High school senior Alyssa Brewer steps onto the airplane for the 3rd time this month, headphones on, and snack in hand. She looks out of the window as she anticipates hours of baton practice.

“Typically my practices on the weekends are from 7 am to midnight, depending on what my coach wants,” Brewer said.

Brewer started twirling batons at just five years old. She saw a group of them performing at a parade and she couldn’t stop talking about it until her parents signed her up. And once she started, she knew that baton twirling was what she wanted to do. 

“I just fell in love with it and I love performing for people and doing stuff that is unique [and] you don’t get to see a lot,” Brewer said.

Alyssa performs in and out of state, and flies out 2 or 3 times a month to perform and practice for Team USA 2025.

Getting on Team USA 2025 was both rigorous and difficult. It was a long process that was stressful for her coach and herself. 

“It was a competition among the teams at nationals and I had to beat everyone else out of it until I got into the small opening on the team,” Brewer said.

It’s quite an accomplishment, but even after securing a spot, the hurdles were far from over. 

“My coach actually got nervous about a week before Nashville [Nationals] and she gave us an entirely new routine the week before. So that was really scary. But we went out and we had no drops,” Brewer said.

And though Brewer is a nationally recognized baton twirler, she gets nervous and has some “pre-game” rituals to calm her anxiety.

“I put my earbuds in and kind of just zone everything out. I try to get in a mental space where I am less scared,” Brewer said.

Brewer is a constant performer – as she practices almost every weekend – and provides Grandview school spirit at football games and pep rallies. It’s a lot of work to be on Team USA, but she still pushes herself to continue to improve. 

“I’d say being on that team and being with people who are tremendously better than me and have so much more experience definitely pushes me to be better,” Brewer said.

With her schedule being so busy, she finds it difficult to find time to spend with her loved ones. But, she makes sure to keep them prioritized, as they are her supporters and her biggest help.

“When I’m home, I definitely try to make the most out of the time I have with them, and I mean, they’re all really supportive so that’s great,” Brewer said.

Brewer is an astonishing baton twirler and has come such a long way from when she first started. She is in love with the sport and is trying to continue doing it throughout college and beyond.

“It’s something that I never thought I could ever do, I love it,” Brewer said.