Engage: Oshkosh Pride:

Led by Julie Seckar-Anderson MST '80, the Touch of Silver Twirling Corps won gold in April 2009 in the senior parade corps division at the National Baton Twirling Association's World Championships in Ghent, Belgium. More than 500 students enroll annually in Julie's Touch of Silver studio in Oshkosh.


AYOP 2008 – View from the Top July 28, 2008 NBTA Nationals competition came to a close with newly crowned champions for all to marvel.  Twirling was celebrated with a week long competition held at Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana.  Twirlers from all over the US and Canada traveled various distances to compete on a national level.

This was an especially competitive year as advanced twirlers, teams and corps strived to qualify as part of Team USA for the upcoming NBTA International competition to be held in the Belgium, spring of 2009.

Grand Corp twirl-offs held on Friday afternoon produced the following champions:

• Daley Debutantes – 2008 Grand World Parade Corp (Live Music) Champions
• Sue’s Stepper-ettes – 2008 Grand World Twirling Corp Champions
• Julie’s Touch of Silver – 2008 Grand World Parade Corp (Recorded Music) & Show Corp (with props & scenery) Champions
• Modernettes – 2008 Grand World Show Corp (with props) Champions
• Florida Super Stars – 2008 Grand World Flag Corp Champions

The National Collegiate Twirling Championships had the audience cheering on their favorite college twirlers.  To add a little fun to the contest, contestants were asked various questions related to their College and Major.  Karrissa Wimberley, was announced the Collegiate Solo winner.

The top 5 in the Junior and Senior Dance Twirl and Twirl Teams competed on Saturday morning.  Wheaton Majorettes were the strong finishers taking numerous titles in Tiny Tot, Juvenile and Junior Dance Twirl divisions.  The Dynamics of Maryland were announced winners of the Senior Dance Twirl Teams.  While Wheaton and the Dynamics also won a majority of the Twirl Team divisions, Heidi’s Heroes swept in to take the Juvenile Small Twirl Team title.

The National Majorette event closed with some exciting no-drop routines.  Top three in this event will go to the NBTA Worlds.  Winners include:

• Preteen National Majorette - Savannah Miller
• Junior National Majorette – Kristen Scali
• Senior National Majorette - Karrissa Wimberley

In addition, there were many individual winners in the advanced divisions of strut, two-baton, rhythmic twirl, men’s solo, men’s 2-baton, and duet are on their way to NBTA Worlds.

2008 Miss Majorettes in the four youngest divisions were named:

• Kylie Cates of Ohio, Little Miss Majorette of America
• Braelynn Neely of West Virginia, Juvenile Miss Majorette of America
• Savannah Miller of Missouri, Pre-Teen Miss Majorette of America
• Nicole Jensen of Iowa, Jr. Miss Majorette of America

The AYOP Big Show wrapped up with the announcement of the Miss Majorettes in the older divisions.  Danielle Vanscoyk of Maryland was crowned 2008 Teenage Miss Majorette of America and Tiffany Reicosky of Lansing Community College was named 2008 College Miss Majorette of America

During these final ceremonies competitors were reminded that they are all winners.  TwirlZone would like to congratulate all performers and coaches on a job well done!

For more results, visit the NBTA home page at www.batontwirling.com.

More photos coming soon!!

Letters To the Editor: Oshkosh fortunate to have talented group

(Oshkosh Northwestern, July 20th, 2008, www.thenorthwestern.com)

Oshkosh is blessed with a number of talented individuals and groups. Among the foremost talented groups are Julie's Touch of Silver Twirling and Danceline Corps.

Julie's Silver Corps turned in a golden send-off performance Wednesday night at Oshkosh North High School. One can choose from among the most superlative of adjectives to describe their performance, but local businessman Ken Kriegel said it best: "They're as good as Hollywood's great musicals of the past!"

Comes then the inevitable question: How is the evolution of such a talented group possible in a small city such as Oshkosh. The answer: it is due to the inspirational leadership of Julie Seckar-Anderson, plus the dedicated support of the countless many associated with the Touch of Silver Corps.

The Corps pinnacle performance Wednesday night, before a packed audience, was "Christmas: A Grand World Show Production." This was a grand finale worthy of national and world recognition, and shows why Julie's Corps continues to win state, national and world awards.

Thank You, Julie's Corps, for touching and warming the hearts of your audiences, but especially for reminding us that only through dedicated practice and hard work can we reach our own pinnacles of achievement.

