Jaidyn Poole

Jaidyn Poole – Texas
Nomination & Photography by Capricho Photography
by Michelle Rodriguez
Issue 77 of Inspiring Teens Magazine

Nomination: Jaidyn Poole is one of the hardest working high school seniors I have ever worked with. She serves as Colonel of her dance team, marches with our band as a feature twirler, is available for volunteer hours and is a devoted daughter, sister and friend. She is humble, and kind and I am so excited to see all the opportunities her future holds. As a senior portrait photographer, it has truly been a blessing working with her.
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Photography by Capricho Photography

​Tell us about your dance career.
I started dancing at age four when my mom enrolled me in recreational dance at the YMCA. It was not long after that I realized I had truly found a passion for ballet. By age seven I was enrolled in a ballet school regularly attending classes which provided me with the strong classical training I have today. My freshman year I decided I wanted to chase my younger dreams and try out for my high school dance team. After making the team I served as line member, Junior Lieutenant, and my current position of Colonel of the dance team.

What is the hardest thing about being a dancer vs the most rewarding part?
It was not until I made my high school dance team that I understood how important the mental aspect of dancing truly is. Being a member of a dance team means being held responsible for remembering up to eight dances at one time. Coming from a ballet studio, this was an adjustment. Dance is also mentally draining in the aspect of self-doubt. Learning new skills can often leave you faced with a mental block that keeps you from performing your best. However, overcoming this obstacle and persevering through tough times is what I find most rewarding.

What is your favorite achievement as a dancer?
Being selected to lead my team has most certainly been the highlight of my dance career. I have always looked up to the dance team Colonel as inspiration and one who is a well-rounded leader. I have been in numerous dances over the years, but leading such a talented group of girls is a definite highlight. Having the opportunity to leave my team that I consider my sisterhood with my legacy is something I will never take for granted and will cherish forever.

What do you wish others knew about the sport?
The amount of dedication and role a positive mindset plays in one’s success. Being on a dance team means your attitude does not only affect you, but those around you. Having a rough morning can be seen not only in your performance, but in the energy that radiates off your fellow teammates. Dance is much more than ballet class or girls on the football field. Being a dancer means being an athlete, and although dance may be considered an art, we are training to be the most mentally and physically strong versions of ourselves to also benefit our team.

How did you get into twirling and what do you love most about it?
I started twirling at age eight after attending my sister’s halftime performance. My sister was a member of the color guard. Although I attended this game to watch her, I found myself watching the baton twirler in center field. From this point on I knew exactly where my heart was. I love twirling because it allows me to combine my dance training with the thrill of throwing a baton and catching it. Being the only twirler in my school district, I enjoy performing for the community and impacting those around me.

What is your twirl team like? Where do you fit in and where do you stand out?
My twirl team consists of many individual twirlers all competing at different ages and levels. My teammates range from little girls just learning to hold a baton to collegiate twirlers. Just like my teammates, you will often find me practicing early hours on the weekends, performing at football games and parades, and pushing myself to improve. However, unlike many of my teammates, I have the privilege of being able to split my time between the dance team and marching band. I spend time mastering dances for the dance team and routines as a feature twirler for the band.

What has been your favorite volunteer project?
Over the past year I have been volunteering at my local Fulshear farmer’s market. After being introduced to this market by a friend, I began volunteering regularly. I spend many Saturday mornings supporting small businesses by helping them set up their booths. Seeing people as young as me investing so much time in their companies has been truly inspiring. I have loved forming a relationship with these small business owners and seeing what all goes on when running a business. In addition, I do my role in the environment by picking up trash left around the marketplace.

Tell us about your family and what you like to do together.
My family consists of my mom, dad, older sister, and four dogs. My family has shaped me into the person I am, and I am forever grateful for them. My family is full of hard workers who instilled that same work ethic in me. We are often busy and lucky to find time to spend together. When we find the time, we often prefer to order food and just relax and watch a movie with our dogs. I treasure these moments in life that slow down for a moment to soak in time with the people I love.

What is a favorite family tradition you hope never ends?
Spending New Years Eve at my Great Aunts house is something I look forward to every year. This is the one time of the year where all my family gets together and can catch up. Seeing where everyone is in life and how much everyone has grown as the years pass always brings me joy. At this get-together we also get the chance to celebrate my sister’s birthday that falls that same day. Celebrating an amazing role model as well as the past year with people I love never gets old.

How would your sisters describe a perfect day with you?
Luckily, me and my sister do have quite a bit in common. We love to shop around, try new restaurants, and watch classic crime television series. Our day would start at a new restaurant that we found online. From there we would make a trip to lululemon where we could shop for our favorite athletic gear. And lastly, we would end up back home in comfortable clothes watching NCIS.

