The Prime Time Twirlers have been a fixture at parades and special events since their founding 10 years ago. This coming Saturday they will have an opportunity to audition for a nationally broadcast television program,”America’s Got Talent.”
All they have to do is travel to Jacksonville this Saturday and convince the producers to put them on the show. To accomplish this they have been practicing.
Being contacted by NBC to audition is considered an honor by the twirlers. Their Captain, Elin Jones of the Village of Mallory Square, was contacted by a talent scout who saw a YouTube performance of one of the routines they performed at the Showcase of Talent here in The Villages this past September.
Jones has been a twirler since she was 9 years old and has been involved with the Prime Time Twirlers since the group’s inception a decade ago. She said she is happy to have the opportunity to stay active and in good shape while doing something she loves.
Peggy Walsh, of the Village of Hadley, is the oldest member of the twirlers on the audition team. She visited The Villages eight years ago and saw all of the activities which were available. She joined a dragon boat team shortly after moving to The Villages and then got involved with the Twirlers.
Both Walsh and her fellow twirler, Maureen Carr, are breast cancer survivors. Carr, like almost all of the twirlers, started twirling at a young age. Carr came to check out The Villages seven years ago.
She was impressed with the opportunities The Villages afforded her to stay active. She went back to Connecticut, put her house up for sale and bought a place in the Village of Pennecamp. She has been twirling ever since.
“The Villages is an incredible place, where else can you find the seniors twirling?” she asked.
The squad consists of Elin Jones, Carol Williamson, Peggy Walsh, Maureen Carr, Debbie Winchester, Sandy Plano, Linda Schelling, Kathleen Kennedy, and alternates, Nancy Fair and Jan Mahaffey. They range in age from 50 to soon to be 77 with the average age 68.5.
The Prime Time Twirlers will leave Saturday morning on The Villages bus for the next stage of their adventure.
