Team of the Month Plant City Patriots

By Victoria Shawgo

Often seen marching at the Strawberry Festival or the Plant City Christmas Parade, the Plant City Patriots have been a part of the community for six decades. Founded by Barbara Patrick, who began teaching in Plant City under an oak tree at Courier field in the early 1960’s, the Patriots do much more than offer sideline entertainment at local festivities. Patrick’s twirlers are a part of the National Baton Twirling Association, and they work hard to present competitive routines that have led them to the National Competition at the University of Notre Dame every year for over 50 years. Competition has many categories for both individual and group performers, and can involve twirling up to four batons at one time. Competitors begin learning their routines in September and compete from January through July in a variety of contests. Currently, they are gearing up for the first competition of the season on February 12th, at the Florida State Fairgrounds.

Prior to competing nationally, the twirlers must first succeed in the NBTA Florida State Championship, which is hosted by the Patriots right here in Plant City. Last year, Millie Rigdon took home top honors in the Beginner 7-9 Year Old division, and Lorelai Benfield won in the Beginner 10-12 Year Old division. This year, the championships will take place April 1st and 2nd. Patrick and her daughter, Lynann Hudson, also host the Golden Triangle Twirling Camp where twirlers of all ages, from beginners to advanced “wingdingers”, come together under the tutelage of national and world champion baton twirlers to hone their craft.

The Patriots have quite a legacy in the twirling world. Barbara Patrick is one of the original inductees into the NBTA Twirling Hall of Fame, and her daughter, Lynann Hudson, has won Regional, State, National, and World titles. Alongside her involvement with the Patriots, Hudson also coaches the Starlet Knights Majorette Line at UCF. Despite their many accolades, Barbara insists that her instruction has to reach beyond the art of twirling.

“You’ve got to teach them other things, life skills and things other than twirling,” she shared. “If not, you’ve kind of missed your opportunity.”

Honesty, integrity, and dedication are among the qualities Coach Patrick works to instill. She expects the girls to work hard, but also feels they need to know they have a strong support system.

“[We encourage them by] being there for them, correcting them, letting them know we have their interest and we want them to be the best that they can be,” she stated.

She continued “They’re all different. They all have a different style about them,” noting that it is important to assess the twirlers individually rather than offering ‘one size fits all’ instruction.

The Plant City Patriots currently offer classes for all ages at the Sadye Gibbs Martin Center. For more information, contact Barbara Patrick at twirlnbtaflorida@aol.com, or check out the Patrick’s Patriots Twirling Corps Facebook page.

Yourandyouforexperience

ISCELLARTHEVENUE.PERFECTTHEWITHSTARTSEVENTPERFECTTHEA

YOUWITHWORKWILLTEAMOURGUESTS. TOORDERINSTEP-BY-STEP

ANDFLEXIBILITYTHEWITHCENTEREVENTFOOTSQUARE2,000AMENITIES

The perfect event starts with the perfect venue. The Cellar is a 2,000 square foot event center with the flexibility and amenities to create a memorable experience for you and your guests. Our team will work with you step-by-step in order to execute your vision and bring your ideas to life.