Miss Alabama 2024 is an Auburn fan: ‘I just fell in love with the community’

The new Miss Alabama looks great in orange and blue. But that’s not why Abbie Stockard is an enthusiastic fan of Auburn University. Stockard, 21, has plenty of reasons to love the college she attends, from its nursing program to its friendly atmosphere to its furry mascot.

The Birmingham native is the latest is a line of nine Miss Alabama winners with strong ties to Auburn University. Although Stockard grew up in Vestavia Hills and has plenty of praise for her hometown, the “loveliest village on the Plains” is her second home.

READ: Miss Alabama 2024 Abbie Stockard: ‘I’m going to make the state proud

During a recent interview, AL.com asked Stockard about her affection for Auburn and why the school in Lee County has been the right place for her, academically and otherwise. Here’s what Miss Alabama said.

First thing to know:

Ask Stockard if she lets loose with Auburn’s battle cry, and her answer is immediate. “War Eagle! Of course,” she says.

Family ties

Stockard and her twin brother, Bradley Stockard, both are enrolled in nursing school at Auburn University. Their younger sister, Lily Stockard, will be a freshman at Auburn in the fall. But not all of their family members are Auburn fans. In fact, some of their relatives are much more likely to say “Roll Tide!”

“My dad (Brad Stockard) went to Alabama; my mom (Kim Stockard) went to Auburn,” Stockard says. “I grew up in a house divided. All of my cousins on my dad’s side go to Alabama, so my twin brother and I were the first ones to break the trend. I thought I was going to go to Alabama — I literally grew up only going to Alabama games — and then I went on my tour of Auburn, and I just fell in love with the community.”

School spirit

“I was actually a student recruiter the past two years, so it was my job to tell prospective students why Auburn is the best,” Stockard says. “I remember my student recruiter telling me that we were known for being one of the friendliest colleges in the country. I consider myself a social butterfly; I’m very friendly; and I knew that was the kind of environment I would thrive in. I also knew that Auburn had a really strong nursing school. But also we’re just such a well-respected university. I knew that if I came to Auburn, no matter what degree I got, it would carry weight in whatever future profession I chose.”

Dance, dance, dance

Stockard has spent three years as a member of the Tiger Paws dance team at Auburn, and it’s been a major part of her college life. The team dances on the sidelines at Auburn’s home football games, performs at pep rallies, appears at basketball games and dances at other Auburn sports events.

“We’re the official dance team of Auburn athletics, but you’re also a representative and an ambassador for the university,” Stockard says. “And besides all of the dancing, we would do appearances once or twice a week throughout the community. I loved that, because I have a heart of service. And I loved having that opportunity to form relationships with people, whether that be kids or adults. You’re just in charge of representing the university in a positive manner and connecting with people in Auburn.”

Like mother, like daughter

“My mom was a Tiger Paw,” Stockard says. “They were the Tiger Pause at the time, like P-A-U-S-E, but now we’re the Paws. She put her jacket in my closet when I was a little girl, and that was always a goal for me. I knew I wanted to be on some kind of collegiate dance team, and I kind of wanted to follow in my mom’s footsteps.” (Her mom still has the jacket, by the way. “It’s still in my closet. It’s cute,” Stockard says.)

Win or lose

Ask Stockard how important Auburn Tigers football is to her, and here’s what she says:

“I love Auburn, but I’m not going to go crazy if Auburn loses. Also, as a dancer, it was our job not to show any expression on our faces if Auburn lost, or if something bad happened. Because they’re like, ‘You always have to be ready to be on camera, and one wrong face and it’s going to go all over national TV.’ But I’m going to love Auburn, win or lose. I think most people do, because Auburn loses a lot of stuff. I mean, that’s terrible, but part of being an Auburn fan is loving Auburn, no matter what happens. And I like football, but if I’m being honest, I don’t even really know how football works. And I’ve literally danced for football for three years, but … I don’t know. I’m just there to support the team.”

Gameday routine

“As a Tiger Paw, we have to start four hours before the game starts,” Stockard says. “So say it was a 2 o’clock game, I would have to be dressed and ready by 10. So I would go, we have a Tiger Paw tailgate, where your family and friends come to eat food, take pictures, and you do that for about an hour. After that, you go to the stadium, drop off all of your things, and from there we get ready to do Tiger Walk, which is also a big Auburn tradition. The Tiger Paws and the cheerleaders lead it, so we’re the start of the Tiger Walk, and so we wait for the team to get off the bus, and then we cheer, there’s fans everywhere, and you walk all the way down into the stadium.

