KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Working hard towards your goal is always important. It doesn’t matter if you are looking to start your own business one day, or if you are looking to continue your athletic or academic career after high school. You always have to work hard to reach the goals you want to achieve. That came true for former Hanceville majorette Abigail Long, who tried out for the head majorette position at Tennessee, along with several others. Last Thursday, Long got the news that she had earned the position as the head majorette. She’s still handling the excitement of the news but Long already can’t wait to get started.
“It still doesn’t feel real. This was something that I have dreamed about and working towards since I was 7, so hearing my name being called out as head majorette was an emotional moment that was a culmination of all my hard work and dreams finally coming to fruition!” Long said. “It is a big responsibility, but I am so excited and ready to take on this new position! Being named the head majorette means everything to me. It has been my dream to twirl at Tennessee since I was 7, so being able to achieve my biggest goal is still just unreal. I have worked so hard my entire life to earn this title and it is such a blessing and honor to be named the next head majorette.”
Long learned a lot about being a majorette during her time at Hanceville from some great band directors and from someone who used to be a head majorette at Tennessee, her coach and her biggest role model, Jamie Medlock.
“Twirling at Hanceville was a great experience.” Long said. “My band directors taught me about discipline and the fundamentals of marching band, which were crucial lessons I had to learn before twirling in a college marching band. But I owe being head majorette to being a competitive twirler for 15 years. My coach, Jamie Medlock, who was also head majorette at Tennessee, is the reason I dreamed of doing this one day. She constantly pushed me and showed me that I could accomplish anything I set my mind to. I’m not only the twirler I am today because of her, but I’m the person I am today because of her. Without her and my family’s constant support and their underlying belief in me, I would not be where I am today.”
Abigail added, “Without her, I wouldn’t be twirling at Tennessee, much less be head majorette. She instilled in me a love for Tennessee, but also a drive and desire to set lofty goals and to never stop until I reached them.”
There are some major differences between performing in high school and college and Abigail says that you have to be ready at all times no matter what.
“It is a totally different ball game,” Long said. “We learn a new halftime show every week, not to mention our pregame performance, and multiple other game day performances. College marching band, especially for the Pride of the Southland, requires so much more discipline and commitment. Our band is made up of 400 members, but there are about 10 “shadows” as we call them waiting on the sideline to take your place if you mess up. It is highly competitive, and you are expected to be on your A-game at all times, or else, you’ll be sitting on the sidelines. I don’t say all that to scare people away from college marching bands because it is the most rewarding experience, but the Pride of the Southland is known as one of the best marching bands in the country and it takes a level of excellence and diligence to uphold that.”
Abigail became a leader and a great teammate during her time at Hanceville and that experience has helped her right away when she started twirling at Tennessee.
“It was a major asset. It’s one of the reasons I got head majorette,” Long said. “I was able to showcase my leadership from the time I sent foot on the practice field as a freshman and the band directors took notice of that. They saw how I put my teammates before myself and truly became a leader on and off the field, so they trusted that I could be the leader and be a great head majorette.”
Long gave some great advice to any young girls out there that are wanting to follow in her footsteps.
“My advice to any young girls wanting to follow in my footsteps is to dream big and work harder,” Long said. “Have the drive and desire to set big goals for yourself, but also have the work ethic, dedication, and commitment to actually work for it and achieve those goals. I’m also going to give a shout out to my studio, Genesis Performing Arts, for all the twirlers out there. Our coaches will push you and pour into you and make you become the very best version of yourself that you can be. They will help you achieve whatever dreams and goals you have for yourself.”
Long is currently majoring in Social Work. She will graduate a year early in May and will be in Tennessee’s Advanced Standing program to receive her master’s degree in social work. After she graduates, she plans go to law school to become a child advocacy attorney.
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