Northern Strut team members twirl up some superior scores
Members of the Northern Strut Twirling Team are, first row, left to right, Jessica Kozar, Adele Colonna, Cassidy Oyler and Jenna Benson; middle row, Tara Schuster, Kathryn Rosinski, Karlie Kowal and Madeline Crish; and back row, Emmy Graffius, Shannon Chaffee, Anngel Benson, Megan Howard, Monica Mattiussi, Emily Combs and Alyssa Thomas. Missing from the photo is Katie Brown, Amanda Orr, Rebecca Platt, Meghan Susko and Jessica Yozwiak.
WESTERVILLE, OHIO
Northern Strut Twirling Team members from around the Valley earned high marks at the Marching Auxiliaries Ohio Classic Regional Competition at Westerville Central High School in Westerville, Ohio.
Team members who competed follow: Monica Mattiussi of Austintown; Katie Brown, Shannon Chaffee, Megan Howard, Jessica Kozar, Cassidy Oyler, Kathryn Rosinski, Tara Schuster and Jessica Yozwiak, all of Boardman; Anngel Benson and Jenna Benson of Campbell; Adele Colonna, Amanda Orr and Alyssa Thomas of Canfield; Emmy Graffius of Ellsworth; Madeline Crish, Karlie Kowal, Meghan Susko, all of Poland; and Emily Combs and Rebecca Platt of Springfield.
In the team twirl category, Brown, Crish, Orr, Platt, Susko and Yozwiak received a Superior I rating and won the high school team twirl. They also were awarded the Choreography Award, Best in Class Award and Winner’s Cup for highest scoring auxiliary team routine.
The team twirl of Anngel Benson, Jenna Benson, Combs, Kozar, Oyler and Schuster received a Superior I rating and Choreography Award.
Competing in the twirling ensemble division, Crish and Chaffee performed a dance twirl routine, which received a Superior I rating and won the senior ensemble division.
All four performers in the color guard solo category received Superior I ratings. Graffius won the 11-12th grade division, Rosinski was first runner-up, Kowal was second runner-up and Thomas won the 9-10th grade division.
In the twirling solo category, all twirlers received a Superior I rating.
Also earning placements were Yozwiak, high school winner; Howard, 11-12th grade winner; Rosinski, 11-12th grade first runner-up; Chaffee, 11-12th grade second runner-up; Mattiussi, 9-10th grade winner; Crish, 9-10th grade first runner-up; Oyler, 9-10th grade second runner-up; Colonna, Pre-K winner.
Northern Strut Twirling Teams, established in 1995, is a local twirling group that specializes in recreational and competitive baton twirling, recreational and competitive flag twirling and majorette/color guard preparation. Northern Strut is under the direction of Janet Gbur with flag instruction by Phemie Colonna and additional instruction by Katie Brown and Rebecca Platt.