As we begin spring semester at Mizzou, we find ourselves in the great company of our football team who brought us the title of Cotton Bowl Champions. Mizzou Feature Twirler and sister of Alpha Chi Omega, Halie Hart, had the honor of representing Mizzou on the field at the Cotton Bowl. She retells the experience of performing at AT&T Stadium during the game as one she will never forget.

Q: What was it like being at the Cotton Bowl?
Halie (H): The whole experience was beyond incredible. Since our Tigers had as successful of a season as we did, this bowl was such a fun way to cap it off. We [Marching Mizzou] were treated like royalty by the Cotton Bowl organization all week which made it that much better!

Q: What was your favorite part about being at the game?
H: I'm actually a Dallas Cowboys fan, so performing in 'Jerry World' arena and cheering our Tigers on to victory was the icing on the cake. With that being said, I suppose playing in the confetti on the field afterwards was the sprinkles!

Q: What was the drive getting to Dallas like?
H: I live in the Tulsa, OK area [Owasso], so I actually traveled separately from the rest of the M2 crew since it was a shorter drive. From what everyone told me, the trip from Columbia to Dallas was nearly issue free. However, traveling back the day after the Cotton Bowl was not as easy as they ran into a big winter storm cell on the way and didn’t arrive home safely until early Sunday morning.

Q: What did twirling at such a big event mean to you?
H: Since I recently made the transition from Oklahoma State to Mizzou in order to accomplish my dream of being a third generation collegiate feature twirler, this was a big event for me beyond the game itself. My entire family has graduated in orange [OSU], but they proudly wore black and gold and sat in the SEC section. I knew I had to prove myself to others that my transfer was worth it. Competing against OSU in a post-season showdown was not the position I had imagined us being in, but I am so glad that it ended up that way.

Q: How long have you been twirling?
H: I have been competing on the national level for the past 10 years. I picked up a baton for the first time when I was in 5th grade, and I haven't let go since. It's my true passion. Having the opportunity to extend my career by representing a major university is the best way to challenge myself to continuously train harder in order to improve my performance level.    

Q: Are you close with other members from Marching Mizzou?
H: As cliché as it may sound, they really have become like family to me. Even though I've only been a tiger for a few short months so far, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know, and grow close to, the Marching Mizzou members and staff. In addition, Mizzou Cheer & Golden Girls have also helped my first season on the field be a memorable one.

Q: How was the experience twirling for Mizzou when you also knew so many people from Oklahoma State?
At first, I was weary when I heard about the OSU/MU match up for the cotton bowl, but I quickly realized that it was actually the best-case scenario for me. I knew that as I stepped onto the field for our Cotton Bowl pre-game performance, that I would be surrounded by friends, family, and loved ones on both sides. I was excited to show off where my loyalty now lies to all of my cowboy friends who are cheerleaders, football players, and diehard fans. Twirling in a game like that was a memory I will cherish forever.