Senior Jaida Jobe throws a baton 40 feet in the air, does three gymnastic front walkovers, and then catches the baton behind her head – with her left hand. 

This combination of athleticism and skill in Jobe’s signature move has earned her a spot to compete in the national qualifiers to represent the United States in the 36th World Baton Twirling Championship to be held in Sweden this August.

On March 20, Jobe took the floor in Indiana and qualified to return to the world championships.

After winning gold at nationals in Stockton last year, she faced 250 of the world’s best twirlers from countries like Japan, France and Italy at the world championships last August, taking home the silver medal in pairs.

“I was so honored to get the opportunity to represent the USA at the world championships in Turin, Italy,” Jobe said. “It was such an amazing experience, getting to see all the countries come together and create such an amazing competition. I’m so excited to be given the chance to retry out for the world team this year and see what the future holds for me.”

Jobe, 17, has been competing since she was five years old when her grandfather saw an ad in his local newspaper promoting baton classes. After attending a practice she fell in love with the sport. Over the past two years she has dedicated her time every day to baton, practicing three hours every weekday and eight to 12 on weekends.

In her 12 years of competing, she has collected plenty of medals ranging from 25 national cups, the 2023 California Grand State Champion, and gold in the seniors women’s category in Canada.

Jobe is a member of the Revolution Twirl Club elite-level baton team and is the top-ranked 18-year-old in the United States. Jobe competes in the solo competitive twirling category as well as pairs with her partner Julia Sawin. 

Jobe’s twirling coach, Kelly Perelman, considers her a generational talent.

“I’ve been working with Jaida since she was eight years old,” Perelman said. “I have taught hundreds of twirlers over the years and Jaida is the most talented athlete I’ve ever worked with. I’m so excited for Jaida’s future in twirling as she aims to be a world champion. She will be twirling for her college and be able to show thousands of people her skills.”

Jobe has always wanted to take her twirling career to the next level at Arizona State University, which has one of the most prestigious feature twirler positions in the country. Therefore, they host a three-round audition process that attracts many ambitious twirlers.

Jobe attended the second round of recruiting in February where she performed her own solo routine. She was recently offered the feature twirler position but is waiting for more college admissions to be released.

“I am so grateful that I was offered the ASU feature twirler position,” Jobe said. “Knowing that ASU holds one of the most prestigious programs in the country is truly an honor to be a part of.”