Performing in front of the whole school is a daunting task for any student, but sophomore Holly Krawczel made her Homecoming pep rally baton solo an act to remember. 

Krawczel started participating in sports her freshman year, attending virtual Poms and a shortened lacrosse season. She is currently on the RHS Poms team, using her extensive baton knowledge to contribute ideas and bring a lively attitude to the squad. 

“Holly brings great sportsmanship and energy to our team, she’s always happy to be at practice and really lightens the mood,” senior teammate Morgan Ohly said. 

Outside of school, Krawczel plays the rare sport of baton twirling, which she began at three years old. She currently twirls for the Wheaton Majorettes, a dance and twirl team founded in 1959. 

“Baton twirling is a really cool and unique sport that not a lot of people do,” she expressed. 

Not the first in her family to twirl batons, Krawczel follows in her mother and sister Mia’s performing footsteps. Recognizing her sister’s pep rally solos in the past, athletic director Michael Hayes provided Krawczel with the opportunity to showcase her skills at the Homecoming pep rally Oct. 1.

“Holly has a great performance quality and great technique,” Poms coach Erin Kelly said. “She takes feedback well and works really hard during practice.”

Krawczel spends two hours a day at Poms practice, contrasting her two to three hours on weekdays and six hours on weekends at baton practice.

“Motivation is definitely the hardest thing about baton twirling. It’s a lot of hours a week, especially on weekends,” she explained. 

“A lot of people are on the same level as you,” she added, “so it’s very competitive. You’re really competing against one another.”

Countless hours of hard work have led to great success for Krawczel. In 2015, she qualified for the World Federation of National Baton Twirling Associations’(WFNBTA) world championship competition and spent ten days in Italy. She will be attending this competition again in 2022, postponed from 2020, which is set in Eindhoven, Netherlands. 

“A lot of people don’t realize how hard it is, what she does with a baton,” Ohly said. 

Despite being well versed in performing for large audiences, Krawczel admitted this was her first major performance in front of her whole school. 

“I’m used to performing in front of people I don’t know, so I don’t care about their opinions as much,” she said. “But, I knew all these people. There were a lot of nerves going through my body.”

However, once she started performing, the nerves went away and were replaced by adrenaline, she added. 

Looking towards the future, Krawczel plans to practice hard in preparation for the Netherlands. She’s also determined to give her all to the Rockville Poms. 

“I’m super excited for the Poms competition season and can’t wait for the Netherlands,” she said.