Meet the 15-year-old competition-winning baton twirler who balances intense training with her studies

You might not hear much about the world of baton twirling, but there is a 15-year-old from Northampton leading the way in the sport.

Remaya Barnes first began twirling when she was eight years old, six years on from when she started dancing, and she now balances her intense training with her studies.

After leaving Chaplins Stage School when it closed a year-and-a-half into her dance journey, Remaya’s mother Hayley Hendrickson rang around to find her daughter somewhere new.

Hayley, from Little Billing, said: “We were instantly drawn in by Top Hat Theatre School’s voice message, which is the same even to this day. There was such enthusiasm.”

Remaya attended standard dance classes until aged nine, when she was invited to go to a ‘baton camp’ by her dance teacher – who is also a highly experienced twirler.

“She has never put the baton down since,” said Hayley.

Remaya then joined the Top Hat Twirlers, who train at Duston Sports Centre, but something switched three years ago when she became more successful at competitions and continuously took home the top spot.

The 15-year-old has qualified to represent the country at United Twirl England in Liverpool in August.

The next step is to secure a place on the England Dance Team for the European competition, and compete for a spot to perform her freestyle in France later this year.

Hayley said: “I can’t put into words how proud we all are. Remaya sacrifices her friends and socialising for what she loves.

“She’s also a very intelligent young girl, and manages her intense training alongside her studies.”

To prepare for what is on the horizon, Remaya trains most days and goes to London every other weekend.

“She is nothing short of remarkable,” added Hayley, who praised her daughter for also achieving her dream of landing a place at a dance academy for her further education.

Though this is an exciting time for the 15-year-old, competing is expensive and visiting Liverpool in August is going to cost upwards of £1,000.

Hayley said: “All of our friends and family believe in Remaya, but they all know it is an expensive sport to take up.”

As she twirls for two different boards with different competition rules, this comes at a cost – and it will be a long time before the handful of boards merge and twirling can become an Olympic sport.

With an overwhelming number of people who wanted to contribute financially to Remaya’s success, a GoFundMe page was set up for donations.

Remaya will be spending 10 nights in Liverpool to compete in the Nations Cup and the Worlds, which will cost £75 per night.

On top of the £500 for accommodation, she competes with three teams and has to pay as much as £200 per costume and an entry fee just shy of £50 for each one.

As well as raising funds to make her dream a reality, Remaya and her family want to raise awareness of baton twirling.

Hayley said: “You don’t need to have previous experience in dance to do baton twirling.

“The best thing about it is the network of friends who become family. You know your children are in good hands.”

To visit Remaya’s fundraising page click here, and you can find out more about Top Hat Twirlers on Facebook here.