At first glance, Emily Doyle and Domenica Iocco look like ordinary incoming first-year students.
Doyle wants to study journalism. Iocco is leaning towards chemistry. They’re both excited to be Gamecocks.
But these two were chosen selected out of more than a dozen students from all over the country to be USC’s newest feature twirlers.
And in less than one week, Doyle and Iocco will take their place on the field in Williams-Brice Stadium at the first football game, batons in hand.
FRIENDS FOREVER
Even though Doyle is from Pennsylvania and Iocco is from Maryland, the two twirlers first met long before they discovered they would twirl together in college. They’ve known each other since a national baton twirling competition in 2008, where they represented their respective home states in the intermediate division.
By simply talking at competitions, Doyle and Iocco quickly found they had more in common than just baton twirling.
They even had similar collegiate aspirations.
“It was actually really funny because we both didn’t even know that the other one was trying out,” Doyle said. “It is great to finally not have to compete against one another and just have fun.”
Their friendship progressed from occasionally talking at competitions to sleepovers and twirling on the same team, the Wheaton Majorettes. They even began to learn from watching each other.
“She’s very determined,” Iocco said. “When she has to work hard, she will stop at nothing accomplish what she has to do.”
Both Iocco and Doyle said they’re relieved they won’t have to experience the awkwardness that comes with meeting a new teammate and learning how to work well with them; instead, they’ll just revive their old chemistry.
“We were such good friends, and we have such a good history already that it’s exciting to both start a new chapter in our lives together,” Doyle said.
CHOOSING CAROLINA
The stakes were high for Doyle and Iocco, since they were required to commit to a school before the audition for the coveted position of feature twirler.
But for Doyle, whose mother is an alumnus and boyfriend is a current student, saying “yes” to USC was a no-brainer. In fact, she visited so much that she almost felt like she was already a part of the school.
“I didn’t just have the normal school visit where I walked around and had just normal people telling me, ‘Oh, this is a great school, we have great food, we have a great football team,’” Doyle said. “I actually had people that had such a passion for the school showing me around, and I think their passion really rubbed off on me.”
Iocco, on the other hand, never expected she would become a Gamecock, much less be so excited about it.
“When I was looking at colleges, everyone was like ‘Oh, I have that dream school.’ I didn’t really have that for me,” Iocco said. “When we went down to visit the campus, I just fell in love with it.”
Even in the audition stage, the girls’ commitment to USC separated them from the other twirlers.
“They both are really excited about coming to school here, which I think is the most important thing that you can have,” Catherine Ramirez, former feature twirler and the first-ever twirler coach, said. “That should come through when you’re on the field, and I think they both really love being a Gamecock.”
TAKING IT TO THE FIELD
More than 12 twirlers contended for the top twirling spot, but only seven applicants were invited to campus for a live audition and interview. Those seven were narrowed down based on audition tapes and resumés.
When it came time for her routine, Iocco’s nerves were calmed when as soon as she saw Doyle; to Iocco, it was soothing to see a friendly, familiar face.
As close as the girls are, their audition approach couldn’t have been more different: Doyle wanted her audition and interview to reveal her passion for USC, while Iocco’s strategy was to show her true, total self.
“Going into it, I didn’t really know what the judges were looking for,” Iocco said. “I just tried to give them the best all-around and who I was as a person, not just as a twirler.”
And after a five-minute routine and an interview in March, all the girls could do was wait for a phone call to seal their future.
“It was so stressful waiting for the phone call because at this point I didn’t have any other options,” Doyle said. “I was going to USC, feature twirler or not.”
Despite the nerves and anticipation, the work paid off.
Doyle and Iocco stood out among the many other baton twirlers for the judges, including Ramirez.
Ramirez was looking for advanced twirlers with a certain skill level and strong multiple baton skills. Gymnastics and field experiences were worth huge bonus points.
Doyle and Iocco were the twirlers she was looking for.
A NEW CHAPTER
Although Doyle and Iocco knew from the start there was a chance they could become just another fan in the student section, neither could imagine not being on the field with the Mighty Sound of the Southeast behind them.
Now that she’s on campus, Doyle is especially excited for Saturday night games because for her, those games will bring a special challenge — fire batons.
Despite new challenges and obstacles, Iocco and Doyle have both been preparing for this opportunity for their entire lives.
“That’s been my dream since I don’t even know how old,” Iocco said. “I’ve always wanted to be out on the field with everyone cheering and everyone in the stands.”
But even a dream come true can be scary.
They were both feature twirlers for their respective high schools, but those crowds were minuscule compared to that of a Saturday in South Carolina.
“There’s a difference between maybe a thousand people and 80,000 people,” Iocco said.
“I definitely think that figuring out how to handle my nerves is going to be a little bit of an issue, but I really do love the atmosphere of twirling on a football field.”
But there’s a good chance that, come next Thursday, Iocco’s nerves will dissipate when she takes to the field.
After all, she’ll be right next to Doyle, twirling just like old times.”“:http://www.dailygamecock.com/article/2014/08/twirl-friends-catherine-ramirez”“:http://www.dailygamecock.com/article/2014/08/twirl-friends-catherine-ramirez”“:http://www.dailygamecock.com/article/2014/08/twirl-friends-catherine-ramirez