“From there, we get ready for Spirit March, which is another Auburn tradition. Everyone just kind of stays there, and we do it with the band and the Tiger Eyes. We dance, and it’s fun community gathering, right outside of the stadium. After that, we break up into four groups and we’ll go to appearances. One of them would be Spirit Fest, where a bunch of little kids kind of play, and then another is in the big green space. We’ll do sidelines, we’ll take pictures. After all that’s done, we’ll be in the stadium. We’ll go out to the sideline and we’ll get ready for when the team runs out, right before the game starts. So it’s fun.”

Furry friend

As you might expect, “social butterfly” Stockard is on great terms with Aubie, Auburn’s popular mascot. She’s spent plenty of time rubbing elbows with Aubie — on the football field, at basketball games and at other university events.

“I love Aubie,” Stockard says. “Me and Aubie are besties. I know all of the friends of Aubie, which is kind of cool.”

Let it roll

Rolling the live oak trees at Toomer’s Corner — that is, flinging toilet paper into the trees when the Tigers win — is a longstanding Auburn tradition. Stockard has participated in such celebrations, and she gives ‘em a big thumb’s up.

“It’s amazing. I think Auburn is built on spirit and tradition, and rolling Toomer’s has been a tradition for years,” Stockard says. “I remember them telling us, back in the day, Toomer’s Corner was where they had the only telegraph, and so any time there would be away football games, everyone would crowd around Toomer’s Corner, and they started by throwing the receipt paper up into the trees. We’ve adapted to the times, and now it’s toilet paper.

“I think it’s so special that Auburn students and the Auburn community, everyone comes out when Auburn wins and rolls the trees,” she says. “You know, in Auburn, I’ve never lived there when there’s been any snow. And to me, this is like a white Christmas. It’s all white. The entire street is filled with toilet paper. And we’re the only college with a paid toilet paper pickup facility, which is funny. I love it. It’s an amazing tradition.”

Drink it up

Toomer’s Drugs is famous for its fresh-squeezed lemonade, prepared and served by a team of college students who greet customers cheerfully at the door. You can’t get this sweet-and-sour treat anywhere but in the little store at 100 N. College St., close to the Auburn campus and right in the heart of downtown. Stockard is quick to share her appreciation for the lemonade, but she does have a preference or two.

“I love Toomer’s lemonade, but I get the flavored one,” Stockard says. “I think my favorite was their strawberry lemonade, frozen, so good.”

READ: Lemonade at Toomer’s Drugs is legendary: ‘You’re not going to get it anywhere else’

Sorority sisters

Stockard is a member of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority at Auburn. Her roommate at college, Diane Westhoven, is in the same sorority and she’s a recent pageant winner, too. Westhoven was crowned Miss Alabama USA on June 1, just a few weeks before Stockard won the title of Miss Alabama. These are two separate pageant organizations; Miss Alabama is affiliated with Miss America, and Miss Alabama USA is affiliated with Miss USA.

READ: Miss USA and Miss America: What’s the difference?

“Auburn doesn’t have housing (for sororities), so we live off campus together,” Stockard says. “We met in fourth grade and we’ve been best friends ever since. We did everything in high school together, went to Auburn together, both rushed Alpha Gam. And then we were roommates.”

It’s unusual for the winners of Miss Alabama and Miss Alabama USA to grow up together and have such close ties, but Stockard says she and Westhoven are making the most of it.

“It’s pretty cool,” Stockard says. “The two organizations are so different, but it was fun getting to support each other. She was showing me her wardrobe, and we would get all excited, and I would show her mine. And it’s fun, because you’re not competing against each other. It was fun helping each other prepare, and then going to support her last month when she won. And she was there the night when I won.”

Stockard and Westhoven have another thing in common: Both are planning careers in the medical field. Stockard aims to be nurse anesthetist; Westhoven’s goal is to be a physician assistant.

On hiatus

Stockard is taking a year off from her studies at Auburn while she fulfills her duties as Miss Alabama. (She’ll be making public appearances, doing charity work, speaking to community groups, motivating students and more.) Her senior year at Auburn would be coming up this fall, and she’s likely to miss out on some college hoopla. But Stockard says being Miss Alabama is her priority right now.

“I knew going into competing for Miss Alabama, that was a sacrifice that I was willing to make,” Stockard says. “I have worked so hard and this was a dream of mine. The way I think about it is, there are so many years to go and get my degree. But the chance to be Miss Alabama is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”