2019 WBTF International Cup
We are proud to have athletes representing Australia in the 2019 WBTF International Cup in the beautiful city of Limoges, France in August. Limoges is a historic city in the midwest region of France. The competition will take place from August 5th - 11th at the Zenith Limoges Metropole arena.
Athletes, coaches and officials are excited about visiting this stunning french town and we cannot wait for an exciting competition experience. It will be a huge international twirling competition with representative athletes competing in Solo, 2 Baton, 3 Baton, Artistic Twirl, Pairs and Teams!
The ABTA Committee wishes all of our athletes, coaches and officials a successful and rewarding competition experience.
Link to the enormous Set System (Program) is below.
https://www.wbtf.org/content/2019-international-cupgrand-prix-schedule
Results of the International Cup will be posted on the WBTF website.
A Message from the ABTA Coaching Director
I am pleased to announce that we now have another five Level One Coaches within the ABTA, who are registered and keen to coach! Congratulations to the following:
- Isabella Gordon - IDA QLD
- Julia Ryan - SCT QLD
- Amy Robertson - SCT QLD
- Britt Evans - SCT QLD
- Renae Edmunds - ETA NSW
If you are interested in participating in the Level Two Coaches Course it will commence in September, please email coachingdirector@twirlingaustralia.org
'Ballet Basics' has gone live and is a now a readily available resource for all coaches within the ABTA.
Coaching Tip
An athlete who can display a well-developed sense of musicality separates themselves from the rest of the competition. It not only makes a performance enjoyable and engaging to watch, it increases the demand placed on a twirler. Simpler content done musically increases the demand and therefore the VALUE of the performance. Inherent in every performance should be musicality and the ability to transform a piece of music.
A musical twirler never ignores the music to fit in more tricks. It is important to understand that musicality comes in many forms and there is no right or wrong way to interpret a piece of music. Think about phrasing - this is the way music is organised within measures. Where are the highs and lows? The cadences? The accents? How are the steps organised within the musical phrase. Which steps hit on the beat and which move through the rhythm?
For coaches wanting to develop musicality in their choreography, a good first step is to listen to music. Play the recording several times but listen to only one aspect of the music - the drums, the piano etc. Does it change? Does it stay the same? This activity will support your choreography and build a more musical program.
Competition Etiquette
With the competition season underway it's a good opportunity to remind everyone about some simple competition etiquette expectations. It is important in your role as a coach to not just coach the skills of baton twirling, but also to encourage and model positive sporting behaviours.
Encourage your athletes and parents to:
- Support and cheer for ALL participants. Not just the ones they know personally. Everyone is working hard and committed to the sport.
- Make sure your athletes are ready to twirl and take the floor to perform at their allocated time. Encourage athletes and parents to look the part - put some sparkle into their costuming, hair and make up.
- Sportsmanship - No tears or tantrums. It is difficult to control emotions and it is disappointing when athletes don't achieve what they set out to do. It is an important character attribute to behave in a sportsmanship like manner. Remind athletes that sometimes the other performer just had a better performance in that moment in time.
- The more we encourage everybody around us, the better the ambiance, the better people feel, the better everybody twirls. We rise up together.
