Five days a week. Six to eight hours a day. In the scorching hot Florida sun.

Who could ever guess baton twirling would require such rigorous training?

Turns out, the sport requires a high level of physical endurance – along with a lot of arm and core strength. Also, let’s not forget the amount of hand-eye coordination and flexibility needed to perform the intricate routines.

Stetson University freshman Eryn McCoy knows all about the sport of twirling. This spring, the sociology and Spanish double-major from Kissimmee, Fla., competed in the Florida State Championships for baton twirling – winning the Advanced State Collegiate Twirling title and the Advanced State Twirl-Off!

McCoy started twirling at age 3, and began competing at her hometown recreation department when she was 6. What began as a bonding experience with her two older sisters turned into a life-long passion.

“Being on the floor is really exhilarating,” she said. “You have your adrenaline pumping, and your nerves seem to disappear as soon as you begin performing.”

Now 19, McCoy has acquired some of the highest titles in baton twirling. In addition to being the 2012 Florida State College Twirling Champion and 2012 Advanced State Twirl-Off Champion, she’s won second place in solo (intermediate division) at nationals and was 2010 and 2011 Intermediate Florida Pageant Winner. She competes at nationals every summer atNotre DameUniversity. Now that she’s a Stetson student, she twirls in the collegiate category.

In addition to the daily physical training McCoy fits in between her Stetson classes, she practices dance and learns routines required for her sport.

McCoy most commonly competes in the solo division (one baton). Tricks include different spin variations (three to five spins in the air) and catching positions (left hand, backhand, behind the back, behind the head, etc.). However, strut events don’t allow the baton to be thrown, but rather are competitions of grace and flexibility. Other divisions include: two baton, three baton, duet and modeling.

McCoy said her background in dance has helped tremendously with her twirling. “It is incorporated into all the routines, so having prior experience keeps you from getting frustrated with the dance moves,” she said.

Through twirling, McCoy said, she has become more confident and graceful, and the interview portion of pageants has helped increase her public-speaking skills. She has also learned how to manage her time between her schoolwork, social life and competing.

McCoy plans to continue competing throughout college and, after graduation, plans to become a United States consular ambassador in association with international adoption. She also hopes to remain in the twirling community by obtaining her judge’s license and assisting in coaching her team back home.

By Kathryn Casano ’15, student assistant in Stetson University Marketing