Caitie Smith is South Carolina Feature Twirler

Sept 2007     

Caitie Smith, 18, is taking the field every Saturday with batons in hand and a huge smile on her face as she performs for more than 80,000 South Carolina Gamecocks fans at William-Brice Stadium.    Caitie was named feature twirler for the University of South Carolina Marching Band last spring after sending an audition video tape to the USC Band Director,  Jim Copenhaver.   She was soon called and offered the position as one of two University of South Carolina feature twirlers.      “I am having the time of my life,” says Caitie, a freshman at South Carolina enrolled in the Capstone Scholastic Honors Program.    “I am doing all the things I love best.    I’m studying hard as a pre-med major and attending band practice daily.    I love performing every Saturday at the football games and I feel so blessed to have been given this opportunity.  I just love football twirling.    I can’t believe it’s real!”     Caitie was a Wayne County High School graduate in 2006 and was Salutatorian of her senior class.    She performed as the Wayne County High School Yellow Jacket Marching Band’s feature twirler her senior year.     “I never dreamed I would get the opportunity to perform for one of the most well known college bands in the country known as the “Mighty Sound of the Southeast.”   I love being a part of such an awesome program like this.  Nothing can describe the excitement of standing on that field in front of 80,000 screaming Gamecocks fans and twirling while the band forms the tunnel for the football players to run through.   I am definitely having the time of my life.   I hope I can make the University proud.”     Caitie is the daughter of Lee and Tandy Smith and has a brother, Patrick, and a sister, Laurel.   She has studied dance and baton for more than 12 years and has won numerous advanced twirling titles and awards.    She was also offered the feature twirler position at Clemson University after auditioning last spring but says she is glad she chose South Carolina.     “School is great.   I have had a blast so far.  I am involved with several church organizations including a Sunday night college service called 7:13, Campus Crusade for Christ, and First Baptist Church of Columbia.   I am so thankful that all of my friends are good Christian people.  I was really worried that it would be hard to find friends like them.   Before I decided on a college, I prayed that God would pick the college that was right for me.   I know now that he definitely has!”