‘As long as you are doing what you love’

East Kildonan

Transcona

Waverley West

As World Baton Twirling Day approaches — it is celebrated April 10 — a key figure in the local baton community is reflecting on how the sport has created so many connections for her through the years.

East Kildonan resident Tammy de Jong — a Sport Manitoba coach-of-the-year nominee this year — is the head coach of Sakura Baton Twirlers, which offers classes for boys and girls aged four and older at a number of locations across the city, including at Champlain, Glenwood and Linden Woods community centres, and at Hampstead, Harold Hatcher and Bison Run schools.

Last year’s team highlights included a trip to Europe in August, when several members of Sakura qualified to represent Canada in Turin, Italy, at the Nations Cup, after qualifying at a Nations Cup event earlier in the year.

The contingent that went to Italy included coaches de Jong, her daughter Caitlyn, and Yonatan Orlov; as well as duet twirlers Hailey Tsitrin and Danika Huff, along with teammate Kyle Doherty. Gennie Muller of Aerial Fusion, another Winnipeg-based club, was also part of the team.

On the schedule this year is a trip to Oshawa, Ont., for the Canadian Baton Twirling Federation’s Canadian team trials in May.

Doherty is one of the few male youngsters on Sakura’s books, and de Jong said she’s taken great pride in watching his continued development.

“Kyle has been in four competitions this year, and he works really hard,” said de Jong, noting he was a finalist in the men’s junior division in the two-baton discipline in Turin. “He’s really focused.”

Fourteen-year-old Doherty — who has been a member of Sakura for more than two years, having previously been a member of Aerial Fusion Baton — said the inclusive environment de Jong fosters and promotes at Sakura is a big reason why he dedicates himself to the sport.

It’s also a family affair for the teen, who lives in Transcona and attends Murdoch MacKay Collegiate, as his sister Kaitlyn, 18, also twirls.

“I like the people that you meet, and the sport in general,” Doherty said. “There’s also the creativity aspect.”

“Tammy is a positive influence, and she’s created a good environment for us, which is fun. We all become friends.”

Doherty is also football player, and he said there are certain overlaps between the skill sets needed to excel at the two sports, such as flexibility, agility and endurance.

He encourages youngsters who might not have tried baton twirling to give the sport a go.

“You can have a lot of opportunities and grow yourself as you do it, and also make lots of friends around the world,” Doherty said, noting that he and his fellow Canadian competitors learned a lot from their opponents in Italy last year, and brought home different ideas and perspectives.

Baton twirling is also very much a family affair for de Jong. Before watching her daughter, Caitlyn, grow up as an athlete and then become a coach, the northeast Winnipeg resident grew up strongly influenced by her late mother, June Wilson, who was heavily involved with the sport.

“I wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t for mom,” de Jong, who speaking on the fourth anniversary of her mother’s passing on March 17, said. “Because of her legacy, we’re still here.”

“My mom was an avid volunteer and supporter of baton twirling. She held roles as a convenor, and a Manitoba Baton and Canadian Baton board member throughout her lifetime,” she said.

“She was involved in any way she could be. We have some of our best memories together because of baton twirling. Many trips, car rides, and more. She came to all of Caitlyn’s competitions and performances and was the first one to cheer her and others on. He motto was, “as long as you are doing what you love…”

Noting she coaches six days a week, de Jong calls the baton twirling environment her “happy place.”

“When I go the gym, it’s about seeing the kids. We’ve built a community, which includes people that are new to Canada and kids of all ages. The older ones take the younger ones under their wing,” said de Jong, who believes twirling embraces skill, artistry and athleticism, and can be an inspirational sport for those involved.

“It’s important for me to greet all the students; their presence matters. This is a place where they can build some self-confidence. Someone just has to believe in them.”

Visit www.sakurabatontwirlers.com for more information.