LITTLESTOWN, Pa. -- Andrea Griesacker of Littlestown performs in twirling competitions "20 to 30 times" every year, she said.
Her next event will be the biggest in the life of this 17-year-old from Adams County.
Andrea, along with 15 other girls in her Maryland-based group TwirlTasTix, will perform Thursday at the Voices of the People pre-inauguration concert in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
TwirlTasTix will take the stage around 1:45 p.m., she said
"I'm excited because this is a really big opportunity," Andrea said. "When you look out and see hundreds upon thousands of faces looking back at you, it’s a little intense."
There are expected to be 100,000 people on the National Mall.
TwirlTasTix was chosen among hundreds of applicants nationwide to perform at the inauguration event.
"I think this is the largest thing anyone has done in twirling," Andrea said. "Everyone is kind of at a loss because no one has done something to this scale."
Andrea learned her baton group would take part in the event when her coach, Christine Zoll, surprised the group in December at a Christmas party.
Zoll only told the team she applied after it became apparent TwirlTasTix won a spot on National Mall stage.
Griesacker, the only Pennsylvanian on the team, says the group has been practicing almost daily since the holidays. For Andrea, that means more than a two-and-a-half hour round trip drive to Bel Air, Maryland.
She has twirled competitively since she was 9-years old. All the work has been worth it, she says, for Thursday's opportunity.
"I'm nervous because I hope we do well and show off twirling in a good light and show what twirling is."
