Katiemarie Owen \u201922 fulfilled one dream when she was selected to be the feature twirler for the Paladin Regiment, Furman\u2019s marching band, as a freshman. A second came true Sunday when she won the title of Miss College Majorette of Illinois, qualifying her to represent Furman at the Miss Majorette of America pageant in July.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the baton world, it\u2019s a big deal when you get to twirl for your school,\u201d Owen said. \u201cAnd when you go to the college level and you\u2019re a feature twirler, you then get the opportunity to represent your school at nationals \u2026 By winning this past weekend, I represented Furman. I had Furman colors on. I wore my Furman costume, and I really represented what Furman is throughout my routine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Owen took first place in all three required divisions at the Illinois competition, which was held in her hometown of Zion, a suburb of Chicago, at Zion-Benton Township High School. She began baton twirling when she was \u201c6 or 7\u201d and quickly climbed to the highest levels of competition as member of the Razzle Dazzles<\/a>, a Zion-based baton-twirling team.<\/p>\n