford, BC. What an amazing competition and special experience for these athletes. Team Canada 

was a force (approximately 110 athletes!) and we had some great performances to end the season. All of the AF athletes made it to the final round in their events and that is a great accomplishment. Here are the results:

Jenny - BRONZE medal - Adult B 2-Baton (1 drop performance in finals!); 5th place - Adult B Solo; 7th place - Adult B Artistic Twirl

Jessica - 6th place - Sr B Artistic Twirl (no drop in the finals!)

Nikisah - 7th place - Sr B Artistic Twirl (1 drop final round!); 9th place - Sr B Solo

Rhaychelle and Laura - 9th place - Jr A Artistic Pair (no drop in preliminary round!)

Jenny, Nikisah, Laura, and Rhaychelle also earned BRONZE medals in the B Group event with Team Toba Phantom.

Special mention as well to our honorary AF friend from Nova Scotia, Alyssa! She earned a SILVER medal in Sr A Artistic Twirl, another SILVER medal in Sr A Artistic Pair, and 9th place in Sr A 3 Baton. Alyssa also represented CBTF in the 1st IBTF Grand Prix immediately after IC and made the semi-final round in Solo and 2-baton. Congrats!

Now for a rest and then on to another exciting season. Congrats athletes - the coaches and parents are so proud. 

Another year, another great Canadian Championships for Aerial Fusion Baton!

Although not every performance was perfect, we know that we will learn from all experiences and from each other. 

Here are the results:

Caitlyn: GOLD - BN Medley 12; 4th - BN Solo 12; 5th - BN Solo Dance 12; GOLD - Jr B Dance Twirl (Swing Ladies)

Jenny: 4th - BI Coll 2-baton

Jessica: GOLD - B Coll Freestyle; GOLD - BI Coll 3 Baton; BRONZE - BI Coll Solo Dance; 4th - BI Coll Solo

Laura: 4th - BI Jr Solo Dance; BRONZE - Jr Duet; SILVER - Jr A Pairs (no drop routine!); GOLD - Jr B Dance Twirl (Swing Ladies); 14th place - Jr A Freestyle

Nikisah: GOLD - BI Coll Medley; SILVER - BI Coll Solo Dance; 12th place - Sr A Freestyle

Rhaychelle: GOLD - BI Sr 3 Baton; BRONZE - Jr Duet; SILVER - Jr A Pairs (no drop routine!); GOLD - Jr B Dance Twirl (Swing Ladies); 9th place - Jr A Freestyle

Other notable awards:

Rhaychelle was awarded the 2014 Senior Individual Challenge Cup for points accumulated from last season's event. CONGRATS!

Jenny was awarded the 2015 CBTF Scholarship to help with her university education. CONGRATS!

Aerial Fusion tied for 10th place in the Group Challenge Cup!

On to the last competition of the season - International Cup in Abbotsford, BC!

Over the May long weekend, athletes from AF participated in the qualifier for the 2015                                             

International Cup. They were working to qualify in individual, pairs, and team routines for the International Cup in Abbotsford, B

C in August (hence the J2A saying - Journey to Abbotsford!)

We are pleased to report that AF athletes qualified for this prestigious competition:

Nikisah - Senior B Artistic Twirl and Solo

Jessica - Senior B Artistic Twirl

Jenny - Adult B Artistic Twirl, Solo, and 2 Baton

Laura and Rhaychelle - Junior B Pairs

Nikisah, Laura, Rhaychelle, and Jenny also qualified with Team Toba team and group.

Congrats athletes on making TEAM CANADA! 

Next up - Canadian Championships in Oshawa, ON in July 2015!

 

Another AF Year End recital in the books! This year, 'Harvest of Twirling' was in support of Winnipeg Harvest                                    and everyone who came brought a non-perishable food item. We are so grateful for the support and fortunate to have a chance to help.

The recital saw performances by our AF competitive and recreational athletes and celebrated their achievements in 2015 (19 Provincial titles!).

Great job to Kaitlyn and Jonathan on their first baton performance (and coach Jessica!)

Congrats to Laura - Most Improved Athlete of the Year and Jen A - Most Dedicated/Sportsmanship Award recipient.

The AF Athlete of the Year run down (based on points earned during the season):

7th - Jen A; 6th - Jenny; 5th - Caitlyn; 4th - Jessica; 3rd - Nikisah; 2nd - Laura and AF Athlete of the Year - Rhaychelle

Congrats to Nikisah who won the draw for a free month of classes for next season.

Thanks to Jenny and Jess for coaching in rec and competitive programs this year.

As always, thank you to our parents who are so supportive and Edie for her help in keeping the club going.

Great season athletes!

 

WOW! What a great weekend for the athletes for AF! Congratulations for all athletes!

Here are the results (the 'Q' indicates that the athletes has qualified for Canadian Championships in that event:

Caitlyn: Silver medal Jr B Freestyle; Gold - Jr BN Solo (Q); Silver - Jr BN Solo Dance (Q); Bronze - Jr BN Medley (Q); 2nd place C Jr 2- Baton; 4th place Junior B Artistic Twirl

Jenny - Gold - Coll BI Solo Dance (with a score to advance to A!) (Q); Silver - Coll BI Solo (Q); Silver - Coll BI 2 Baton (Q); 1st place Adult Artistic Twirl

Jessica - Gold medal Coll B Freestyle (Q); Gold - Coll BN 3 Baton (Q); Bronze - Coll BI Solo (Q); Bronze - Coll BI Medley (Q); Coll BI Solo Dance (Q); 3rd place Sr B Artistic Twirl

Laura - Silver medal Jr A Freestyle (Q); Gold medal Jr A Pairs (Q); Gold - Jr A Medley (Q); Gold - Jr BI Solo Dance (with a score to advance to A!) (Q); Gold - Sr A Duet (with Rhaychelle) (Q); Gold - Jr BI Solo (Q); Silver - Jr BI 2 Baton (Q); 2nd place Jr A compulsories (Open); 1st place Jr B Artistic Twirl

Nikisah - Gold medal Sr A Freestyle (Q); Gold - Coll BI Medley (Q); Silver - Coll BI Solo Dance (Q); 4th place BI Coll 2 Baton (Q); 2nd place Sr A Short Program (Open); 1st place Sr B Artistic Twirl

Rhaychelle - Gold medal Jr A Freestyle (Q); Gold medal Jr A Pairs (Q); Gold - Sr A Medley (Q); Gold - Sr A Solo Dance (Q); Gold - Sr A Solo (Q); Gold - Sr A Duet (with Laura) (Q); Gold - Sr BI 2 Baton (Q); Gold - Sr BI 3 Baton (Q); 1st place Jr A compulsories (Open); 1st place Jr A Artistic Twirl

AF Swing Ladies - Gold - Jr B Small Dance Twirl (Q)

AF Sunday's Best - Gold - Sr A Small Dance Twirl (Q)

Special CONGRATS to Laura - JR HIGH POINT winner and Rhaychelle - SR HIGH POINT winner!

