Monday, January 02, 2006

Go! Team! Go!

It all began with a little flick about my high school senior year football season. We watched it the other night. (my opinion of the movie still stands at "weird". Some of the movie I hated...some of it was all right. All in all...weird. But I digress...)

We were the Panthers. Mojo. And that is cool. Tough. Panthers are...intimidating.

The question was posed later among my housemates here...what are people thinking when they pick school mascots? I mean, I think the mascot is probably picked by committees. Things like that usually fall to a committee. And, really, what are people thinking?!!?!?

At some point in any school (high school, junior high, college, university) competition does enter the picture and it would seem to me that "the committee" would choose mascots that would instill confidence...courage...boldness...pride.

Well, my friends. Not so.

Take for instance the poor university students in Camas Washington. The Papermakers. Yep. Of all the mighty. scary, fear inducing animals available to choose from...their committee chose Papermakers.

Or you have the mighty...the proud...the Oakville Acorns. Acorns?

Or, from Indiana, the Goshen College Maple Leafs.

Is anybody scared? I can't begin to imagine what the fight song might be.

For goodness sakes.

I thought that, surely, these mascot choosing blunders would be limited to a few schools but take a look at what I found with only a few VERY interrupted minutes of research on the web:

Banana Slugs--University of California
Turtles--College of Insurance (not sure where)
Retrievers--Univ. of Marlyand
Rainbows--Univ of Hawaii (why not Sharks?)
Anteaters--University of California

or...even more unfortunate...
the Buttons in San Antonio
and the Daisies of Dallas Hockaday School (all girls?)

For those that are intimidated by rhyming verse...you will shudder when you are called to face the Poets of Whittier College.

And for those with a fear of the religious...beware the Whitman Missionaries (we are a fierce sort) or the Preachers of Johnson Bible College.

My top picks are as follows:

Most clever---the Lincoln Abes in Tacoma Washington
Most scary--tie between the Klickitat Vandals and the Grays Harbor Chokers
Most difficult names for the girls' teams---tie between the Whatcom Orcas or Yakima Valley Yaks

But, my most favorite, unfortunate mascot falls to Kaelea's high school in Montana. They were...brace yourselves...the Sugarbeaters.

Oh my. The actual picture of their mascot was a red beet riding on a pair of beaters.

And despite that...their girls volleyball team went to State. Bless their little sugarbeatin' hearts.

I'm not totally sure why this bugs me so. I guess...I believe, deep down, that everyone deserves a chance. And when it comes to kids and athletics...you just shouldn't send them out to face their menacing opponents,like the Lions or Wildcats with a name like Buttons or Billygoats.

It just doesn't seem fair.

9 comments:

Procters in MOJO land said...

Go Chaps!!!

Lori Ann said...

Ron and I just saw that movie too. We were wondering if it was pretty true to form. I couldn't remember if you were still in school at the time.
Go H-O-R-N-E-T-S!

Trisha said...

My favorite is the Weatherford High School Kangaroos--the Roos for short, like Pooh Bear's little friend.

The Rebels--we were strong, proud and a little politically incorrect, but powerful just the same! We'd take on a Panther any day! Mojo schmojo!

By the way, Gary and Sharon Gaines go to our church. We had a funny conversation about the movie. They felt okay about it. There were a few things they said didn't depict their character at all (like he would have never let a dad cuss his son out on the field), but mostly they were pleased. Gary and Sharon are wonderful people of God.

Kristi said...

Allan's cross-town high school rivals were the Lambkins. No way to make that look mean.

Being in Oregon, we had lots of Loggers. There is nothing less lady-like than a Lady Logger.

Tillamook has their Cheesemakers. Not very tough, but I do love my Tillamook cheese.

Glenn said...

When I was in high school I was a mighty Axeman, but going on to college, in the same town I was reduced to being a Duck - actually a Fighting Duck. I always thought that an axe would trump a duck - think about it! But then there are the Gresham Gophers. Nobody likes gophers.

Lynn said...

Your kinfolks went to school in Hamlin, Texas, the home of the Pied Pipers. Their mascot was a guy in green tights playing a flute. Now there's an intimidating scene. My favorite in this area is Roscoe. They're the Roscoe Plowboys. But for me, once a Lobo, always a Lobo! Go Mean Green!

Glenn said...

Hey Lynn, I understand the ferocity of a Lobo, but a "green" lobo? He must have gotten hold of something rotten to chew on??

Lynn said...

Hey Glenn, you're right about the rotten to chew on, like Kermit Yellowjackets, Pecos Eagles and Andrews Mustangs.

rebecca marie said...

somewhere in washington, puget sound maybe, there is a school with the geoduck (prn - goo ee duck) as mascott. that's right. a ferocious clam.