This summer, that dream will become reality.

The 20-year-old Lock Haven native and Central Mountain graduate has earned a spot on Team USA and will represent the United States at the 2026 World Freestyle and Rhythmic Twirl Championship, scheduled for Aug. 5-9 in Paris, France. The event, sanctioned by the International Baton Twirling Federation (IBTF), is considered the sport’s equivalent of the Olympic Games, bringing together the world’s top baton twirlers to compete for gold, silver and bronze medals.

McCulley qualified for Team USA after placing second in Senior Women’s Rhythmic Twirl at the U.S. Trials held March 26-28 in Aiken, S.C. She will also compete as part of the senior Nations Cup team.

“It’s kind of like a dream come true,” McCulley said. “I was dreaming of this day for so long, and now it’s here, and I’m like, ‘Are we sure?'”

PHOTO PROVIDED McCulley and fellow US Trials team are pictured.

A passion that started

at age FIVE

McCulley’s journey into baton twirling began when she was just five years old. Inspired by her aunt, a former twirler, she enrolled in baton classes alongside dance and gymnastics at a local studio.

“I started dancing when I was five and then twirling shortly after that,” she said. “My studio offered dance, gymnastics and baton, and I was like, ‘Well, why not all three?'”

She began competing at age six and quickly fell in love with the unique blend of athleticism, artistry and performance that defines the sport.

PHOTO PROVIDED McCulley competed against 60 other twirlers during the U.S. Trials in Aiken, S.C., earning a spot as one of twenty-five of the country’s best sport baton twirlers who will represent Team USA this August in Paris.

The moment that transformed a childhood hobby into a lifelong goal came during a competition in New York, where she watched members of Team USA perform.

“I saw Team USA and I was like, ‘Wait a minute, that’s an option?'” McCulley recalled. “I just have been working toward that my whole life.”

Overcoming doubt

to reach Paris

While earning a place on Team USA may appear to be the natural result of 16 years of dedication, McCulley said the path was far from straightforward.

PHOTO PROVIDED McCulley is pictured getting her start as a young twirler.

“There were many times I convinced myself it wasn’t a possibility,” she said. “I didn’t even think I’d be college twirling.”

Even at this year’s Team USA trials, she entered with tempered expectations.

“I kind of went in with the mindset of, ‘I’m not qualifying,'” she said. “I was already going to Paris with the team event, so I thought, ‘Why not add an extra event?'”

Then disaster nearly struck.

During the preliminary round, McCulley fell at the end of her routine.

“It was right when the beat dropped,” she said. “I walked off the floor and immediately started crying. I thought, ‘I’m not even making finals.'”

To her surprise, she learned she had finished the preliminary round in second place.

“I was like, ‘Are we sure about that?'” she said with a laugh.

The next day, she delivered a flawless finals performance without a single baton drop, securing second place overall and punching her ticket to Paris.

“For all the 16 years that I’ve worked, it kind of just feels complete,” she said. “It made all of that feel worth it.”

Bringing

artistry to the world stage

At the World Championships, McCulley will compete in rhythmic twirl, a discipline that emphasizes dance, musical interpretation and artistic expression alongside technical baton skills.

Her routine centers around the theme of a clock, with choreography designed to mimic the movement of clock hands while complementing the suspenseful ticking rhythm of the music.

“It’s more like dance comes first, baton comes second,” she said. “That was something I had to change for myself because I’m so used to focusing on the twirling part.”

McCulley trains with the Show Twirlers organization, traveling monthly to Findlay, Ohio, to work with coaches John Birkin and Sandy Rios.

“We just started choreographing from there,” she said. “It’s been really cool to work with coaches who think about movement and performance in such unique ways.”

A student leader

and athlete

Beyond baton twirling, McCulley is a junior at Kent State University, where she majors in visual communication design and minors in marketing. She serves as a member of Kent State’s Touch of Gold twirling team and is active in Delta Zeta Sorority.

Her leadership on campus earned her recognition as Kent State’s December 2025 Undergraduate Student Leader of the Month.

Before fully dedicating herself to baton twirling, she also spent eight years playing the cello.

Karen Cammer, president of USA Baton Twirling, praised the caliber of athletes selected to represent the country.

“The members of Team U.S.A. are gifted athletes who train with the dedication and determination of Olympians,” Cammer said. “Twirling is an aerobic sport that combines athleticism with artistry, and top twirlers must demonstrate many of the same skills as elite athletes in other sports: the speed of a sprinter, the hand-eye coordination of a hockey player, the artistry of a figure skater, and the flexibility and power of a gymnast.”

The support behind

the success

McCulley credits much of her success to the people who helped her along the way, especially her aunt.

An emergency veterinarian, her aunt often sacrificed sleep and personal time to transport her to practices and competitions.

“She would pick me up from school, take me to practice, sleep in the car and then go back to work,” McCulley said. “She taught me that if you really want something, there are no excuses.”

She also credits coaches Jon and PJ Birkin for helping her develop both physically and mentally.

“Twirling is more mental than it is physical,” she said. “The biggest battle is convincing yourself that you can do the things you’ve trained to do.”

Looking ahead

Before traveling to France, McCulley will also compete in the U.S. National Baton Twirling Championships in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

When she arrives in Paris, she looks forward not only to competing but also to meeting athletes from around the globe, particularly competitors from Japan, whom she considers among the sport’s strongest performers.

“I’m excited to see some of the best athletes in the world with my own eyes,” she said. “And it’s surreal to realize that I’m competing alongside them.”

Most of all, she hopes to build connections within the international twirling community and represent both her country and hometown with pride.

For McCulley, the opportunity represents far more than a competition. It is the culmination of years of sacrifice, perseverance and belief in a dream that once seemed out of reach.

If she could speak to her younger self, the message would be simple.

“Hold on and keep going,” she said. “The journey is worth it.”

Growing up in Lock Haven, she never imagined she would one day represent the United States on a world stage in Paris. Now, after years of hard work, self-doubt and determination, she has that opportunity.

“It makes younger me happy,” McCulley said. “I went through so much and put so much time into this. To finally be here feels incredible.”