An Auburn Tradition: the AUMB Majorettes

Name: Ashley Harris (Captain of the AU majorette line)

 

Hometown: Ranburne, Alabama

 

Year: Senior

 

Major: Graphic Design

 

I began twirling when I was five years old.

 

I started competing in baton twirling around age 7. I continued competing through high school in addition to being a feature twirler at my school. 

 

My oldest brother was a football player for the high school when I was a little girl, so we would always go to his Friday night football games. That’s where I saw the majorettes at halftime. I was so amazed and instantly fell in love with the sport. From then on, I wouldn’t leave the house without my baton.

 

Every day we have practice time solely with the majorettes called a sectional. I evaluate what needs to get done to make a plan on how to run that day’s sectional. This is so that we have an effective rehearsal. My responsibilities range from these types of organizational tasks to other tasks like choreographing and getting the shows together. There’s also logistical things that go into it, such as sending out informational emails, typing up gameday checklists, and scheduling any extra practices.

 

That’s a difficult question, but I’d have to say my favorite show was the Back to the Future show we just did at Georgia. It was a very entertaining show with lots of add-ins. The AUMB basically shot a movie in advance that was played on the jumbotron while we were performing the show. At the end, Aubie came onto the field in a DeLorean. It was definitely a fun show for us and the crowd.

 

The best part of being in the AUMB is that the experience is not only about learning how to perform at a high level, it’s also about ambassadorship, spirit and enjoyment. You learn integrity, commitment, responsibility and how to be a good teammate. It’s so wonderful to be a part of something that is so much bigger than yourself.

 

One of my very favorite things about being an AU majorette is having little girls come up and ask to take pictures. I absolutely adore getting to interact with them. Because I became interested in twirling when I was that age, I love to talk with them, take pictures with them and hopefully influence them to begin twirling too.

 

I’ve been so blessed to be a part of a line with some really wonderful, talented and intelligent girls. The really cool thing about being on this line though is being a part of a tradition that’s been around for almost 70 years. The Auburn University majorette line started in 1946. Auburn is built on traditions, and this is such a wonderful tradition we’re all thankful to be a part of.