Next Up - International Cup qualifier - May 15-17, 2015 at Investors Group Athletic Centre! It's free! Come on out!

 

 

Congrats AF athletes who recently competed at the 2015 Unicity Competition. Still lots of work to do but we are on track! Here are the results:

Caitlyn: 3rd Jr BN Medley, Solo and Solo Dance; 1st Jr C 2-Baton; 3rd Jr B Artistic Twirl; 3rd Jr B Compulsories

Jenny: 5th place Coll. BI Solo; 1st place Adult B Artistic Twirl

Jessica: 3rd Coll BI Medley and Solo; 1st Coll BN Solo Dance (moved up to BI!); 1st Coll B

3 Baton; 2nd Sr B Artistic Twirl 

Laura: 1st place Jr BI Medley (moved up to A!), Bi Solo and BI Solo Dance; 2nd BI Jr 2-Baton; 1st B Jr Artistic Twirl; 1st A Duet and Artistic Pair; 2nd Jr A Compulsories

Nikisah: 1st Coll BI Medley and Sr B Artistic Twirl; 3rd Coll BI Solo Dance and 2 Baton; 4th Coll BI Solo; 2nd Sr A Short Program

Rhaychelle: 1st Sr A Medley, Solo Dance, Solo, Duet; 1st BI 2 Baton; 2nd BI 3 Baton; 2nd Jr A Artistic Twirl; 1st Jr A compulsories

AF Swing Ladies - 1st Jr B Small Dance Twirl

AF Sunday's Best - 1st Sr A Small Dance Twirl

Special congrats to Laura (tie for Jr High Point) and Rhaychelle (Sr High Point).

Freestyle critiques were good - we are now working towards Provincials, April 25/26.

 

 

CONGRATULATIONS RHAYCHELLE! Rhaychelle was recently nominated for Sport Manitoba

's Junior Athlete of the Year for her accomplishments during the 2014 competition season. We are so proud of her and, more important, very proud of the young woman she is becoming. She is very sweet, funny, and an amazing teammate. Good luck! The awards will be presented at Sport Manitoba's Night of Champions in late April. Rhaychelle is pictured here with former World Champion, Hollie Neilson.

CONGRATULATIONS TAMMY! One of our parents was also nominated for Sport Manitoba's Volunteer of the Year. Tammy has been working to promote baton twirling in the city with innovative ideas. She is really dedicated to baton and to the club and we are all so proud of her!

Team Toba Bond (Provincial Group from 2014) was also nominated in the team division. AF athletes who were involved include Jenny, Laura, Rhaychelle, and Nikisah!

First competition of the year! It was a great start and some great results for AF

athletes!

Jessica - 1st Sr. B Artistic Twirl; 1st BI Solo 18+; 4th BI Medley 18+; 1st Colle

giate B comps

Jenny - 2nd BI Solo 18+; 1st Adult B Artistic Twirl

Laura - 1st BI Jr.

 Medley, Solo, 2-Baton, Artistic Twirl (no drop!) Solo Dance, and 

Jr A Compulsories

Nikisah - 2nd BI Coll. Medley; 1st BI Coll Solo Dance; 3rd BI Coll Solo; 1st BN Coll 2-Baton (moved up to BI!); 2nd Sr B Artistic Twirl; 2nd Sr. A Short Program 

Rhaychelle - 1st A Sr Medley, Solo, Artistic Twirl, and Solo Dance; 2nd BI 2 Baton and BN 3 Baton (moved up to BI!); 2nd Jr A compulsories

Jen A - 1st Sr A Artistic Twirl

Caitlyn - 3rd BN Medley 12-14; 2nd BN Solo Dance 12-14; 4th BN Solo 12-14; 4th Jr B Artistic Twirl; 3rd Jr B compulsories

Rhaychelle and Laura - 1st place A Duet and Jr A Artistic Twirl

AF Swing Ladies - 1st place Jr B Dance Twirl

AF Sunday's Best - 2nd place Sr A Dance Twirl

Special Congrats to:

Laura - Jr High Point (3 way tie!!)

Rhaychelle - Sr High Point

Next up - Unicity!

On November 15, 2014, MBTSA participated in the Santa Claus parade! A few of our AF athletes also braved the cold to twirl their hearts out! Great job athletes - thanks for representing the club!

Thanks to some of the parents (Sheryl and Tammy) who volunteered to walk with the group.

Here is a pic taken before the parade (with our friend Milana!). 

In late October, 2014, MBTSA hosted the annual year-end banquet celebrating the accomplishments of Manitoba athletes at the Provincial and National level for the 2013-2014 year.

Special congrats to the following athletes:

Caitlyn - Juvenile High Point Award Winner!

Jenny - Sport MB Award (Sr A dance twirl champs - Single Ladies & Team Toba); Runner Up - Collegiate High Point Award

Jessica - Sport MB Award (as above); 4th place - Collegiate High Point Award

Laura - Sport MB Award (as above); 4th place - Junior High Point Award

Nikisah - Sport MB Award (as above); 4th place - Senior High Point Award

Rhaychelle - Sport MB Award (as above); Runner Up - Senior High Point Award

The banquet was held in conjunction with the Annual MBTSA Reach for the Stars Clinic so we were happy to have the clinicians, Michelle and Matthew, in our pic! Michelle also gave a great and inspiring speech for the athletes!

Thanks to all the AF parents who are on the board and make everything run for our athletes! (In fact, of our 6 athletes, 5 parents are on the Board!) Congrats to you too!

 

Many congrats to Jenny and Edie for being awarded the Sharon Holliday Memorial Award for Sportsmanship for 2014. This award is a national award given to individuals or groups who exemplify the spirit of the sport. Their dedication and love for baton are so strong and they are so worthy of this recognition. We are very proud of both of them and lucky to have them as part of our AF family! MANY CONGRATS!!

It was fun to head to Calgary for this year's Canadian Championships. The event has not been held in Calgary since 1991 and it was definitely overdue! The competition was stiff this year but AF athletes came through with some wonderful performances at the last competition of the season.

Results:

Caitlyn: made finals in 2 events at her first Canadians in tough BN divisions. 8th place BN Juv Medley and BN Juv Solo. Great job!!

