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Oscar the Horned Toad, the pride of Coalinga (Calif.) High School.
Earwigs, Gila Monsters. Hippos, Hot Dogs, Logrollers, Millionaires,
Skipjacks, Sparkplugs, Trolls, Unicorns and Witches.
At Yuma High School in Yuma, Ariz. (pop. 77,515), the crowd
cheers on the Criminals, named after the 1870 s Yuma Territorial
Prison where high school classes were held for three years before the
school was built. In 1913, after beating the Phoenix Coyotes in the last
few seconds of a football game, a spectator remarked that it "was just
criminal the way they stole that game.” A sports reporter overheard the
comment and published the description. Soon after, the high school
officially selected the “Criminals” as the team name.
In Cairo, Ga. (pop. 9,239), the town's Roddenbery Syrup Co.
inspired the team name one rainy night in 1910 after the company
owner ran to his business and grabbed jackets for the players.
Printed on the back was "Syrupmaker”—and the name stuck.
Each year, a senior at Cairo High School is chosen to be the Syr
upmakers’ mascot: the Syrup Pitcher.
Up north in Temperance, Mich. (pop. 7,757), Nick Olszewski, 16,
portrays Maximus the Mule at Bedford Senior High School. "Bedford
was a big farming place with mules and open fields miles long," says
Olszewski, explaining how the Kicking Mule became the schools
mascot. "Plus, mules are stubborn and hardworking.”
Olszewski was selected to be the spirited mule because “he's an
outgoing kid," says Bob Titus, who teaches the schools sports and
entertainment marketing classes. “He gives high-fives and passes out
goodies and gives hugs to little kids.”
In many small towns, sporting events involve the whole commu-
nity. To help Ozark High School in
Ozark, Ark. (pop. 3.525), the Rev.
Ted Darling serves as the school's
revered mascot: the Hillbilly. The
Baptist minister wears a beard,
overalls and a floppy felt hat, and
totes a 12-gauge shotgun. He fires a
blank after every touchdown.
“We enjoy the stereotype of the
hillbilly," says Darling, 58. “It gives us
kind of a novelty status."
Fans of all ages embrace the
Horned Toads and their mascot. Oscar
the Horned Toad, in Coalinga. Calif,
(pop. 11.668). The region’s real horned
toad lizards have been the stars of the
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A Yellow jacket gets sweet on his cute
rival, the Syrup Pitcher of Cairo, Ga.
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School and corporate mascots mug for the camera during a workshop in Palmyra, Pa., last year.
town’s annual Horned Toad Derby on Memorial Day
weekend since 1933.
“I remember the first time I did a cartwheel at
a football game and almost the entire crowd started
clapping,” says Jessica Harrington, 15, who wears the
Oscar costume. Among those clapping was Alexa
Silva, 4, a devoted fan.
"Alexa invited Oscar to her birthday party. She
even wanted to be Oscar for Halloween,” says her
mother, Nikki Silva. 27. a graduate of Coalinga
High School.
Mascots in training
To add sizzle to their half-time skits and
fun to their on-field antics, some mascots
attend a workshop taught by Erin Blank, 36,
owner of Keystone Mascots in Lancaster, Pa.
(pop. 56,348).
Last summer. Blank coached about a
dozen mascots —including an overstuffed Tou
can, a Robin, Cedar Tree. Baron and Pirate—
in practical matters, such as how to stay cool
in their costumes, sign autographs in paws and
claws, and use props to pep up their acts.
“A car shade can be a surfboard,” Blank
says, stepping on a piece of cardboard and
teetering with outstretched arms. “I want you
(Continued on page 12)
i iin ' '
Millersviile (Pa.) University’s sidekick
Skully learns the surfboarding basics.
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