Carmel High Twirler to Represent Team USA in England
Carmel High School sophomore and twirler Samantha Rizzo has earned a spot representing Team USA in the first-ever International Baton Twirling Federation (IBTF) Nation’s World Cup Championship in Liverpool, England in August 2023.
Rizzo, 15, began twirling baton when she was only four years old and started twirling competitively at the age of six. She currently is the Feature Twirler at Carmel High School. When not in school or traveling to State College, PA, to work with her coaches Matt and Meredith Freeman of M Twirling Team, Rizzo is often at the Patterson Recreation Center where she has spent most of her childhood practicing the sport that she loves.
In July 2019, Rizzo competed at America’s Youth on Parade (AYOP) National Twirling Competition where she qualified to receive the Gold Invitational for Twirl Mania, a competition that was held at the ESPN Sportscenter in Disney World in February 2022. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Rizzo kept pushing and practicing in her backyard during virtual training sessions with Freeman. Her dedication and hard work earned her a spot in the Top 5 at Twirl Mania the following year.
Rizzo kept the momentum going into the spring of 2022 when she traveled to Wildwood, NJ to compete in the All-East Championships. After two days of competition, Rizzo came out on top, winning first place in both the Rhythmic and 2-Baton categories. In April, Rizzo competed in the New York State championships where she earned the title of state Strut champion.
Samantha credits her achieving her life-long dream of representing Team USA to her two coaches.
Rizzo is also grateful to Patterson Recreation Center Director Matt Chibbaro for opening the Center to Rizzo and her family to allow for countless hours of practice and rehearsal.
“We are so proud of Sammi for reaching one of her goals. She works hard, and it shows,” Chibbaro said.
Rizzo is also thankful to her friends and family for their unconditional love and support, and to her parents and siblings to partaking in this journey with her across the many, many miles to reach her goals.
This is a press release provided by the organization. It has been lightly edited and is being published by Examiner Media as a public service.
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