Jennifer: 1st - Collegiate BI Solo and Solo Dance; 15th overall in Senior A freestyle (one of the best performances of the year)

Jessica: 3rd - Collegiate BI Solo - so nice to see her back and more confident this year

Laura: 4th - Jr BI Medley and BI Solo Dance 12-14; 2nd - A Duet 23-28; 12th - Junior A Freestyle (nice performance and came from 8th place to claim 4th in Solo Dance)

Nikisah: 1st - Sr BN 2-baton; 5th - Sr BI Medley; 4th - Sr BI Solo Dance; 4th - Sr B Freestyle (came from 8th place to claim 4th with an awesome final round)

Rhaychelle: 1st - Sr BI Solo and Solo Dance; 2nd - A Duet 23-28; 6th - Junior A Freestyle (nice performance and made finals)

Alyssa (honorary AF athlete!): 5th - Collegiate A 2-baton; 7th - Sr A Freestyle (beautiful 1 drop performance in final round)

Tonight - 5th place - Jr B Dance Twirl (had a rough time but kept the energy up)

Single Ladies - 4th place - Sr A Dance Twirl (very sassy and fun performance)

Great performances by all athletes - we just keep learning with every competition! 

SPECIAL MENTION: Jennifer and Edie were awarded the Sharon Holliday Memorial Award for Sportsmanship for their dedication and love that they show for our sport. We are so proud to have them as part of the AF family!

SPECIAL MENTION: Great job to Nikisah, Laura, and Rhaychelle who participated in the 140-member baton group for the 2014 Calgary Stampede Parade. It was extremely tiring but a memory they will keep for a long time. 

Finally, as you can see in the picture, we had a brush with greatness and were able to take a picture with 3 former World Champions! In the back row on the left is Hollie Neilson (5 time world champ), on the right is Carolyn Day (1990 World Champ), and in the middle beside Jane is Lucinda McMaster (former Winnipegger and 1989 World Champ). Beside Jessica is Ms Lynda Garland, former WBTF President for over 20 years. What a great memory for us to have!

Time for the summer break! Enjoy it and see you all in the fall!

At the last practice before heading to Canadians in Calgary, we have a surprise from KAYLA! She has been in Australia since December and she back in Winnipeg for most of the summer! What a great send off and it was so fun to see her!

Over the May long weekend, AF athletes competed in the Northern Lights Open competition and Canadian Team Trials. Other than Jenny, this was the first trip to Team Trials for athletes! What a great opportunity to see the best in our country work to represent Canada at the upcoming World Championships in Nottingham, England.

Here are the results:

Calitlyn - competed in open BN Solo, Medley, and Solo Dance (silver standard)

Jenny - 1st place Collegiate BI Open Solo; 14th place Sr. A Women's freestyle

Jessica - 2nd place Collegiate BI Open Solo; member of Bronze medal winning Team Toba

Laura - 3rd place Junior BI Open Solo; 7th place Jr A freestyle (1st time in A!!); Bronze medal in both Jr A Pairs and Team events

Nikisah - competed in open BN 2 baton; 1st palce Level B Sr Freestyle (!); Bronze medal in Team

Rhaychelle - 1st place Senior BI Solo; 8th palce Jr A freestyle; Bronze medal in both Jr A Pairs and Team events

We are so excited to see former AF coach, Cassandra, who made it from Regina to cheer on the atheltes! THANKS CASSANDRA! 

Thanks parents for all the support and for helping with video duty over the weekend! Time to regroup for the next competition in July - Calgary, here we come

In early May 2014, the AF athletes and coaches put on the year end recital. This was a chance for family and friends to see the athletes twirl and perform their routines!  This year, the recital was in support of Children's Hospital and each person was asked to bring a gently used book as the entrance 'fee' for the show! The book will be donated to the hospital to support the annual Book Sale.

We have a chance to also honour the athletes this year with year end awards:

Most Improved - Caitlyn

Most Dedicated/Sportmanship - Rhaychelle

Rec Award - Brooklyn

Athlete of the Year - 6th place - Jessica; 5th pla

ce - Jenny; 4th place - Caitlyn; 3rd place - Nikisah; 2nd place - Laura; 1st place - Rhaychelle

All athletes were presented with an 'AF Llama' tank top (apparently the llama is our unofficial team mascot!).

Still more to come for this year but it has been a great one! Thanks to Edie and other parents who take time to make this club so special

On the weekend of April 26 and 27, AF athletes participated in the 2014 Provincials Team Trials and Winner/Championships. The weekend was tiring for all the athletes but they pushed through with some good performances. Here are the AF results:

Laura - Jr A freestyle silver medalist; BI Junior Medley (no drop!), Solo, and Solo Dance gold medal winner

Rhaychelle - Jr A freestyle gold medalist; BI Senior Solo Dance and Solo gold medal winner (moved up in both events to A!); A Senior Medley Champion; Sr BI 2 baton bronze medal; Sr BN 3 baton silver medal

Caitlyn - Diamond award in Solo Dance (moved up to BN!); BN Juv Medley bronze medal; BN Juv Solo gold medal winner

Jenny - Sr A freestyle silver medalist; BI Collegiate Solo Dance gold medal winner; BI Collegiate Solo silver medal

Jessica - BI Collegiate Solo gold medal winner

Nikisah - Sr B freestyle gold medalist; Sr BI Medley gold medal; Sr BI Solo Dance silver medal; Sr BI 2 baton silver medal

Laura and Rhaychelle - Jr A Pairs gold medalists; Jr A Duet Champions

Special congrats to CAITLYN - Juv High Point winner; LAURA - tied for the Jr High Point winner; and RHAYCHELLE - Sr High Point winner!

AF Tonight - Jr B Small Dance Twirl winners

AF Single Ladies - Sr A Small Dance Twirl champions

We also welcomed our Nova Scotia friend, Alyssa, who qualified for the National Team Trials at the competition over the weekend. 

THANK YOU PARENTS for your support and continued encouragement! Next up? The 2014 National Team Trials in Saskatoon over the May long weekend! Wish us luck!!

 

Jane was nominated for a Coach Manitoba Impact Award and we (Jane, Leisha and Jenny) attended the awards breakfast on April 6, 2014. It was so great to be in a room with so many accomplished coaches. We are SO PROUD of Jane and her accomplishments as a coach, especially the 18 years she has invested in Aerial Fusion. Well deserved nomination! As you can see from the picture, we also had a chance to meet Kaitlyn Lawes, 2014 Olympic gold medalist (women's curling) and take a quick picture! Nice way to end off a morning when you can touch an Olympic gold medal!

