Beyond the baton: Syracuse athletics through the eyes of its Orange Girl

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The Orange Girls, Syracuse University’s featured twirlers, have stayed in contact through a Facebook group for years. They send messages to each other about their lives from across the country, but more importantly, the group is a tool for the current twirler.

Last year, Abigail Veccia became the newest SU Orange Girl, immediately receiving support from those formerly in her position.

“There is that sense of history with the Orange Girl that I love,” Veccia said. “And now there were quite a few past Orange Girl’s who reached out to me and (said), ‘welcome to the legacy. You’re gonna do great.’”

The feature twirler position started in 1947, when they were the one woman out of 100 men in SU’s band. Veccia is the 26th-ever Orange Girl, following a line of members who have always been a section of one.

Veccia has been twirling since she was 4 in her home state of Florida. She competed regionally, nationally and even internationally, earning medals and traveling abroad to countries like France and Croatia.

Lindsey Finkel opened her own twirling gym after Veccia’s first coach retired, leading a group that Veccia was a part of called Team Dynamite. Finkel said Veccia is equally devoted to helping younger twirlers as she is advancing her own career.

“If I were to walk in the gym and they were all there she would have (the younger twirlers) doing warm ups,” Finkel said. “She could read my mind.”

Veccia always knew she wanted to twirl in college, but she wasn’t sure where. Unlike other band sections, twirlers can only audition after being accepted into a school they’ve applied to. This is the unique aspect of collegiate twirling compared to other D1 athletes.

Syracuse stood out to Veccia because of its unique offering of a featured twirler. At most other schools, there can be as many as 10 people twirling, she said. But the feature twirler has a bigger spotlight and no one else is allowed to audition for the position while someone is holding it.

Cassandra Roshu | Photo Editor

A twirler since she was four years old, Abigail Veccia applied for the position of SU Orange Girl after being accepted to SU. The school is unique because it features one twirler, instead of many.
Cassandra Roshu | Photo Editor

Veccia reached out to Trina Catterson, SU’s Orange Girl until spring 2022, seven months before auditioning. The two chatted over a Chipotle lunch at Marshall Square Mall, allowing Veccia to pepper Catterson with many questions.

“You could just tell that she had the desire and the love to go to SU, and once we see that in a person, and they’re consistent in wanting to add to the Orange Girl legacy, they really stand out to us,” Catterson said.

An aspect of being the Orange Girl that Catterson emphasizes is being able to interact with the crowd. She learned that even if a trick is simple, she could make it look more impressive. Catterson saw that skill from Veccia throughout the audition process.

Beyond adjusting to twirling at SU, Veccia also had to adjust to the weather in upstate New York. The Dome played a part in Veccia’s decision to attend Syracuse, but her first Quad show forced her to adjust her pre-show warmup.

“The baton is metal, so you have to warm up your hands or it hurts a lot,” Veccia said. “I started getting hand warmers because I never had to twirl in the cold.”

Veccia also had to get used to being a part of a band, something she hadn’t done before. To get more connected with her band teammates, she started joining in on other sections’ traditions, like the alto saxophone’s “Hey Baby” serenade.

Going forward, Veccia said she is hoping to twirl at more sporting events, including some without the band like basketball and soccer games. She is especially excited for Feature Twirler Day on Sept. 9, where local twirlers will join Veccia on the field during SU’s football game against Western Michigan University.

“I definitely know that to represent a school is a sense of honor, and I’m very proud every time I get to compete,” Veccia said.