Rothesay mother-and-daughter team Debbie and Stephanie Middleton say twirling a baton is like second nature to them, and want to pass the talent on

Stephanie Middleton picked up a baton when she was two years old. At six, she was competing. Now, at 21, the Rothesay resident is a national award winner and runs her own baton twirling club, Twirl Zone Inc.

“It’s fun,” Stephanie said. “People think it looks easy but when you do it it’s hard.”

Stephanie took over the role of head coach at the twirling club from her mother Debbie, who is now the assistant coach.

“It was hard,” Debbie said of passing the baton.

The mother-daughter team, both Level Two certified coaches, teach baton twirling at Rothesay Park School every Wednesday evening and in East Saint John on Sundays.

“A lot of people only see one side of us which is the parades,” Stephanie said. “They always think of that and it’s not just the parades. There is more to it than that.”

Debbie said the sport is similar to rhythmic gymnastics.

“People don’t have enough exposure to twirling,” Debbie said. “We’re always in the gym so they don’t see it.”

They may not always be seen, but the Middletons have been recognized nationally for their achievements.

Debbie was honoured with a Canadian Baton Twirling Federation Lifetime Achievement Award, while Stephanie won her second Senior Individual Challenge Cup Award this year, which she compared to a senior athlete of the year award. She also received the award in 2006, and was the first person from the Maritimes ever to achieve the honour.

“I was surprised to get it the second time,” Stephanie said. “It was a major shock.”

Debbie has been involved in baton-twirling for more than 30 years, and founded her first club 20 years ago, in 1988.

She has taught at provincial and national champions, worked with the provincial team from 2001 to 2006, and has held several positions with the national and provincial twirling organizations.

“We don’t believe in the words ‘I can’t,’” Debbie said. “It helps you later on in life because you don’t give up on things just because it’s hard.”

In the gym at Rothesay Park School on a recent Wednesday evening, members flipped, threw and twirled batons through the air. Stephanie led the pack, while Debbie visited with individual members to perfect their techniques.

Debbie said there is no age limit on twirling, but participants should be at least four years old when they begin.

“They learn about self confidence, friendship and working as a team,” she said. “When they start, they’re surprised that they learn to twirl so fast because they think there’s no way they can do it. That’s what I like the best.”

Stephanie, a recent graduate from the office administration executive program at New Brunswick Community College, still competes and practises twirling her baton everyday.

To learn more about the group, visit www.leaguelineup.com/twirlzonesj or e-mail twirlzonesj@hotmail.com.