One young girl’s introduction to baton twirling was a bit by accident. And now, eight years later, 11-year-old Rebecca Lantz of Lake Elsinore is reining National Baton Twirling Association (NBTA) State Champion.

"Well, my best friend Jenny did cheer and so I started doing that with her and one day our coach showed up late and we started baton twirling with Ms. Debbie," said Rebecca.

Under the instruction of Debbie Salem, Rebecca took baton twirling courses and reached the advanced level in only two years.

Soon after becoming an advanced twirler, Rebecca began performing at competitions in both Riverside and Orange counties, where it was clear that her talent was something uncommon among other local twirlers.

Stepping into the Lantz residence, it was easy to see this. Lining walls are various plaques Rebecca has won and both short and large trophies crowd the corners.

"We try not to clutter the house with too many of her trophies so we don’t make her brother jealous," admitted Rebecca’s mother, Janelle, an ex-architect who has since become a stay-at-home mom with the birth of her second child.

"We didn’t know she was going to be this good," Janelle continued. "We didn’t really want her to. But she loves it."

Even Rebecca agreed with her mother, adding, "She never pushes me. Mostly I have to push myself. And I’ve never missed a competition unless I was deathly sick."

Rebecca practices every moment she can but says she keeps busy with private lessons, ballet, jazz dance class and her brother RJ’s Cub Scouts.

Her dedication has paid off as now she is preparing to travel to Belgium to participate in the NBTA World Championships in April.

The only American to do so, she has qualified for all four different disciplines of baton twirling: rhythmic twirl, strut, two-baton twirl and one-baton twirl.

This will be Rebecca’s second trip to the NBTA World Championships. In 2006, at 8, she was invited for three disciplines.

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[ Chatton and Associates ] to bring home a gold medal in rhythmic twirl after competing in Holland against 20 other countries while being the youngest competitor to qualify.

"We got passports for our [teddy] bears at Build-a-Bear," Rebecca recalled. "My bear has come with me to every competition. I’ve had her since I was 3. She’s sort of my good luck charm."

"Her name is Cookie," she added.

Rebecca’s success with baton twirling has allowed the family to see much of the country and even other parts of the world.

Janelle explained, "Her competitions have become a family activity."

"My brother is always asking me when I’m going to compete again, because he likes the travel," Rebecca said.

Along with the aforementioned Holland trip the family has traveled to Florida, Ohio, Maryland, Arizona and Indiana, where Rebecca recently competed at the NBTA World Qualifier at Notre Dame.

Yet the competitions have not been all fun and games. Rebecca has had minor injuries, including a few chipped teeth.

"I was doing a whip toss" – a quick snapping toss of the baton from one hand to another, she explained – "and I missed the baton and it hit me in the face. I looked at Ms. Debbie and she told me, ‘Just smile and look cute.’"

Rebecca has also started twirling with the band at Terra Cotta Middle School in Lake Elsinore.

"Band review is much different from the competitions," Janelle said. "It really gets everyone going."

The performances with the band allow Rebecca to enjoy and practice her baton twirling without the stress and weight of competition.

To help with the cost of the trip to Belgium, her mother said, Rebecca and the rest of the US Baton Twirling Team are working on a Twirl-a-Thon fundraiser in which each member of the team will twirl for as long as she can at an hourly donation rate before switching with another team member.

"We’ll twirl until we’re tired," said Rebecca. "Like, really tired. We could twirl forever."

For more information about Rebecca, the NBTA, Twirl-a-Thons and baton twirling in general, contact Janelle at zjanellez@yahoo.com.