Meet Darlene King Gaboury

Years involved in baton twirling.
I've been involved for 60 years.

What is your first memory of baton twirling? What made you start?
My mother was a Baton twirler/majorette who not only twirled for our Canadian troops in World War II but she also had the largest club in our area of Canada so it was inevitable for me to be a baton twirler and my birth announcement even said that I would be “A Majorette for Mommy.” 

What was the most helpful/impactful coaching advice you ever received?
To be myself in every way - to not conform to what styles might be winning at that moment but to develop my own identity. And yes and what used to be the USTA Miss Majorette of America I wore silver hot pants and white go-go boots instead of a gown and ended up first runner up so I guess that advice was spot on! 

What is your role on the Executive Committee and what do you find most rewarding about your work on the IBTF EC?
My role is the Judges Co Director. Having focused on coaching and choreography for so many decades of my career,  being responsible now for the development of the judges who sit on the other side has been incredibly enlightening and rewarding. Bringing these two federations together that have very distinct and unique ways of approaching the judging process has proven that when you take the best of both worlds you can create something extraordinary and it’s very satisfying to see that basically our judges see things very much the same regardless of their historical affiliations. 

What is your reason for giving back to the sport? 
Two distinct reasons- Life is about balance. I was extremely fortunate to have been given the chance to take part in this sport when so many other children in the world do not have these opportunities. The gratitude I feel for the extraordinary experiences I have had as a result of being involved in the sport motivate me to want to give as many children as possible the same opportunities. The most gratifying part of being one of the founding members of the IBTF  is to have not fully anticipated 11 years ago the amount of work and dedication it was going to take to bring these two Federations together as one, however, now be able to stand on the floor of the opening ceremonies of our first true World Championship in Liverpool and celebrate that, what we endeavored to start all those years ago was indeed not only what was best for our sport but also now has actually been accomplished!!

What is one fun fact about you? 
I can wiggle my nose and my husband says that talent might take me more places than my baton twirling has!! lol

What quote/mantra/saying do you live by?
“If you don’t scale the mountain you can’t see the view” I used this quote in my valedictorian speech and I didn’t know then just how true it would be all throughout my life.

What do you hope most for the sport of baton twirling –or—what are you looking forward to most at the first IBTF World Baton Twirling Championships?
My hopes for our sport are coming true - not only this summer but in the years to come as we gain the recognition that we deserve that puts us on par with other sporting activities. What I love most is that the well-being of our athletes has always been my top priority and this union is what is going to give our athletes the opportunity to have their dreams come true regardless if they are beginners just starting out or are the highest advanced athletes achieving their lifelong goals. 

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