Oshkosh is proud of each and every one of you, and we wish you well in your future competitions.

Dan Paulick

Oshkosh

Students twirl toward state competition

By Russell Plummer of The Northwestern • July 13, 2008

When members of Julie's Touch of Silver Dance Studio in Oshkosh enter Milwaukee Lutheran High School today for state competition, all eyes will be fixed on the girls' feet, form and baton finesse.

Every year the studio competes at the National Baton Twirling Association event, and every year they go in, put on a performance and then shift focus to nationals, held this year at Notre Dame University July 22 through 26.

Julie Seckar-Anderson's group of girls already competed at regionals, but entering at the state level allows for more practice and for judges set to arbitrate at the national level to see the girls a week in advance.

The studio is a powerhouse in juveniles 12 and younger, performing in a parade corps that involves continuous motion and twirling for a four-minute routine. A senior parade corps between 13 and 20 also rule Wisconsin with the added difficulty of exchanges and passes. In addition, the Christmas routine should go uncontested.

"Of course we want to win at the state level," Seckar-Anderson said. "What we are really aiming for is to be prepared for nationals. When we go to Notre Dame University and win nationals, then we qualify to do the worlds, which will be held in Belgium. We did that three years ago and went to Amsterdam and earned a silver medal.

"We always win at state, basically. The competition is big, but we kind of dominate. I hate to say it like that, but we do."

The girls will compete in a total of 12 events. While some girls will dance right through Milwaukee, others will face fierce competition from the likes of La Crosse.

Seckar-Anderson's 14-year-old daughter, Whittney, is a baton prodigy following her mother, who was inducted into the Baton Twirling Hall of Fame in 2003, and sister Lacey, who earned a four-year twirling scholarship with Michigan State University.

Whittney won the World Open Juvenile Strut Championships in 2004 and has state and regional wins. She will perform with a group and be on her own for solo, strut, model and two-baton.

"I pretty much do solos at every competition we go to," Whittney said. "I still get kind of nervous, but I am used to it."

Julie's Touch of Silver will have a nationals sendoff performance Wednesday at Oshkosh North High School's field house at 7 p.m. where the community can see the skills that take the girls around the globe.

"The kids like doing (the sendoff) for their friends and family," Julie said. "People really don't get to see all the routines we do. We do some performances and basketball games, but … if people come to the sendoff, they will see the dance routines."

Before the big sendoff, area girls will have plenty onlookers in Milwaukee. When a member performs, attendees take notice.

Russell Plummer: (920) 426-6623 or rcplummer@oshkosh.gannett.com

    Dream, determination lead teaching grad to international success By Sheryl Hanson ⋅ April 23, 2008 ⋅

Julie Seckar-Anderson never intended to make a career out of dance.

After graduating from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh in 1980 with a Master of Science in Teaching, she became a speech and language pathologist.

Her love of dancing was something she did only on the side.

Today, Seckar-Anderson owns Julie's Touch of Silver, which has an enrollment of more than 500 students, making it one of the Oshkosh area's most successful dance studios.

In addition to instructing, she also has mentored thousands of young women.

First steps

Seckar-Anderson began dancing locally at age 11, later studying baton twirling and classical ballet with experts in Chicago.

That training helped her to earn a scholarship to the University of Mississippi, where she was the feature twirler with the Ole Miss Rebel Marching Band for four years. A highlight of those years was a performance at a Kentucky-versus-Mississippi, sell-out basketball game.

"I was petrified but ended up doing a pretty good job and got a ton of good press, which was great for my confidence," Seckar-Anderson said.

Confidence, she added, has never been a given for her.

In addition to performing at half-time shows, parades and pep rallies, she served as the band's spokesperson at promotional events.

She returned to Wisconsin after earning a bachelor's degree in special education from the University of Mississippi and immediately enrolled at UW Oshkosh to earn her master's.

Even as a new college graduate — officially a part of the real world and serving four schools as a speech and language pathologist in the Hartford School District — her passion for dance continued to be a huge part of her life.

"My lessons never really stopped. I'd go to Milwaukee and Chicago to take jazz and ballet lessons," she said. "I soaked up as much as I could get my hands on. I never thought this would be my career."

Along with dancing, Seckar-Anderson also fit training as a model into her schedule, and later she worked part time in modeling.

The big leap

Two years into her career as a speech pathologist, Seckar-Anderson decided to follow her dream. With her parents' help and encouragement, she opened a small dance studio on Oshkosh's south side.

