Ennis aims for gold
MHS student has sights set on world competition
It is a rare occurrence in Porterville when one of our residents aims to compete with the world’s best in their sport, but that is exactly what Brandon Ennis is doing. Even more rare is the sport in which he is competing — baton twirling.
Few people see baton twirling outside of main street parades and halftime shows, but there is a community of athletes and coaches around the world that compete in officially sanctioned twirling competitions, complete with judges, cheering crowds and medal ceremonies for the winners. Ennis is part of this community, and his performance speaks for itself.
The Monache High School junior is currently training to compete for a spot on the USA World Team in January in Indiana. In order to qualify, he must complete a series of compulsory twirling exercises at the “elite” level, the highest difficulty level for his age group. If he earns a spot, he will represent the United States in international competition next summer in Florida.
Ennis first became interested in baton twirling at the age of 6. He saw baton twirlers marching with the local high school bands and was intrigued. Then he discovered fire baton twirling and was even more intrigued. He soon asked his parents for a baton of his own, and found one under the Christmas tree when he was 8. The adventure had begun.
He bought an ipad with money he raised selling duct tape wallets, and began teaching himself the sport by watching Youtube videos. With practice, dedication and the support of his family, Ennis was soon good enough to participate in twirling competitions, while simultaneously performing as part of the MHS Marauder Band Auxiliary.
Ennis has succeeded at every level as he has progressed through the age categories and skill levels of his sport, and he has a trophy case at home containing almost 50 medals, ribbons and trophies. Local competitions led to regionals, regionals led to nationals, and this summer Ennis represented the United States in international competition during the 2017 Grand Prix in Porec, Croatia.
“The best part about this is getting to experience opportunities,” said Ennis about international competition. “[I’ll] be able to say ‘Hey, I’ve been there and I’ve done that’ while staying humble about it.”
Along the way, Ennis has worked with a succession of twirling coaches, each guiding his progress through the competitive levels of the sport. His family realized that he had a unique talent when he caught the attention of Mark Nash, an eight-time world twirling champion and current executive director of sport for the United States Twirling Association. Nash, who normally only coaches twirlers who are already at the elite level, expressed an interest in coaching Ennis, who is currently competing in the AAA group. Together, Nash and Ennis are preparing for his greatest challenge yet: a chance to be part of the USA World Team.
Ennis’ training regimen is daunting. He typically practices two to three hours on school days, and two to six hours on Saturday and Sunday. The Ennis family travels to Lincoln two weekends a month so he can have training sessions with Nash. His parents have installed flood lights in their backyard so he can practice after sundown, including a light pointed skyward so he can see his baton during high tosses.
This effort is coordinated by Stanley and Naly Ennis, who run a home with five children, one of whom has special needs. All of the Ennis children attend different schools and have extracurricular activities of their own. When they are not busy raising their own children, Stanley and Naly are PUSD teachers.
“As a father, sports are important to me because they teach you how to win, how to lose, how to regroup and how to solve problems,” said Stanley Ennis. “We are trying to fulfill our children’s dreams. Brandon’s dream is to make the world team, and as his family we support him.”
The upcoming competitions represent Brandon Ennis’ best opportunity for international success. Brandon Ennis is 16, and this is his last year of eligibility in the junior age group. The next age group is the senior category, where the competition is substantially more difficult.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” said Brandon Ennis. “At the senior level there are more twirlers who have been competing since they were ages 2 to 5, and they’re really good.”
When asked about his thoughts on representing Porterville, Brandon Ennis smiled and said, “It feels amazing to help put Porterville on the map.”
Regardless of the outcome at the upcoming competitions, Brandon Ennis is a young man with plans for the future. He plans on attending college after graduating from Monache, and possible destinations currently include the University of Hawaii, Baylor and Penn State. He is in the Academy of Hospitality Pathway at Monache, and someday hopes to be a chef.