USTA Professional member Julia Boss of New York had a baton in her hand before she could walk. No wonder she began her twirling career as an athlete and is continuing it as a valuable volunteer at the state, regional, and national levels. At the same time, she earned a bachelor’s degree in forensic psychology with a minor in psychology and a paralegal certification from The University of New Haven, then started working as a paralegal. She’s now studying for her master’s degree in forensic psychology from Arizona State University. Inside Loop recently talked with her about her busy life in and outside of twirling. Here’s what she had to say:
Inside Loop: Tell us about your past and present involvement in the sport of baton twirling.
Boss: I was essentially born into baton. My grandma owned an organization, Brumidi Sunshine, which was then taken over by my mom. There was a baton in my hand before I knew how to walk. In 2009, I was the Juvenile 2-Baton Grand National Champion and in 2015, my team and I were the A Team Gold Medalists at the International Cup Championships in The Netherlands, where we performed a no-drop routine in finals.
In 2016, I had hip surgery, so I was unable to compete that year. I still wanted to be involved in twirling, so I started doing the music for local competitions in New York and at Northeast Regionals. From there, I knew once I was retired, I would want to be involved on the professional side of things. I volunteered and assisted with technology at the 2018 World Championships in Florida, then I joined USTA’s Media and Technology Department and have been involved since. I am still the music technician at local competitions and NER, and I also help with the Coaches Department and assist during coaches’ workshops.
Inside Loop: How did you get interested in psychology and forensic psychology, and what are your long-term career goals?
Boss: I watched Criminal Minds growing up and I wanted to be a profiler until I learned there are only about 12 nationwide, so I knew that was an unrealistic path. Junior year of high school I took AP Psychology, and when we got to the section of class about forensic psychology, it was my favorite part of the entire year. Once I learned that there was an entire major that involved this subject, I knew what I wanted to do. My long-term career goal is to work in forensic case management, which involves getting people set up with the resources they need when they’re on parole or probation, to ensure the risk of reoffending is lower.
Inside Loop: What are three things the twirling world might not know about you?
Boss: I have three Corgis, all named after marvel characters - Thor, Loki and Rocket. I have 13 tattoos. Outside of my full-time job, I work for Epic Events and Entertainment, a company that hosts celebrity fan conventions, so I have the pleasure of working with a lot of celebrities throughout the year, which is always a fun experience.