Niceville Alum Named Florida Gator Drum Major!

When you watch the Florida Gators this fall, pay special attention to the band – that’s where you’ll find Florida Drum Major and Niceville High School Graduate Carly Crist. Crist was named one of four drum majors by UF Band Director Jay Watkins for the upcoming year.

But while we will all see the fruits of her determination and success starting with the Gators opener against Miami on August 30 in Gainesville – she’s weathered plenty of ups and downs along the way.

Crist, a 2021 graduate of Niceville High School and a clarinetist, says she looks back fondly on her time in the Eagle Pride. “I have so many amazing memories from my time in the Eagle Pride and Wind Symphony at Niceville High School,” she wrote to Mid Bay News in an email, “Since I’ve been at college, I have realized how blessed I was to attend NHS and have been a part of such an esteemed program. The sheer size and talent of the Niceville Band is truly a rarity in the state and across the nation. Directors and music teachers around the state know the caliber of the music program at NHS.”

Crist worked longer than just the four years at Niceville High and the three years at UF to make it to the top of the pile with the Gator Band.

Crist started playing music at eight, when she picked up the piano. Her older sister, Claire, started taking lessons with local instructor Michelle Treadway, and Carly decided to play along. Soon afterward, she began playing the drums.

When she got to the middle school band at Ruckel Middle School in the fifth grade – the band wasn’t taking drummers her age. She considered sitting the year out. But, with encouragement from her mom (the support staff member of the year for Okaloosa County Schools in 2023 – Shawna Crist), she decided to try out a new instrument to participate. Like her sister, she decided to play the clarinet. It’s been her main instrument ever since, but she’s also learned to diversify her musical talents further too. “I have had the opportunity to learn just about every instrument you would find in a band room,” she said, “Although i can play something on every instrument, i am more proficient on some than others!”

Falling and Getting Back Up: Overcoming Anxiety

As the football season nears, Crist can reflect on the work she had to put in to get to where she is now. Her biggest competition wasn’t the dozens of other qualified candidates to lead the band—it was her own diagnosed anxiety. She describes it as her “biggest obstacle and competitor for this position.”

As she was finishing high school, where she was a drum major as well, Crist started to think about what she’d want out of college and out of the band. “I did have doubts about myself and not thinking I was good enough or confident enough to lead that many people.” But, she persisted. At the end of her sophomore year, she began auditioning for one of the four spots as a drum major. She got one of five callbacks as a junior for the spot – but ended up not earning a spot. “As the time for the interview approached, my anxiety reached astronomical heights. I thought

about how incredible it would be to be allowed to be one in a long line of Gator Drum Majors. This pressure I had put on myself caused me to not be my best and most confident self during the interview. As soon as I left the office, tears began streaming down my face because I knew this interview did not go how I knew it could have gone.”

But something incredible happened next. Crist decided not to give up on her dream.

“I did not let this stop me,” Crist said, “me. I continued to push myself to be a kind, supportive, and enthusiastic friend, clarinetist, and section

leader. While rejection stings, you cannot let it stop yourself from trying again or finding new opportunities you may not have seen. God still had a door open for me to lead and positively impact the people around me.”

Despite a single opening for a drum major – she got the gig. “Despite my constant worry and dread, God always had a plan. Auditions still took place in the spring. I worked even harder, seeking help from peers, graduate students, and staff. My reminder for myself during this process was a quote from my mom. ‘Just do your best. That is all you can do.’ I had to remind myself that I cannot do more than my best.”

Opportunities

Whether or not she became a drum major – Crist says the experience she has had at the University of Florida has created amazing experiences and memories for her over the last three years. In addition to road trips to the most incredible football experience in SEC football: LSU’s Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, she’s played in other venues like Columbia, South Carolina (University of South Carolina) and College Station, Texas (Texas A&M).

She’s also had the opportunity to travel with the band to Ireland and France.

What’s Next?

After she graduates with her bachelor’s degree from UF, Crist plans to apply to graduate programs for instrumental conducting. From there, she wants to teach a middle school band near the Okaloosa County School District to share her “love and passion for music with my students and help them achieve their future goals and endeavors.”