79-Year-Old Majorette Still Spinning Fire Batons, Knives

A 79-year-old majorette is still amazing crowds with her death-defying tricks using a baton, twirling them between her legs and over her head, even stopping to perform splits along the way.

The majorette, Betty Lambert, is the leader of the Resurrection Band, The Wall Street Journal reported. She took up baton twirling in high school, then, after getting away from it for a stretch while she got married and had children, returned to the sport in her 40s.

When Betty Lambert decided to get back into baton twirling, she put a small classified ad in the newspaper looking for people interested in starting a marching band. The group that responded called themselves Resurrection Band because they resurrected the dusty instruments that had been sitting in their attics for years.

Though Betty Lambert couldn’t play an instrument, she picked up baton twirling like she had never stopped.

“You don’t forget,” said the now 79-year-old majorette.

The marching band now performs at parades in western Pennsylvania like this year’s Fourth of July celebration in Zelienpole.

Though the 79-year-old majorette recently had to give up cartwheels, she still performs many death-defying acts like twirling flaming batons and even knives — when it’s not too windy. She said remaining naturally limber has helped, and she can keep doing splits as long as she gets regular stretching and exercise in the weeks leading up to a performance.

The 79-year-old majorette is still brimming with baton-twirling talent, but the act still gives her daughter a bit of anxiety.

“I thought this would be a phase she would go through,” says Betty Lambert’s youngest daughter, Kim Marburger. “I say, ‘Mom, please keep it to two or three splits.’ ”

But with the crowd gathered along the sidewalk during a parade, Lambert can’t help herself, the Wall Street Journal notes. This year she did about 10 splits during the parade.

Betty Lambert is not the only senior citizen still nailing it in her profession. This year at New York Fashion Week, 81-year-old model Carmen Dell’Orefice stole headlines with her two trips down the runway, causing outlets like ABC News to take note.

The 79-year-old majorette might be amazing, but she’s actually not even the oldest member of the Resurrection band. An 80-year-old snare drummer takes that honor.