Tim Lyzen is known for being one of the funniest twirlers of all time. Other than his sense of humor, Tim graduated from NYU. He was also there Feature Twirler! This year Tim made it into the Top 4 in the collegiate championships at Twirl Mania! We asked him the questions you want answered!
Here are his questions:
1) What is your favorite part about twirling?
2) If you could change one thing about the sport where would it be?
3) What has been your favorite twirling memory?
4) Can you give your favorite/best tip to success?
5) If you could say anything to your younger self what would it be?
6) What/who is your biggest motivation?
7) What are your plans after college?
Here are his answers:
1) my favorite thing about twirling is definitely the creativity that you can have and express through this athletic form. we’re athletes at the forefront, but it’s really exciting to be able to have a creative element in a sport that can express who you are.
2) I love this sport so much and there are so many wonderful attributes about it. I think at this point, to take our sport into the future, we need to change our judging system to take our the subjectivity. It will never be fully taken out, but attempting to handle it will allow us to progress to the future and hopefully, Olympics.
3) My favorite memory would have to be getting to twirl at Yankee Stadium. It was an honor to be invited to perform for the NYU graduating class of 2019 and I was able to share my sport with over 18,000 students and all of their families and friends. It was a huge crowd and such a rush. Plus, a no drop!
4) My biggest piece of advice is stop stressing. It’s easier said than done, but the best performances come from when you’re relaxed and enjoying yourself. It translates through the movements. The judges want you to succeed, crazy right? They want to have a good time watching you and be able to give you high marks. Go out there, breathe, and realize that you’re doing this for fun and if you drop that baton, if you fall, fumble, whatever, it’s not the end of the world. You’re not going to remember it in 5 years. No one died. It’s just a blip in the routine so keep on moving and enjoy yourself.
5) Stretch! Only partially kidding. But really, just go with the flow. This sport has the unique opportunity to take us around the world, to different colleges, different venues, and beyond. Go with the flow and don’t try to calculate things so much. It will all fall into place if you let it,
6) My biggest motivations would be my coaches Mark Nash and Dale White. They give me so much support and love for this sport and I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing without them. As well, I would have to say Hollie Neilson. She revolutionized our sport and if I could be 1/100th as talented as her, I would be set.
7) after college, I’m taking two months off to train, perform, and work before I start my real job at L’Oreal. I think my competitive career is coming to an end, however, I’m finding some exciting opportunities to continue twirling and sharing our sport with huge audiences and venues so stay tuned! I’m really excited to see where this all lands.