Hoover High alumna Katie Brogan is captain of the Kentucky Sweetheart Majorettes
NORTH CANTON, Ohio — Katie Brogan, a 2018 Hoover graduate and former majorette, is entertaining much larger football crowds (as in 60,000-plus per game!) as a University of Kentucky Sweetheart Majorette!
The daughter of Leslie and Steven Brogan is a senior and has been the captain of the team three of her four years. She follows in the footsteps of her older sister Ashley, a 2015 Hoover graduate and 4-year majorette who was the featured twirler at the University of Toledo for two seasons.
The girls started dancing at MDTA Stars when they were 6 and 3 respectively.
“After watching the older students practice baton, they were hooked,” said their mom. “They joined the Jazz Dolls and were taught by some of the best coaches in the nation.”
Both earned many state, regional, and national titles, individually and as a team.
“I am so proud of the dedication, discipline, and love my daughters have shown for their sport,” Leslie said.
She credits their main coaches, Nicole Cates, Jennifer Bunish, Annette Sylvester, and Beth Graal instilling in them at a young age, that hard work, a positive attitude, and commitment are needed to succeed at anything in life.
Katie has been the captain of the Sweethearts for 3 of her 4 years and has helped to grow the program.
“Performing in front of a sold out stadium has always been a dream of mine. There’s no better feeling than walking into a packed stadium of people cheering,” Katie said. “There is also no crowd quite like an SEC crowd. The love they have for the collegiate program is unmatched.”
Game days are long, she said, sometimes 12-plus-hour days, “but taking pictures with the fans, interacting with kids, performing at Kroger Stadium, and cheering on the Cats to victory is just an amazing experience.”
Leslie said that watching Katie perform at the tailgates is her favorite part of gameday.
“She loves to interact with the fans and often stops to give a quick lesson to the kids in attendance. The Kentucky fans are like no other, very welcoming, patriotic, and wholeheartedly love their Wildcats,” Leslie said. “I have enjoyed watching my daughters thrive in college and give back to the local communities.”
Leslie said both girls adopted their college communities and worked to give back. Ashley and her sorority raised money for and volunteered to help autistic children in Toledo. Katie loves to explore downtown Lexington, but noticed the homeless population growing there.
“She started packing extra sandwiches to provide them with a meal and many now know her by name,” Leslie said. “The greatest gift as a parent is knowing your kids have kind hearts.”
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