By Stephanie
Chronister
Coming from a rival school, I
have experienced and learned friendly competition between Southland Conference
schools; particularly mascots. Before I became Sammy the Bearkat, I was
LadyJack for Steven F. Austin State University.
I spent one year as a live
mascot, although I had an amazing time as LadyJack, I wanted to experience a
different side to mascoting. Being a live mascot I did not get to experience
being a true character like Sammy the Bearkat. Seeing mascots throughout
society, you tend to see more characters than you do live mascots. Furthermore,
I wanted more of a family aspect than just being a part of a team. When I came
for my tryouts I saw just that. The team here was so close, and it shows
through their national championships.
After tryouts and training in the suit I
still had difficulty being Sammy the Bearkat. My entire life I have been
nothing but a female mascot. Going from being a girly-girl to being a manly-man
was a complete and total shock. My hips were built to sway, that’s just the way it is, or so I thought. The
veteran mascots and alumni helped me learn exactly how to be Sammy. I noticed
that even though Sammy is one person, each previous or current mascot put their
own personality into him while they were in the suit. From watching them, I
realized that I should not be ashamed to be myself.
Mascots are supposed to
look silly. If they did not make people laugh, then they were not doing their
job correctly. From that I was able to create my own character. Continuing on
with the tradition, as captain I am now able to put some of my own personality
into Sammy, and help the new mascots the same way I was helped. From one small
town to another, I have certainly enjoyed mascoting at both schools and can’t
wait to see what else is in store for myself at Sam Houston State University.
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