MEET CLEMSON'S 'FIRE GIRL'

What started as a joke by Mom turned into a dream for a little girl, and that dream has now turned into a reality. A journey is a million miles, but for a 7-year-old little girl, that journey began roughly 65 miles from Clemson University.

Let me introduce you to Clemson Baton Twirler Claire Kelly, a young lady from Jackson County, GA. She graduated from East Jackson Comprehensive High School, where my kids both attended and I once taught.

Claire's story is like so many, but this small-town girl's journey will tell you something different. Having any disability is a struggle, but when you have three, the odds of twirling at a D-1 school like Clemson are a real long shot. Claire has been diagnosed with ADHD, Dyslexia and a processing disorder. Just to give you a glimpse of how severely these learning disabilities affected Claire, she couldn't read until middle school. However, this young lady not only went on to defy the odds; she has overcome them on the biggest stage of all. From one side of little ole Jackson County to the other, most kids just want an opportunity to be part of a squad or a team, and Claire was no different. However, the high school closest to her did not offer baton twirling as a part of its marching band, so Claire commuted to East Jackson High on the other side of the county.

With all of this being said, opportunities like this one don't become a reality without a support system, whether it comes from coaches, teachers, parents, mentors, family or friends. For Claire, the foundation was set by her hero: her mom! Along the way, Claire was met with some personal challenges that in most cases would have forced most to quit and give up on their dreams. However, her mom and dad refused to allow those issues to derail her dream, and even in the darkest times, her parents made sure that her dream remained a reality. That was her foundation.

One of Claire’s role models is Carolyn Creel, the first-ever baton twirler at Clemson back in 1956. Coach Frank Howard saw her twirl and was so impressed that he offered her a football scholarship. Carolyn Creel paved the path for baton twirlers like Claire at Clemson University. 

Claire had plenty of influencers close to her has well. Lisa Langford was Claire's first baton twirling coach at the Jefferson Recreation Center with the Georgia Belle Twirlers. Another was Betty Rogers, of the North Georgia Star Twirlers in Northeast Georgia. Kristina Sutton is another baton twirling coach who took Claire under her wing. Claire's mom couldn't help but mention the weekly trips to Atlanta for Claire to take private lessons with her. Finally, Polly Fleming of Arnoldsville, GA, still works with Claire. I have always said that opportunity meets preparation, and that opportunity came at East Jackson Comprehensive High School thanks to “Mr. G,” the band director. If you know anything about East Jackson, its band is one of the top-notch programs in the state and even the country. Mr. G not only opened the door for Claire to get on the field and showcase her talent, but he did it with open arms. When his successor, Mr. Bagley, took over the East Jackson Eagles Marching Band, he also supported Claire's dream to twirl. 

On the field at East Jackson, she became known as the "Fire Girl" for twirling her flaming batons. While she didn't directly enter Clemson right away, she took a detour to Tri-County Technical College for a year and a half while still being a part of Tiger Band before enrolling at Clemson. Claire received interest from the University of Georgia, Alabama, Georgia Southern, Eastern Tennessee State and Coastal Carolina. Claire is a country girl with a passion for horseback riding and agriculture, though, so Clemson just felt like home to her.

Anyone familiar with Clemson knows that there’s something special in those hills, and Claire’s mom felt it. She mentioned how Clemson, though a prestigious university, was not too big. The respect of the community that came across, along with the safe environment, spoke volumes on their recruiting trip. She said it just felt right, and that feeling isn't something you can explain; it was hard to put into words. In talking to her, I was moved by the emotions she expressed when talking about Clemson. They were as raw and as real as they could be.

I asked Claire about her first Clemson football game experience, and it was almost like a fairytale because it was the season opener in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium against Georgia Tech. She was in her home state, just 50 minutes up the road from her hometown, and in front of several family members and a whole lot of friends. Once the pregame and halftime show got cranked up and she stepped out onto the field, she knew she was right where she belonged, even in her own backyard. Claire and her family still get picked on by Georgia fans back home for choosing the Tigers over the Bulldogs, but it's all in good nature. Make no mistake, Clarie says that she has absolutely no regrets about her decision to commit to Clemson University. 

With over 81,000 fans packed in Death Valley every fall Saturday, not many appreciate how much sacrifice and commitment goes into the pageantry that makes Death Valley so special. Claire and the rest of the Clemson Tiger Band put in at least 40 hours per week between practice, gameday and studies. It all starts with practice on Monday, followed by practices on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday morning. However, the game preparation starts on Friday after practice with a spray tan, then cleaning the boots, jazz shoes and the batons. On a football Saturday, Claire could begin preparation as early as 3:30 a.m. For later games, she is hard at it well into late Saturday night. On a typical Saturday morning, she runs to the practice facility with curlers in her hair and most of her makeup on. Then it’s off to the locker room to finish her hair and makeup before putting on her uniform. Then it's meeting with her team to go over final preparations, making sure they have their ducks in a row. Once all of that is complete, then it's out to meet and greet the fans and the little girls who dream of becoming the next Claire Kelly, while doing all of this with a big smile on her face. 

While some fans may take a baton twirler for granted, at the end of the day, she is just as important as anyone else in the Tiger Band and the Clemson University experience. Whether it's a noon kickoff, a night game or even an intermission when Death Valley goes dark and the LED lights come on, you can be certain that the preparation leading up to the performance isn't taken lightly.

So, if you happen to bump into Claire sometime, you might consider thanking her with a big bag of Skittles. That is what her mom used to reward her with for motivation when she began twirling. Claire is returning for a fifth year next fall, and you can rest assured that her baton will literally be on fire. That country girl will be savoring every minute, knowing that her success is the culmination of all of her hard work and persistence. And for the rest of us, Claire is a fiery example that if you have a great support system like her mom, dad and coaches, you can complete that journey of a million miles while only being roughly 65 miles from one of the greatest places on Earth: Clemson, South Carolina.