She started with just a few students that she had instructed from her home during college breaks and, later, from her home in Hartford. First renting the space from her dad and later buying it, she remained at that site until 1998, when steady growth precipitated the construction of a new facility at the studio's present location on 20th Avenue.

But for the first 10 years, the business grew slowly.

"Little did I know that that was a blessing in disguise," Seckar-Anderson said.

The limited amount of students and slower pace allowed Seckar-Anderson, now married to Dave Anderson, to stay at home with their four children during the day and work in the evenings.

As the studio grew in enrollment, her husband's involvement also increased. Her two daughters regularly joined her at the studio, and both became very involved in baton and dance.

"Having them at the studio with me made it easier for me to go to work," she said.

Her sons shared their dad's passion for sports, so the evenings were busy for them, too.

"There have definitely been sacrifices made by my husband and children, but in the long run, I believe it all worked out to our advantage," she said.

A winning routine

The achievements of Julie's Touch of Silver's students speak for themselves. Seckar-Anderson has coached them to national wins in various divisions since 1989, and they have won at least one national-championship title every year since then.

In 2006, her students were selected to complete at the international level in Eindhoven, Holland, where they won the silver medal in a competition that included 18 countries.

Both of Seckar-Anderson's daughters, Lacey and Whittney, have become forces in their own right in the dance world. Lacey captured the titles of 2003 Junior Grand National Champion, 2004 Miss Majorette of America and 2005 Senior World Open Solo Champion. She is the feature twirler at Michigan State University.

Whittney, the younger of the two, has won numerous state and regional titles, including 2003 Open Strut Champion, and has placed in the top 10 in her division at nationals.

The secret to Seckar-Anderson's success is simple:

"I love what I do! I enjoy teaching the beginners and the challenge of teaching advanced students. I love creating routines and 'pushing' students to talent levels beyond their expectations. I truly believe the key is my love for kids, my great family and having great families to work with — and who believe in and trust me," she said.

With more than 500 students, it is no surprise that Seckar-Anderson has many teachers on her payroll. She carefully selects each of them to ensure they provide consistently top-notch instruction and a healthy dose of encouragement. Teachers also help with choreography, costuming and more.

"My teachers are all expected to be positive and bring out the best in each student," she said. "We want the students to have fun and enjoy and love dance, but, at the same time, we want them to be able to learn and do so in a positive, encouraging environment."

Grade-point average is important, too.

"I expect the corps girls (who compete) to abide by the same rules as the high school sports teams regarding GPA. Most parents aren't willing to let their children continue in an activity that requires a lot of their time if their children don't keep their grades up," Seckar-Anderson said.

Each June, the studio holds a recital. This year's will be at Appleton's Performing Arts Center on June 14. All students perform, including those as young as 3. Students will perform jazz, hip hop, ballet, lyrical, tap, baton twirling, tumbling and modeling.

"We will have some big production numbers that should be very energetic and fun, but, to be honest, it is the little babies that always steal the show," she said.

A sterling reputation

Julie's Touch of Silver has earned a reputation for attracting students from a great distance from Oshkosh. Over the years, students and their parents have driven from Chicago, Milwaukee and Minneapolis.

Her students also drive from area cities, such as Appleton, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Kaukauna, Ripon, Waupaca and Wautoma.

Seckar-Anderson is quick to credit her professors at UW Oshkosh for helping her grow, both professionally and personally.

"Dr. Holman and Dr. Kyle were two who pushed me beyond what I thought possible," she said. "They were extremely tough and yet very encouraging and supportive at the same time. When I graduated, I never felt such a sense of accomplishment."

Her teacher training has helped her tremendously through the years, she added.

"I believe the education, early childhood and psychology classes I took at UW Oshkosh have helped me in my life and business throughout the past 27 years. Had I not studied education and only studied dance, I don't believe I would have been as successful as a teacher as I am," she said.

Teaching goes hand-in-hand with being a role model for the young women who watch her every day.

"Most of the girls who have known me for a while and have taken lessons and competed in my competitive classes think of me as a 'second mom' and often refer to me that way," she said. "I've been able to travel to many unique places with these girls for both competition and performances. Together we've experienced many close moments, both joyful and sad."

And her college goal of working with children has been fulfilled, she said.

"Being able to instruct students in a field that I love and being considered a role model is a lifetime achievement that cannot be topped. I am blessed."