It was a good day for AF at the 2014 Unicity competition at Robert Andrews School. More work to do as we

 head to Provincials in late April but we are getting there! Here are the results:

Caitlyn: Silver in C Solo Dance (first time!), Bronze in BN Solo, Silver in BN Medley

Laura: Unicity Winner in BI Jr Medley, Solo Dance, and Solo

Rhaychelle: Unicity Winner in BI Sr Medley (moved up to A!), Solo Dance, and Solo; 2nd place BI Sr 2 and 3 baton

Laura and Rhaychelle: Unicity Winners BI Duet (moved up to A!)

Nikisah: Unicity Winner BN Sr Solo (moved up to BI!); 2nd place BI Sr Medley and Solo Dance; 2nd place BN Sr 2 baton

Jessica: 2nd place BI Collegiate Solo

Jenny: Unicity Winner BI Collegiate Solo Dance and Solo

AF Tonight: Unicity Winners Jr B Small Dance Twirl

AF Single Ladies: 2nd place Sr A Small Dance Twirl

Special congrats to Caitlyn and Rhaychelle who were High Point winners in their categories!

Thanks to all parents who volunteered and worked in the canteen and to  family and friends for coming out to support.

The first competition of the year is in the books! Great job AF athletes and now we begin to prepare for Unicity!

Congrats to the athletes on some great performances:

Caitlyn - 1st place BN Medley and BN Solo

Laura - 1st place BI Medley and Solo Dance; 3rd place BI Solo; 1st place C Duet (with Rhaychelle - moved up!)

Nikisah - 1st place BN Solo and Solo Dance (moved up!); 3rd place BI Medley

Rhaychelle - 1st place BI Solo Dance and Solo; 1st place C 3 Baton and Duet (moved up!); 2nd place BI Medley

Jenny - 1st place BI Solo Dance; 2nd place BI Solo

Jessica - 1st place BI Solo

AF Tonight - 1st place Jr B Dance Twirl

Getting ready for Unicity - March 15/16!

The annual MBTSA banquet was held on October 26, 2013 at CanadInns on Pembina. Since this was held in conjunction with the clinic, our clinicians Karrissa W from Florida and Kiera W from Regina attended (as seen in the lovely pic!). Karrissa is a multiple international gold medalist and world championship finalist. She said a few words to inspire our athletes for the next season. Kiera is a national team member a

nd former junior world finalist.

Congrats on our athletes who had such an incredible year!

Laura - Sport MB award - Somebody (Bronze medal in Sr A at Canadians) and Team Toba (IC Gold medalists)

Jen - Sport MB award - Somebody, Team Toba, and Sr. A Freestyle 

Rhaychelle - Sport MB award - Somebody, Team Toba, Jr. A Freestyle and MBTSA Jr Grand Aggregate Award winner

Nikisah - Sport MB award - Somebody and Team Toba

Jenny - Sport MB award - Somebody and Team Toba and MBTSA Collegiate Runner Up for Grand Aggregate Award

Kayla - Sport MB award - Somebody and Team Toba and MBTSA Collegiate Grand Aggregate Award winner

Leisha - Sport MB award - Coach - Somebody, Team Toba, and Jr. A Freestyle

In addition to the GOLD MEDAL in the team event, AF and MnM athletes competed in 

individual events and had strong showings and a few brought home medals in those events as well!

The top 10 finalists in each event were recognized. Here are the individual results:

Jennifer A - BRONZE MEDAL Sr B Artistic Pair; 6th place Sr B 3-baton; 10th place Sr B 2-baton; 25th place Sr A Artistic Twirl

Jenny P - 22nd place Sr B Solo

Kayla - SILVER MEDAL Adult B Artistic Twirl

Nikisah - BRONZE MEDAL Sr B Artistic Pair; 6th place Sr B Artistic Twirl

Rhaychelle - 16th place Jr B Solo

The coaches are SO PROUD of your accomplishments and how well you all represented CANADA. Great job athletes and thanks to parents for all the support and cheering at the competition and at home!

AF and MnM athletes returned from the 2013 International Cup in mid-August and brought some hardware with them! TEAM 

TOBA brought home the GOLD MEDAL in the Team event, beating 19 teams in 2 rounds. With most parents in attendance, the atheltes gave the best performance of the season with a 2 drop routine in the final round. Many tears were shed and many smiles were shown.

Team Toba retained the first place spot they enjoyed after the preliminary round. The Top Ten teams made it to the final round - click the link to see the top 10! The team really worked together and used their positive imagery to help them stay focused and calm.

Manitoba is VERY PROUD of these athletes and some are already looking forward to the 2015 International Cup which will be held in Abbotsford, BC. 

 

 

AF, along with our MnM friends, travelled to the 2013 Canadian Championships in Moncton, NB from July 4-7.

Even in a very hot venue (no air conditioning with the humidex reaching +37 C), we had our most successful Canadians thus far and are so pleased with the accomplishments of the athletes. 

Jen A - Gold medal - BI Medley 15-17; Silver medal - BN Duet 29-35 (with Nikisah); Bronze medal - BI 2-baton 15-17; Bronze medal - BI 3-baton 15-17; 7th place Sr. A Freestyle

Jen P - Bronze medal - BI Solo 18+

Kayla - Gold medal - BI Solo 18+

Laura - Gold medal - BN Solo Dance 12; 11th place Jr. B Freestyle

Nikisah - Gold medal - Sr. B Freestyle; Silver medal - BN Duet 29-35 (with Jen A); Bronze medal - BN 2-baton 16; Bronze medal - BN Solo 16; 4th place - BN Medley 16

Rhaychelle - Gold medal - BI Medley 12-14; Silver medal - BI Solo 12-14; 8th place Jr. A freestyle

"Somebody" - Bronze medal - Sr. A Small dance twirl

"Team Toba" - Gold medal - Sr. B Large CBTF Team

After the competition, we all had a chance to relax and headed out to Shediac for some seafood, ice cream, and a toe dip in the Atlantic Ocean.

Thank you to the parents who were able to make it to the competition. The athletes also appreciated hearing from parents and coaches back in Winnipeg who encouraged them to do their best. Some coaches and parents even had a chance to watch the Live Feed of Canadians delivered by Bell through their computers! Again, great job athletes - we are proud of your accomplishments, regardless of medals. 

Kayla was nominated and then selected to be the City-TV Athlete of the Week! Congrats Kayla - well deserved! Here is the link to check out the story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMnSArHD2K8

 

 

Do you catch the recent local paper? Nikisah, Jen, Jenny, Laura, Rhaychelle, and Kayla were featured in an article celebrating their recent achievements and upcoming trip to Holland for the International Cup! Great article ladies! Click the picture or here to read the article!

