Nicole Jensen keeps cool, even with fiery batons encircling her.

As the featured twirler for West High, Jensen is always a bright spot in the marching band’s halftime show. But beyond just a few Fridays in the fall, she also twirls in competitions locally, nationally, and internationally.

“Twirling has opened a lot of opportunities for me — I’ve been able to travel all over the world,” said Jensen, a junior at West High, before starting practice in the Field House.

Aside from traveling in the United States to Las Vegas and South Bend, Ind., Jensen has twirled on two other continents.

The seemingly always upbeat 16-year-old competed in the World Baton Championships in Belgium in 2009 after winning her division at nationals in 2008. Jensen also went to Peru recently with the Lions Club, twirling to raise money for charity.

It started as a hobby. When Nicole was 5, mother Michelle Jensen was looking for something to complement Nicole’s gymnastics and dance. She began twirling lessons with then-Golden Girl Julie Canterbury-Rietz, who pushed her to try it beyond practice. By 7, Nicole was competing, and by 9, she had made it to the advanced division at nationals.

“I think that was the first time when Nicole realized that being a national champion was a realistic goal for her,” Michelle Jensen said.

While she continued to compete into her teenage years, Nicole Jensen had always thought about performing “for fun” in high school. Though she was initially interested in percussion, she eventually started twirling.

And no one’s complaining about that choice.

“Nicole adds a unique visual aspect to the band’s performance,” West High band director Rob Medd said. “She’s able to enhance and accent the music and the movements of the band, and she really connects with the audience.”

Because Jensen is the foremost twirler at West, she also has a lot of freedom when it comes to performing. She learns the formations but is trusted with choreographing the routine. And it is the finale that almost always lets people see the best of her ability.

Jensen can juggle three batons burning fire on both ends. While she makes it look easy, it was tough to learn.

“I was so nervous at first,” she said. “I just threw it up and let it fall because I was just so scared.”

But now that she has the trick down, it’s just another twirl to add to her ever-expanding résumé.

“It’s always so tricky to not get drawn into what she’s doing that I miss a beat or something,” said West High drum major Mary Mysnyk. “Especially when she twirls fire batons … it can be very distracting because she’s so good.”