Canadians Compete at 2015 Congressional Cup Invitational
March 24, 2015 - Three CBTF athletes competed at the recent Congressional Cup 2014 Invitational competition held at Mount St. Mary's College in Emmitsburg, Maryland. CBTF Judge, Deardra Leslie, was also invited to be part of the international judging panel.
The Congressional Cup Invitational brings the best twirlers representing different organizations (CBTF, CNBTA, USTA and NBTA) in a single all-around competition. The Invitational competition combines Solo, 2-Baton and Freestyle events to determine their all-around ranking. This year's competition marked a special milestone for the Congressional Cup - this is the 40th anniversary of the Tournament and the 20th anniversary of the Invitational.
The CBTF athletes competing in the Invitational were:
- Nicole Johnson, Tornados, Toronto
- Kiera West, Sundown Optimist Buffalo Gals, Regina
- Matthew Johnson, Tornados, Toronto
In addition to those athletes invited to represent CBTF, two other Canadian athletes were invited as the CNBTA representatives:
- Cassidy Doherty, Camaros, Oshawa
- MacKenzie Ross, Camaros, Guelph
- Chantal Sutton, Camaros, Oshawa
Men and Women compete in separate divisions. There are no age divisions in the Invitational. In the Women's Preliminary Round competition, Canada's highest placing athletes were:
- Nicole Johnson finished 8th in Solo
- Mackenzie Ross finished 11th in 2-Baton
- Nicole Johnson finished 4th in Freestyle
- Nicole Johnson finished 9th in the overall result
In the Men's competition, Matthew Johnson qualified for the Finals. In that round, he placed 1st in Solo, 2nd in 2-Baton, 1st in Freestyle, returning an overall 1st.
Canadian athletes also performed well in the Tournament portion of the event. In the Women's Elite Solo 16-18 division, Kiera West qualified for the Twirl-Off. In the Men's Elite Solo 16-18 division, Matthew Johnson qualified for the Twirl-Off and finished first.
Women's Invitational Results
| Solo | 2-Baton | Freestyle | Overall | |
Final Round |
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| Lexi Duda | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Melissa Nugent | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Simone Esters | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Shaelyn Albrecht | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Rachel Reiss | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
Preliminary Round |
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| Laney Puhalla | 5 | 11 | 10 | 6 |
| Annabel McAtee | 11 | 6 | 9 | 7 |
| Madison Eis | 12 | 8 | 7 | 8 |
| Nicole Johnson | 8 | 18 | 4 | 9 |
| Kaitlyn Boyer | 6 | 9 | 16 | 10 |
| Gillian Brooks | 10 | 15 | 7 | 11 |
| Toriane Graal | 13 | 9 | 12 | 12 |
| Bailey Frankel | 13 | 4 | 18 | 13 |
| Kiera West | 9 | 16 | 11 | 14 |
| Chantal Sutton | 15 | 13 | 13 | 15 |
| Mackenzie Ross | 18 | 12 | 14 | 16 |
| Sophia Barden | 16 | 17 | 15 | 17 |
| Trina Catterson | 17 | 14 | 19 | 18 |
| Cassidy Doherty | 19 | 18 | 17 | 19 |
Men's Invitational Results
| Solo | 2-Baton | Freestyle | Overall | |
Final Round |
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| Matthew Johnson | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Michael Lopez | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Richie Terwilliger | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Preliminary Round |
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| Bower Sarra | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Jacob Griffith | 6 | 6 | 3 | 5 |
| Connor Rudd | 3 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