Congrats to Rhaychelle who was recently featured in the Filipino journal after making the podium in Jr B Solo at the International Cup Qualifier in Barrie. Click this link to read the article - Page 7!

While some of you may have been relaxing over the May long weekend, AF and MnM athletes competed in a fierce International Cup Qualifier in Barrie, ON.

Some really great performances - now we work on consistency! 

THANK YOU to EDIE who was the "team mom" for the trip and really took care of everyone - coaches included!

CONGRATULATIONS to our athletes who qualified for the International Cup competition in Holland this summer. It is going to be so fun!

Jenny - qualified in Sr B Solo

Nikisah - qualified in Sr B Artistic Twirl

Jen - qualified in Sr B 2 and 3 baton and Sr A Artistic Twirl

Kayla - qualified in Adult B Artistic Twirl

Rhaychelle - qualified in Jr B Solo

All athletes, including Laura, also qualified in the B Team catetory with Team Toba!

On April 30, 2013, AF hosted its year end recital in support of Sagkeeng Spay/Neuter Initiative Program (SSNIP).

This organization rescues animals on reserves and helps to control the population on these reserves. We have athletes who have pets and some have been adopted and so we thought - how can we help? Former AF athlete, Jennifer Kasprick, is involved with SSNIP and so we decided to make this our focus for the recital. Family and friends were invited to bring pet food, toys, a donation or anything else that might be helpful to the organization. The athletes performed some of their routines that they have been competing this season. Year end awards were presented:

Most Improved - Nikisah

Most Dedicated/Sportsmanship - Jenny

Athlete of the Year points: 9th - Jenny; 8th - Caitlyn, 7th - Kayla, 6th - Kaylee, 5th - Laura, 4th - Brooklyn, 3rd - Nikisah, 2nd - Jen, and 1st - Rhaychelle

Special thanks to parents from our group who voluteer on the MBTSA Board: Paula, Terri, Dawn, Edie, and Jane. Special recognition was given to Dawn (who fixed almost every costume) and Edie (who organizes all the club work).

Also a great job was done by our 2 recreational athletes - Michaela and Brooklyn!

Finally, the free month of lessons for next year went to Brooklyn DeJong! Congrats!

AF and MnM athletes competed April 27/28 at the 2013 MB Provincials! All athletes had a good weekend and most of them will be heading to Moncton, NB for the 2013 Canadians in July.

Saturday's competition:

Laura - Jr B Freestyle Gold medallist

Nikisah - Sr B Freestyle Bronze medallist

Rhaychelle - Jr A Freestyle Gold medallist

Jen - Sr A Freestyle Gold medallist

"Everything" - Juv B Small dance twirl winners

"Somebody" - Sr A Small dance twirl champions

Sunday's competition:

Caitlyn - 3rd place Juv BN Medley and Juv BN Solo

Brooklyn - 1st place Juv C Solo (Score to advance!) and 1st place Juv BN Medley

Kaylee - 2nd place Jr BN Medley 

Laura - 1st place Jr BN Solo Dance and 2nd place Jr BI Solo

Rhaychelle - 1st place Jr BI Medley, Solo, Solo Dance, 2 baton and Jr B Artistic Twirl

Nikisah - 1st place Sr BN Medley, Solo, 2-baton and 2nd place Sr B Artistic Twirl

Jen - 1st place Sr BI Medley (score to advance!), 2 baton and 3 baton, 1st place Sr A Solo, and 1st place Sr A artistic twirl

Kayla - 1st place Sr BI Solo and 1st place Adult B Artistic Twirl

We ended the competition with slurpees for a job well done! Cheers!

CONGRATS ATHLETES! COACHES AND PARENTS ARE PROUD OF YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS. Moncton, here we come!

The luck of Irish was with AF at Unicity 2013 on March 17. Here are the results:

Kaylee - 1st place C Solo and 2nd place C Medley - MOVED UP IN BOTH EVENTS to BN!! Congrats!!

Brooklyn - 1st place C Solo and 2nd place BN Medley

Caitlyn - 3rd place BN Medley, 3rd place BN Solo

Laura - 1st place Jr B Compulsories

Jen - 1st place Short Program

Rhaychelle - 1st place BI Medley, Solo, 2 Baton, Solo Dance, Jr B Artistic Twirl, Jr A Compulsories

Nikisah - 1st place BN Medley and 2 Baton, 2nd place BN Solo, 3rd place Sr B Compulsories, and 3rd place Sr B Artistic Twirl

Jenny - 1st place BI Solo, 2nd place Short Program, 4th place Sr B Artistic Twirl

Kayla - 1st place Adult B Aristic Twirl and 2nd place BI Solo

EVERYTHING - 1st place Juv B Dance Twirl

SOMEBODY - tied for 1st place Sr A Dance Twirl

GREAT JOB EVERYONE!! 

The first competition of year took place on February 24, 2013.

Congrats to AF athletes for good first performances - now the real work begins!! Here are the results:

Kaylee - 1st place C Solo (1 drop!)

Caitlyn - 3rd place BN Solo, 4th place BN Medley

Brooklyn - 1st place C Solo, 3rd place BN Medley (first competition back since her injury!)

Rhaychelle - 1st place BI Solo, Medley, and Solo Dance 

Nikisah - 1st place BN Medley and Solo

Laura - 2nd place BI Solo

Jennifer - 1st place BI 2-baton and 3-baton, 1st place A Solo, 1st place BN Medley (moved up to BI!)

Jenny - 1st place BI Solo

Jennifer and Nikisah - 1st place Duet (advanced to BN!)

Somebody - 1st place Sr A Small Dance Twirl

Good luck at Unicity in a few weeks!

AF was recently featured in the Minor Hockey News! The publication is not only for hockey (although many years ago started as a hockey only publication). They highlight any amateur sport organizations and we were asked to submit something! Many thanks to Jenny for her testimonial :) Enjoy!

AF article

We had our annual Christmas party on December 12. It was a blast with lots of laughter and eating! The girls baked and we did our traditional ornament exchange. We also made time to set goals and unveil our theme for the year: Operation O.M.G. Ask an athlete about it!

Thanks for all of your creativity, spirit, and energy during the party!

Recently, the Manitoba Baton Twirling Sportive Association held the awards banquet for efforts made by athletes during the 2012 season. Many congrats to all AF athletes for good performances! Special congrats to Jennifer and Rhaychelle who received special awards - Jennifer is the overall high point award winner for the Collegiate division and Rhaychelle is the overall high point award winner for the Junior division! Great work ladies!! Keep it up! Looking forward to 2013...

