Editor’s note: Below is the first part of a two-part series looking back at the top sports stories of 2013. This installment covers January through May.

January

Crimsonettes, Big Al bask in football title game experience

Lots of little girls through the years have watched the University of Alabama’s Crimsonettes dance and twirl batons in shiny crimson sequins, or watched the school’s Big Al mascot rouse the crowd at famed Bryant-Denny Stadium, and wished that one day it could be them.

Not many of those little girls have the opportunity to earn roles associated with one of the country’s most recognized programs.

Even fewer get to be part of one of the greatest runs ever in college football.

But there were Chilton County High School graduates Katie Hilyer, Kristin Nelson and Macee Thomas on Jan. 7 at the BCS National Championship at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Fla. as Alabama’s Crimson Tide washed over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 42-14, to win its third national title in four seasons.

Hilyer and Nelson are Crimsonettes, the UA Million Dollar Band’s majorette group, and Thomas is one of the students that assumes the Big Al persona. They’ve had a vantage point as Alabama’s football program has ascended to historic heights.

Nelson’s first year as a Crimsonette saw Bama win the national championship in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. She couldn’t have expected that was the beginning of a run that would produce two more titles, in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans in 2011 and then in the Orange Bowl in 2013.

“It’s been picture perfect,” Nelson said of her Crimsonette career. “I can’t think of a better way to end it than in Miami. We cannot believe how blessed we are. We talk about it all the time. And I’ve made some great friends.”

Nelson gained some friends her second year at UA because of the enrollment of Hilyer and Thomas. Nelson and Hilyer twirled together when they were kindergarteners, and Hilyer and Thomas went to pre-school together.

While the Crimsonettes have experienced multiple championship games, the Orange Bowl was Thomas’ first chance to perform on the biggest of college football stages.

Five UA students play the role of Big Al, but only two typically make the trips to bowl games. Which students go is determined by seniority.

“It’s something I’m not going to ever forget,” Thomas said. “I get nervous any time I put on the suit–just the big responsibility it is to represent the University of Alabama.”

Senior Rossi does it all for Chilton Co.

Versatility is an amazing virtue to have when it comes to football.

Any player who can adapt quickly to multiple positions and schemes on the field is already a step ahead of the average player. When a player can adapt to multiple positions on both offense and defense, it makes them extremely difficult to plan against.

Just ask any team that lined up against Chilton County’s Austin Rossi this year. Rossi was a starter on both sides of the ball for the Tigers, playing linebacker on defense and tight end and occasionally running back on offense.

His performance all season long on both offense and defense has led to his being named The Clanton Advertiser’s 2012 Football Player of the Year.

Playing both ways isn’t easy, and Rossi moved around several positions before settling in at middle linebacker and eventually tight end as well. He said trust in his teammates and his coaches are what helped him maintain perspective while finding his niche.

“You have to be committed to what you want to do,” he said. “You have to trust those beside you and your coaches.”

It wasn’t an easy road, either. He started out at wide receiver his freshman year. By his admission, it wasn’t a good fit.

“You can ask my senior [group],” he said. “I wasn’t good. I couldn’t catch a cold naked in Alaska.”

So with his sophomore year came a move to the weak side, or “Will” linebacker position, where he netted 25 total tackles and a fumble recovery.

It wasn’t until Donnie Hand took over the Tigers in 2011 that Rossi’s role on the team began to take concrete form, with a move to middle linebacker. He also reprised his role as an offensive option.

“Coach Hand came in and put in the new offense, and he wanted me to play tight end,” he said. “That’s when I started playing both ways.”

Hand said Rossi’s willingness to do whatever it took to help the team made him into a leader coming into the 2012 season.

“He’s just a good kid and has a good work ethic,” he said. “Last year and this year he’s the only player that actually started both ways. He never complained. We tried to rest him some, [but usually] he’d get a swig of water and be right back out there.”

The 2012 season saw the Tigers post a 9-1 regular season record, hosting their first playoff game since 1996. Along the way, Rossi racked up 147 tackles and two sacks on defense and 330 receiving yards with five touchdowns on 18 receptions.

“He had a big leader role as a junior,” said Hand. “As a senior, he had a much bigger role. He’s one who led by example, in the weight room, watching film. He did everything he was supposed to do.”