World Baton Twirling Championship Highlights

The first Canadian Team Trials was held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in May 1980 and the following athletes represented our country at the first WBTF World Championships held in Seattle, Washington in August 1980:

  • Junior Women – Susan Irwin, Krista Young, Lucinda McMaster
  • Senior Women – Cara Chisholm, Pam Wilson, Brenda Hasenfratz

Only Women and Men competed that year – Teams were introduced the following year in 1981 and Pairs in 1992.

In 1982, Alberta, on behalf of Twirl Canada, submitted and won a bid to host the 1984 World Baton Twirling Championships in Calgary.  This huge endeavor brought Canadians together working for the common goal to successfully run this international event.  Fifteen WBTF-member countries attended.

Canada continues to send many athletes to the WBTF Championships each year and to provide representatives to all WBTF meetings to ensure continued input into the direction of international Baton Twirling.  We have, proudly, had several World Champions – notably:

  • Stacy Singer – 8 time World Women’s Freestyle Champion
  • Hollie Neilson – 6 time World Women’s Freestyle Champion
  • Lucinda McMaster
  • Carolyn Day
  • Kevan Latrace – who represented Canada for more than 10 years
  • Jennifer Tangjerd & Leah Holliday
  • Buffalo Gals World Team 1991

And many others who have won silver and bronze medals in freestyle, pairs and teams.

Canada has won the World Cup twice, in 1990 (San Antonio, Texas, USA) and in 1991 (Padova, Italy).

Three Canadians, Lynda Garland (2008), Maureen Johnson (2013), and Ron Kopas (2019), have been awarded WBTF Honorary Membership recognizing their contributions developing the sport and the WBTF.

Canada has hosted the following World Championships:

  • 1984 – Calgary, Alberta
  • 1994 – Newmarket, Ontario
  • 2002 – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
  • 2007 – Hamilton, Ontario

In 2015, Canada again hosted the world at the 2015 WBTF International Cup in Abbotsford, British Columbia.

Also in 2015 in Abbotsford, Canada hosted the inaugural International Baton Twirling Federation (IBTF) Grand Prix. The IBTF Grand Prix was a world championship event bringing together athletes from the member countries of the World Baton Twirling Federation (WBTF) and the World Federation of National Baton Twirling Associations (WFNBTA).