Most AF athletes participated in the Reach for the Stars III clinic hosted by MBTSA in late October. Everyone had fun with Kayla McKinnon, current Canadian Sr. Freestyle champ and Gregory Thinet, former Jr World Baton Twirling champ. They learned a great deal and had fun. Here's a pic with Rhaychelle and the clinicians!

The two Jennifer's, along with mom Edie, headed out to Saskatoon in October for SK's annual baton clinic. This year, it featured athletes Keisuke Komada (Sr. Men's world champ) and Karissa Wimberley (Sr. Women 4th place at Worlds). Karissa coach and mom, Cheryl, taught as well as Deardra Leslie and Jill Ford. Ask the girls about it when you see them...they had an amazing time and are extra pumped and inspired for the season. They also had a chance to take some pics and here's one with the amazing Karissa!

Returning coach, Kim, got married on September 29th and some of our AF family made it to this special occasion. Kim was a former athlete in the club and is returning this season as a coach (see the Coaches tab to read her write up!). Rhaychelle was one of her first students and Kayla and Jennifer both had her as a coach previously as well. It was a lovely +26 degree day and we had a fabulous time dancing the night away! Congrats to Kim and her husband (and now part of the AF family) Tyler!

The 2012 Canadian Championships were held in Regina, SK in July 2012.
AF athletes had some good performances and, of course, we had a blast at the competition!
Here are some results:

Rhaychelle - 3rd Place - Jr. B Freestyle (out of 17!), made finals in all of her winner events
Jennifer - 1st Place - BI Sr. Solo!
Jessica - 9th place - Sr. B Freestyle (out of 19!)

We also had a chance to visit former AF coach, Cassandra Friesen, and had a BBQ at her house. It was great catching up!

The 2013 Canadians will be Moncton, NB and we are already looking forward to another road trip!

Congrats to Leisha! Along with Kristin Macaraeg, Leisha has been coaching and doing choreography for Trans Canada Team Athena. On May 20, the National Team Trials were held in Barrie, Ontario and Team Athena did their 2 best performances of the season and qualified for the 2012 World Baton Twirling Championships which will be held just outside of Paris, France! Team Canada leaves on July 26 and the competition runs from August 2-5. For more results from the Team Trials, check out ww.cbtf.ca. GO CANADA!

UPDATE: Team Athena placed 5th in a field of 19 teams at the World Championships!

The Year End Recital, Twirl-A-Bear, was held on May 9, 2012. Special awards were given to the following athletes:
Most Dedicated - Rhaychelle
Most Improved - Caitlyn and Kaylee
Sportsmanship Award - Brooklyn

The Athlete of the Year award was also given out:
6th - Jennifer
5th - Brooklyn
4th - Kaylee
3rd - Caitlyn
2nd - Jessica
Athlete of the Year - Rhaychelle

Kaylee won the yearly draw for a free month of lessons for next year! Congrats!

Good luck to Jenny, Jessica, and Rhaychelle who will compete at the 2012 Canadians in Regina from July 6-8!

CONGRATS to AF Athletes! We had some great performances and an overall fun day!

Caitlyn - BN Juv Medley (Silver) and BN Juv Solo (5th)
Jennifer - BI Coll Solo (Gold)
Jessica - BI Sr Medley (Silver), BI Sr Solo (Bronze), BI Duet (Gold), Sr B compulsories (Gold)
Rhaychelle - BI Jr Medley (Gold), BI Jr Solo (Gold), BI Jr 2-Baton (Gold), BI Jr Solo Dance (Gold), Jr B compulsories (Bronze), BI Duet (Gold)

Good luck to Jessica, Jennifer, and Rhaychelle who will be heading to the Canadian Winner/Championship competition July 6-8 in Regina, SK. Happy training!

CONGRATULATIONS JESSICA AND RHAYCHELLE!
Both had great 2 drop performances and we loved your energy!
For their efforts, Rhaychelle is the 2012 Level B Junior Freestyle winner and Jessica is the 2012 Level B Senior Freestyle Silver medalist!

Great work and good luck at Canadians in July!

CONGRATULATIONS to CAITLYN, KAYLEE, and RHAYCHELLE!
They are Level C dance twirl provincial winners AND, as of next year, they will be in Level B - that's right - they moved up!

The 1 drop performance was so fun to watch. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KG8khDuMsc

Aerial Fusion athletes rock it out at the 2012 Unicity Winner/Championship competition on March 17, 2012.

Juv C Dance Twirl - AF Together - 1st place (close to moving up!)
Kaylee - 2 drop Juv C Solo and a clean Medley (1st)
Caitlyn - 2nd in Juv C Solo (moved up to BN!) and 3rd place in Juv BN Winner event
Rhaychelle - 5 Gold Medals in Unicity Winner events! (1st in Jr BI Solo, Medley, 2 Baton and 1st in Jr BN Solo Dance - moving up to BI, and BN Duet with Jessica - moving up to BI!
Jessica - 3 Gold medals on the day! - 1st in C Medley (first time doing Medley in her career - moved up to BI!), 1st in Sr BI Solo, and 1st in Duet with Rhaychelle moving up to BI!)

Rhaychelle also won the 2012 Jr Unicity High Point award given to the Junior athlete with the most points on the day!

CONGRATS ATHLETES and THANK YOU to coaches KAYLA and JENNY for their work!

This year, 8 athletes from Aerial Fusion competed at the 2011 Canadian Championships which were held here in Winnipeg in July. First of all, we would like to thank all Aerial Fusion athlets and parents who volunteered during the event: Edie and Mack Parisian, Cathy Pososki, Jessica Pososki, Jennifer Parisian (who won a 50/50 worth $700!), Kayla Kamfoley, Jane Tan, Leisha Strachan, Tammy, Brooklyn, and Caitlyn DeJong, Corinna and Sarah Klassen, Karen and Kaitlyn Reimer, Jerome and Margaret Strachan, and other supporters! We are SO PROUD to have a small club with a great spirit!
Athletes who competed did a great job (including a no-drop freestyle performance by Rhaychelle!).
SPECIAL CONGRATS TO:
Jennifer and Kayla - Bronze Medal, Sr A Pairs
Rhaychelle - BN Medley Winner and 6th place Jr B Freestyle
Jessica - made finals in BI Solo

Jessica also made the 2011 Canadians structure in the picture! Thanks so much for sharing your talent Jess!

