
Meet the Texas Twirling Council
President
Lori Perkins
Lori Perkins began her twirling career at 3 years old, by jumping up and down in the back of her mother’s station wagon and begging until she was registered at Karen Ogden’s Studio in Louisiana. She was Ms. Karen’s very first individual national champion at the age of 8, and had a very successful competitive career that included numerous Louisiana State Grand Championship Titles, South Central Regional Grand Championships, National Championships, and International Championship titles as an individual and on team. Lori was the feature twirler for Sulphur High School, and later at McNeese State University, while earning her degree in Education.
She moved to Texas in 1994, after marrying the love of her life, and now teaches Algebra I and is the Special Education Department Chair at Magnolia West High School in Texas where she still resides with that love, Steve, her husband of 27 years. Steve and Lori have two children, Emily and Alex. Alex is a senior, studying Mass Communications, and a member of the drumline with the Pride of McNeese marching band. Emily is a senior, studying Environmental Design at the University of Oklahoma, and is the Feature Twirler for the Pride of Oklahoma marching band. Lori has served in many roles on the Texas Twirling Teachers’ Council and is the current President of TSTC. She has directed numerous competitions throughout the region, and served ten years on the USTA Board of Directors representing the Central Region. As a master judge, she has traveled the world judging elite competitions. She coaches several programs throughout Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi, and has been honored to receive several choreography awards, including the 2019 USTA National Choreography Award. She has coached numerous state, regional, national and international champions from several states, but said that the highlight of her twirling career so far was training her daughter, Emily and Keragan Ogden, her mentor’s granddaughter, to win the Gold medal at the U.S. Trials and represent the senior pair division at the WBTF World Championships in Sweden in 2016.
Vicki Michelle Kotwitz
Vice President
Vicki Michelle Kottwitz earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Northwood University with a Dual Major in Business Management & Marketing. Her mother enrolled her in dance at age 4 and then baton at age 5 (because her cousin started baton). She had a fantastic twirling teacher named Jeanne May, who greatly emphasized technique and had numerous champions to her credit. Vicki enjoyed twirling in parades, occasional contests, pageants, and finally Junior High & High School.
In 1994 she opened Vicki Michelle, a dance & twirl studio in Spring, TX. Her students started out performing in parades, Houston Rockets half-time shows, Downtown Aquarium, and annual recitals. She began coaching competitively with NBTA in 2008. She feels blessed to have coached State, Regional, and National champions, including her daughters, Morgan & Kayli Bull. Morgan was a feature twirler for University of Houston and Kayli represents University of Florida. My twirling journey led me to USTA in 2018, which then led me to becoming a certified coach and level 1, part 1 Judge, and Vice President of our Texas State Twirling Council. Additionally, I am certified in Alixa Flexibility and have trained with amazing dance teachers like: Ofer Ben, Steven Boyd, Rosemarie Boyden, Avi Miller, and Gregg Russell. I am a proud mother of three, member of Second Baptist Church and Daughter of the American Revolution, and native Texan with over 27 years of teaching experience. I am passionate about baton twirling and dance, emphasizing the fundamentals in both.
LynnDell Harrell
Treasurer
Lynn Dell Harrell began her twirling career at the age of 3 years old, and has won many State, Regional, and National titles. Lynn Dell twirled at McCallum HS in Austin, TX and went on to twirl at the University of Texas at Austin where she earned her degree in Education. Lynn Dell has served on the Texas State Twirling Council as well as the Central Region council in many different capacities. Lynn Dell has also coached many State, Regional and National champions as well as many International Cup Qualifiers. Lynn Dell is currently the owner and instructor of Lynn Dell's Twirl & Dance in Pflugerville, TX and is the Golden Girl Coach at Baylor University, a position she has held for 20 years.
Stacey Gomez
Secretary
Stacey Hudsonpillar Gomez began her twirling career in Rio Grande Valley at the age of 6 years old, and won many State and National titles with the American Twirling Festival (ATF) Organization. Stacey was a feature twirler at Edinburg High School in Edinburg, TX and went on to earn a spot as a feature twirler at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX. Stacey worked with the McAllen Parks and Recreation program for over 10 years where she was a lead twirling instructor, program director and coached competition students that attended ATF as well. Currently, Stacey is a middle school special education teacher in Round Rock ISD and is the owner/operator of the Round Rock Performing Arts Studio, specializing in piano instruction for students ranging in ages from 4 years old through adults. Stacey's daughter, McKenzie Gomez is one of the current University of Arkansas feature twirlers.