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Photo courtesy of Patty Green
The Vestavia Hills High School 2025-26 majorettes
The Vestavia Hills High School 2025-26 majorettes.
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Photo courtesy of Patty Green
The Vestavia Hills High School 2025-26 majorettes.
The Vestavia Hills High School 2025-26 majorettes.
The Vestavia Hills High School majorettes set a goal at the beginning of this past marching band season: win the best-in-class award at a band competition.
They did that and more. The team swept top honors at both the Pride of Hayden Marching Festival and the Mud Creek Marching Festival in Hanceville. The team also earned superior ratings at both events and achieved one of their highest accolades to date: the Shirley BeShears Memorial Award, presented to the highest-scoring majorette line of the entire Pride of Hayden competition.
“Watching them not only achieve that goal but also win the Shirley BeShears Memorial Award was incredibly special because they got to see all of their hard work and dedication pay off,” said sponsor and choreographer Hanna Hatchett, a Vestavia Hills High School alumna and former Crimsonette with the University of Alabama.
Team captain Ella Claire Hunter, a senior, shared the same feeling of pride.
Photo courtesy of Patty Green
VHHS majorette captain Ella Claire Hunter
VHHS majorette captain Ella Claire Hunter
“I am most proud of our Best Overall Majorette award,” she said. “Not only did we earn the top score in our division, but we also received the highest score out of every majorette team at the entire competition. We worked incredibly hard for this achievement, and I’m so proud of our dedication, commitment and teamwork.”
Hunter, who has been twirling since age 8 and been a majorette for nine years, said the experience has shaped her life.
“What I love most about being a majorette is getting to perform alongside my teammates,” she said. “Doing something you love becomes even more meaningful when you get to share it with the people you love.”
Being chosen as captain this year was a milestone she treasures.
“I truly love this team, and I’m incredibly grateful to have been chosen for this role,” Hunter shared. “Leading and serving my teammates has been an honor.”
Hatchett said the team’s success is the product of year-round dedication. Individual practice, private lessons, dance training and college clinics prepare the athletes long before competition season begins. Once football season starts, the team’s schedule intensifies.
“We rehearse with the band every day before school from 6:50-7:50 a.m., then have a section rehearsal during first period,” she said. “We spend a lot of time perfecting technique, cleaning choreography, and repping tricks and exchanges to make sure the girls are always performance ready.”
Hunter credits the sport for many of the opportunities she’s had, including representing Team USA in 2023. She also acknowledges the support of her family, friends and faith.
“My walk with Christ is a big part of who I am,” she said. “The Lord has provided me with such amazing gifts and grace to be able to do the things I love.”
As the majorettes look ahead, the team is already preparing for upcoming baton competitions, including Winterfest in Opelika and the Alabama State Contest in March.
For Hatchett, the true joy comes from seeing her students shine.
“I love seeing the joy they get from performing and sharing their talent with the community,” she said. “It means the world to me.”