This year, AF dedicated the year-end recital to helping our baton friends in Japan. We raised over $250.00 for the cause and this is an incredible donation from our small club! Thank you to everyone who came and contributed!

Year-End awards were also given:
1st Year award - Kaylee
Most Improved - Jessica
Most Dedicated - Kaitlyn and Caitlyn
5 Year AF awards - Rhaychelle, Kaitlyn, Kayla, Jennifer
10 Year AF award - Jennifer

AF Athlete of the Year:
6th place - Bethany
5th place - Kaitlyn
4th place - Kayla
3rd place - Jessica
2nd place - Jennifer
AF Athlete of the Year - Rhaychelle

Congrats everyone! Great show!

The 2011 Provincials were held at River East Collegiate on April 16 and 17. Great job athletes! Here's a list of accomplishments:

Jenny P - 2011 Sr A Freestyle Gold medal; Sr A Pairs Gold medal; BI Sr Solo Dance winner; 2nd place - BI Sr Solo; BI Collegiate Duet Winner

Kayla - 2011 Sr A Freestyle Silver medal; Sr A Pairs Gold medal; BI Collegiate Solo winner, BI Collegiate Duet Winner

Jessica - 2011 Sr B Freestyle Gold medal; 1st C Sr 3-baton (with a score to advance!); 3rd place - BI Sr Solo

Rhaychelle - 2011 Jr B Freestyle Silver medal; BN Jr Medley winner (with a score to advance!); 2nd place - BI Jr Solo; 2nd place - BI Jr 2-baton; 2nd place open B Compulsories

Bethany - 1st place C Sr Solo and Solo Dance (first time doing solo dance!)

Katie - 1st place C Juv 2-baton (no drop!!! Received a score to advance!)

AF My Girl - 1st place C Juv Small Dance Twirl

Special birthday shout-out to Caitlyn who celebrated her birthday at Provincials!

CONGRATULATIONS to Aerial Fusion Pre-competitive athletes who, on April 10, 2011, won the MBTSA Pre-Event Challenge! All athletes are given points for results from their pre-events and AF ended up with most team points! This is the first time we have won this event! GREAT JOB EVERYONE!

Special congrats to BROOKLYN - 2011 Pre-Event Challenge Athlete of the Day and SARAH - 2011 Pre-Event Challenge Runner Up Athlete of the Day!

Congratulations to Brooklyn, Caitlin, Kaitlyn, and Sarah who twirled in group at the Unicity competition in the Juvenile C Small Division. For 3 of them, it was their first time doing group! The hard exchange was caught and the girls did an amazing job! They earned a first place award but, more importantly, they had a blast! Congrats girls!!

Congratulations to all AF athletes who competed at the Unicity Open and Championships March 14, 2011.

Special Congrats to these individual athletes:
Rhaychelle Tan - Unicity Winner in Junior BI Medley and Solo; 2nd place in 2-baton
Jessica Pososki - Unicity Winner in Senior BN Solo and received a score to move up to BI (Finally!)
Jennifer Parisian - Unicity Winner in Duet (with Kayla - score to advance to BI!) and Solo Dance Twirl; 2nd in BI Senior Solo
Kayla Kamfoley - Unicity Winner in BI Collegiate Solo and Duet (with Jenny); Unicity Collegiate High Point Winner
Katie - first time competing in 2-baton! Great job!

Well, the competition is over and the girls did well. We are still not exactly sure where Rhaychelle placed in solo (the sheets are lost??) but Jenny placed 4th in her solo dance (1 drop performance!).

As a group, we managed to get to all the parks so that was great but there are just not enough hours in the day! We have lots of stories - many about roller coasters and scary rides, shopping, the great weather. We all went on Splash Mountain and bought the picture from the big drop...it's hilarious. We will post it as soon as we can.

Yesterday, we spent some time at Animal Kingdom and went on the safari...awesome! Then Jane and Rhaychelle did the Everest roller coaster and then we did the Dinosaur ride (Jenny and Leisha are traumatized).

Finally, we did some damage at the outlet mall...President's Day sales!! Great deals and we have declared that to be the 5th park!

We are on our way back...leaving the 80 degree weather and back to snow...ah well. We have some great memories and hope that we can do it again in a few years.

See you soon! (Yes - Leisha will be at Wednesday lessons tomorrow night!) :)

Day 3 and 4 of Twirlmania saw the start and end of the competition! With EARLY mornings (Rhaychelle and Jen were lucky to have 8:15 performance times!), this competition was a challenge but a really good experience for them. Also, with temperatures in the 80s, we didn't mind getting up early to enjoy the sun later in the day!

On Day 3, the athletes only did freestyles. Jennifer had a few drops but was also in a very tough category. Jessica was a little dropsy as well but, even with penalties, ended up 13th in a group of 25. In that same group, Rhaychelle did a 1 drop freestyle and finished 6th overall!

Day 4 was the rest of the events. With 18 lanes on at once and a PACKED practice gym, the athletes definitely had to learn how to focus and I hope that the experience will help them in future competitions. Jessica's 2nd 3-baton outing was good and solo was good as well (10th place!). Jennifer's solo was quite good as well but her dance twirl was awesome (1 drop!). Not yet sure where she placed but will update asap! Rhaychelle's solo and 2-baton were good and she ended up 3rd in her freestyle strut (medley). The highlight was probably watching Jennifer Marcus' 3-baton and solo - absolutely AMAZING. Jess and Rhaychelle scored pictures with her!

Another highlight was participating in the night parade down the main street in Hollywood Studios. Jenny was IN THE FRONT (selected for her dazzling smile and costume!). Jess and Rhaychelle followed closely behind and everyone did great and enjoyed the experience. This was followed by the group going to see FANTASMIC (with Mickey and friends!) and a couple rides in Hollywood Studio and Magic Kingdom.

We'll have more time for rides tomorrow and will watch the collegiate finals for Twirlmania which will be at Epcot. Hope to send another message soon!

Take care!

Hi everyone! Well, we made it to Twirlmania 2011! Leisha, Jane, Rhaychelle, Jessica, and Jean (Jessica's Grandma!) arrive on Wednesday afternoon and were super excited but also tired! Once we took a short nap and had some food, we headed to start one of the main parts of the trip - shopping! :) Great deals at the outlet mall and, once Edie and Jenny joined us later in the evening, our little group was complete.

Disney is HUGE and there is so much to see. I'm sure the athletes will come back with many stories (namely Jessica and the 'snake', Jenny's candied apple, and Rhaychelle's...well, there are too many stories already to pick one!).

