At U.S. PreTrials

Rhythmic Twirl added to U.S. PreTrials program

The United States Twirling Association (USTA) and USA Baton Twirling (USABT) are excited to announce that the discipline of Rhythmic Twirl has been added to the prestigious U.S. PreTrials program!

The USTA Technical Committee and the USABT International Technical Committee both approved incorporating Rhythmic Twirl into the PreTrials program in alignment with the existing PreTrials Freestyle structure, while also maintaining consistency with the IBTF Rhythmic Twirl discipline.

This change will benefit Rhythmic Twirl athletes who aspire to compete in the World Freestyle and Rhythmic Twirl Championship by creating a logical and recognizable progression for athletes, from the A Level to the Elite Level:

• A Level -> PreTrials Rhythmic Twirl
• AA Level -> PreTrials Rhythmic Twirl
• AAA Level -> PreTrials Rhythmic Twirl
• Elite Level -> Pretrials Rhythmic Twirl
• Elite Level -> IBTF Rhythmic Twirl

This structure will allow athletes to build competitive experience within the discipline while advancing to the Elite level.

PreTrials Rhythmic Twirl will follow the same age categories, time limits, and general rules of engagement established for PreTrials Freestyle. It will also have a qualifying score for advancing from the Regional PreTrials to the U.S. PreTrials.

The content restrictions for A, AA, and AAA Rhythmic Twirl in PreTrials will be modified to reflect the specific requirements of the Rhythmic Twirl discipline. In particular, the Rhythmic Twirl rules will recognize the no gymnastics/acrobatics requirement of the discipline.

For detailed information, please see the 2026-27 U.S. PreTrials Manual, which will be available later this fall in the USTA Member Portal under Documents.