Veteran Baton Twirler Whirls Through Life To Her Own Beat -- Tri- Cities Teacher Infects Students With Her Zeal

KENNEWICK - The first thing people notice about Bernice Van Dusen is her inability to stand still when she's holding a baton.

Black and hot-pink tips swish around her body as Van Dusen cocks her wrist in various directions. The aluminum baton disappears behind her back, reappearing on the other side before it swirls in front of her. All the while, she carries on conversations with the students who stand in awe of the quick flick of her wrist.

After 50 years, the baton has become an extension of Van Dusen. She first picked one up at age 8. Now, she teaches dozens of children the joy of twirling.

"It's just natural, I guess," she said. "You just pick up something and start twirling it. It's just like learning to type. It's still there years later."

Her first baton came from a carnival. It was red, white and blue with silver tips. She doesn't remember if her father won the baton or bought it, but she drove him nuts until he agreed to pay for lessons.

She learned twirling from a high-school drum major and at twirling camps.

Her big break came in sixth grade when her cousin, a high-school drum major, got sick and couldn't lead the band in the Spokane Lilac Festival parade.

"The band director told me I was the drum major that day, and I took it over after that," she said.

By eighth grade, Van Dusen was giving lessons to other girls. After high school, she began twirling in competition with a partner, Barry Christy, an airman stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane. The pair won several awards.

On her own, Van Dusen brought home more than 50 awards and trophies.

In 1965, Van Dusen and her husband moved to the Tri-Cities with the first of their five children.

That spring, a friend noticed Van Dusen's trophies on her shelf and asked the twirler to teach her daughter. That was the beginning of Van Dusen's 30-year teaching career in the Mid-Columbia region.

Today, she has more than 20 students and spends about 15 hours a week giving lessons, in addition to 10 hours of practice on her own.

The girls under her tutelage compete in groups, as pairs and individually. One of her groups was state champion in 1995 and 1996, taking the top honors at the Washington State Parade Corps' novice division.

When she isn't teaching twirling, Van Dusen can be found in her living room sewing warm-up suits, hair pieces or performance uniforms. Trophies stack one corner of the room, reflected in the large mirrors on one wall where Van Dusen and her students can watch themselves practice.

"I'm not home a lot," she said. "I'm home only to teach."

Tri-City high-school marching bands do not have twirlers, but Van Dusen wants to change that. She's working with several band directors to select twirlers. If that happens, then twirlers can be eligible for college scholarships.

Angela Hatfield, 11, of Kennewick, said Van Dusen is a great teacher, but she can be tough.

"When we're sitting down, she has to be tough to get us up," she said, admitting that sometimes the girls are lazy. But they practice the same move dozens of times until they get it right.

Van Dusen considers her toughness necessary. "I expect a lot out of them certain times of the year," she said.

Twirling isn't just about being able to hand off a baton as it spins. Van Dusen's students gain self-confidence that spills over into other parts of their life as they learn how to twirl, she said.

"They're able to do something which is theirs and to get out and perform in front of people," Van Dusen said. "You're teaching the kids discipline . . . just to see them accomplish something more than staying at home and getting in trouble."