Where would we find you and your friends on a rainy afternoon?
Being a senior in high school, I am blessed to have formed the best friendships throughout my high school years. Anytime I get with my friends is the time that I soak in. While you can often find me out with my friends, we have just as much fun staying in. Lately, we have been into easy online recipes and our favorite now is candy salad, a mix of our favorite gummy candies. So, if we were stuck inside for a day, you could find us making a batch of candy salad and making TikTok dances together.

What inspiring things about you does your nomination not cover?
Inspiration has a different meaning for everyone. The people I find inspiring may or may not be an inspiration to others. It can depend on the situation or one’s personal place in life. I hope I can be an inspiration to others because of the way that I manage myself in daily situations. Every day brings new challenges, and I am hopeful that in most cases I manage myself with grace. I am hopeful that my level of involvement in my school and community just inspires others to get involved and live out their dreams just as I have.

What else would you like to talk about?
As a first-year student I started getting involved by joining my band as a twirler. I then tried out for my dance team and continued to get involved in other school activities. It is important for people to pursue their dreams and be able to ask for help and support along the way. I have been lucky to have supportive administrators and directors who pushed me and were willing to be creative allowing me to pursue my two passions of dance and baton twirling. Be willing to ask questions. Be willing to accept and be rejected too.

What do you feel passionate about or could talk about forever?
I feel passionate about dance and baton twirling. These two sports have shaped my life and have shaped me into the person I am today. I have danced since I was old enough to enter a studio and I have twirled since the age of eight. A good baton twirler really needs to have a good dance background and a good dancer needs to be able to apply dance skills in combination with other things. I love how these sports allow me to use my creativity to express myself in a unique way.

How did you find your photographer, Capricho Photography by Michelle Rodriguez? What was your experience like? What did you love most about it?
Michelle Rodriquez is my photographer, but she is also a friend. I met her through my high school dance team connections. She has a passion for photography and after her daughter graduated, she decided to really move forward with her photography business. She took senior pictures for another friend of mine last year and I loved them all. My mom does photography for fun, but we wanted something special for senior year so asked her to be part of the journey. We love her enthusiasm and positivity. We have a blast at every shoot.

If you had nothing to do and all day to do it, where would we find you?
One of my deepest forms of love is my love for animals. I do not think my life would be complete without my furry friends. I have spent time helping at local animal shelters for short amounts of time, but I would spend a day helping the less fortunate pets. It would make me happy to make a pet feel a little less alone.

What is up next for you that you are super excited about?
College is right around the corner and as scary as that is, I cannot wait to see what God has in store for me. As a baton twirler I have always dreamed of twirling on a college field. With college auditions coming up, that dream is slowly getting closer. Having the opportunity to chase the goals I set for myself at such an early age force me to take a step back and realize just how far I have come.

What is the hardest thing you have ever accomplished, and how did you do it?
Competing at the baton twirling World Championships in Liverpool, England was an incredibly hard challenge mentally and physically. However, with months of hard work and trusting my training I was able to place fourth in the world in my event.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to be where you are today?
Find something you are passionate about and find a way in which you want to make a difference. Your path will not always be easy, but each step towards success will show you even more about who you truly are.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years/what are your plans?
I see myself graduating from college with a degree in Fashion Marketing. I plan to work for a designer brand in the retail industry.

What is your favorite activity or pastime that was not in your nomination?
Me and my mom are both very crafty people, so I love helping her out with any of her projects. One craft that we often share together is adding rhinestones to my dance and twirling costumes.

Do you have a hidden talent? What is it?
While I am not sure it is considered a talent, an interesting fact about me is that I am bow legged. While this has caused some things within my dance and twirling to be more difficult, I have found ways to adapt over the years.

3 Things on your bucket list:
My life goals are to go cage diving with sharks, study abroad, and visit Greece.

Who do you find inspiring?
My mom is my biggest inspiration in life and the person I will always turn to first. In addition, all my past and current twirling and dance coaches have inspired me to be where I am today.

What about you inspires others/why do you think you are inspiring?
I have never been afraid to go after my dreams no matter the circumstances. Baton twirling is extremely uncommon in my community, but my passion to share with others while also balancing my time to share my love for dance shows others that there are no obstacles too large when you have a passion.

Is there anything else you would like to tell us?
I believe I covered everything. Thank you for this opportunity.

Look for Jaidyn in issue 77 of Inspiring Teens Magazine!

click here for more information in issue 77

click here to nominate an inspiring teen