Thursday morning started with breakfast and then some practicing outside to get ready for Friday's competition. After practice, we headed to Downtown Disney for more shopping and sight-seeing (and eating!). Three hours flew by and then we had to start the competition planning by picking up our programs and passes at the Twirlmania registration desk. There are about 18 lanes for the open competition (as opposed to 2 lanes at our competitions!). This is going to be an experience for sure!

We ended the day by having a team dinner at the Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney (wearing some of our new purchases of course!). Please send good vibes to the girls on Friday...Jenny does her freestyle at 8:15 AM (I KNOW...gotta be up at 5:30!) and Jessica and Rhaychelle are later in the afteroon (between 4 and 4:30). We will let you know how it goes!

Wishing the whole club was here!! One day, we will HAVE to come back! :)

Have a magical day!

This year, AF had 9 athletes participate in the Parade of Lights as part of the MBTSA entry! I'm sure they were thankful for a fairly mild day. Great job athletes! They are: Katie, Caitlyn, Nicholas, Sarah, Brooklyn, Jennifer, Jessica, Bethany, and Rhaychelle. Many thanks as well to parents who volunteered to walk the route and take their children to the practice.

Our very own Jennifer Parisian has been elected the new MBTSA Athletes Representative! If any athletes have any ideas about baton in Manitoba or anything, please see Jennifer. She would love to talk to you!
Also, continuted thanks to our coaches and parents who continue to serve on the MBTSA Board of Directors - Edie Parisian (MBTSA Chairperson), Dawn Kamfoley (MBTSA Vice Chairperson), Jane Tan (MBTSA Treasurer), and Karen Reimer (MBTSA Membership Rep). Our sport is lucky to have you as volunteers!

Aerial Fusion athletes attended the Halloween Day MBTSA 2010 Awards Banquet. We want to congratulate all our athletes for their work this past year! Special Congrats AF athletes who received awards at the 2010 MBTSA Awards Banquet! Jennifer - 2010 Senior High Point Award Winner; Katie - 2010 Primary High Point Award Runner-Up; Kayla - 2010 Collegiate High Point Award Runner-Up. Great Job!

Aerial Fusion sent 3 athletes to the Canadian Championships in Toronto in July 2010. Jennifer, Kayla, and Jessica competed in dance twirl and team, with the team earning a 2nd place in their division. Jessica went on to compete in the Senior BN Solo Division and, out of a field of 17, Jessica did her two best performances of the season (a 1 drop in finals!) and placed 2nd!! Congrats Jess!!

Aerial Fusion sent 1 athlete to the Canadian Team Trials in Regina in May 2010. Jennifer Parisian, the 2010 Provincial Senior Freestyle Silver Medalist, endured some technical difficulties in her performance and learned a great deal in her first experience competing at the senior level with a very tough field of talented competitors. We are proud of her accomplishments! One highlight was a suprise visit from Kayla who drove from Winnipeg to watch Jen compete with a great poster in hand! Check out the results at http://www.cbtf.ca/trials2010.

How exciting! Some of our athletes featured in the April/May 2010 Twirl Mania Newsletter. Check it out on page 3! Twirl Mania Newsletter

On April 28, 2010, Aerial Fusion Baton hosted a year end recital. This included performances by our recreational and competitive athletes.

Thanks to everyone who came out to support!

Congratulations to those who received their white ribbons (Nicholas, Avary, Sara, Alexa) as well as those athletes to received their yellow badges (Sarah, Caitlyn, and Brooklyn).

Several special awards were also given:
1st year award - Brooklyn
Sportsmanship Award - Rhaychelle Tan
Most Dedicated - Kayla Kamfoley
Athlete of the Year - Jennifer Parisian
Winner of the Draw for a free month of classes for next year - Avary

Thank you again to all the coaches and athletes for a great year!

The 2010 Manitoba Provincials were held at River East Collegiate on April 24 and 25. CONGRATULATIONS to all athletes who competed! Here are some of our club results. A star indicates that they received a score to advance to the next level:

Level B Freestyle - Jessica Pososki (7th), Rhaychelle Tan (8th)
Level A Freestyle - Jennifer Parisian (Silver)
Level C Juvenile Small Dance Twirl Team - A Tisket (1st)*
Level A Senior Small Dance Twirl Team - In Style (2nd)
Primary C Medley and Solo - Kaitlyn Reimer (2nd place in both)
Juvenile BN Solo - Rhaychelle Tan (1st)*
Juvenile BI 2-Baton - Rhaychelle Tan (1st)
Senior BN Solo - Jessica Pososki (1st)
Senior BI Solo - Jennifer Parisian (1st)
Senior BI Solo Dance - Jennifer Parisian (1st)
Collegiate BI Medley - Kayla Kamfoley (1st)*
Senior High Point Winner - Jennifer Parisian

Looking forward to great performances at Canadian Team Trials in Regina (Jennifer Parisian) and Canadian Championships in Toronto (Jennifer Parisian, Kayla Kamfoley, and Jessica Pososki)! Stay tuned for more results!

Congratulations to all competitive and pre-competitive athletes who participated in the 2010 Unicity competition on March 20th. It was a LONG DAY but everyone survived! Thanks to all athletes and coaches for their hard work! Some results: JUV C SMALL Dance Twirl (A Tisket) - 1st; SR A SMALL Dance Twirl (In Style) - 2nd. If you have any pictures for me to post, send them along!

Great job to all athletes who performed at the Christmas show, December 16, 2009. You were so fun to watch! Special thanks to the coaches for preparing the athletes so well and thanks to all parents and supporters for coming to the event! It was nice to have the stands full!

The MBTSA Annual Awards luncheon was held on November 29, 2009. We would like to congratulate the following award winners:
Kaitlyn R. - runner-up - Primary High Point
Jennifer P. - Award of Excellence from the province - 2009 Jr. Freestyle Champion
Jane Tan - Award of Excellence, Coach
Cassandra Friesen - Award of Excellence, Coach

We are proud of your accomplishments! Also, congrats to the other Aerial Fusion athletes for all of their hard work over the 2008-2009 season! Looking forward to more in 2010!

Two Aerial Fusion athletes, Jennifer and Rhaychelle, twirled at halftime performances for Bison Basketball at the U of M on November 28th. Great job ladies!! Thanks also to Jessica who volunteered to look after the booth for the night. The next halftime shows will be on Friday, January 15th, 2010 at the University of Winnipeg. More info to follow...

Many thanks to the athletes and coaches who represented Aerial Fusion at the Parade of Lights on Sunday, November 15, 2009. I heard that baton was on the TV for about 4 minutes! Great job and thanks for being part of the baton community!