If you really think about it, the idea of a mascot is actually a humorous concept. It’s a person dressed in an outrageous costume and has one job: bringing good luck and spirit to school events.
Whether it is a football game, a new student orientation or the math olympics, mascots are used as a representative of something bigger. They represent the spirit of the school.
Typically, most schools have only one mascot. Lanaki Apele, sophomore guard for the Kingsmen basketball team, would like it to be that way for our school, too.
“I’d rather we have just one name to refer to all of our teams. That way we could make a more distinct identity for the school,” Apele said.
California Lutheran University has two mascots: the Kingsmen and the Regals. And surprisingly, I am OK with this.
Having two mascots might be confusing to other schools about what our identity is, but at the same time, it gives both the guys and girls teams here the opportunity to make a name for themselves.
The athletic program at CLU continues to grow each year. It seems that at least a few of our teams will win their conference and make playoffs each semester, making us proud as a school each time they do.
But, we have a funny, yet unique way of identifying our teams. When you heard that Kingsmen soccer won the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, you automatically knew they were talking about the men’s team.
If you heard that the Regals volleyball team punched a ticket to the SCIAC championships, then you know they were mentioning the women’s team.
Having two mascots means having two dynasties mixed into one. Think about it, both men and women squads at CLU have made a name for themselves in the Division III world they compete in.
The Kingsmen have set up their own individual dynasty because of their winning ways, whereas the Regals have set up their own in the same manner.
At the same time, they both represent our school as a whole and are combined to make one huge dynasty. If the mascots were to be changed into just one, that could possibly change the dynamic we have going on.
Even though it may seem confusing at first, everyone eventually catches on with the two names.
“Kingsmen and Regals is what I came to throw my patronage behind since freshman year,” junior Yannis Moore said. “I couldn’t imagine it being any other way.”
Junior Dana Henjum, who plays on the rugby club team at CLU, also enjoys the school’s two mascots.
“I really like that we have two mascots at our school. I believe it’s part of our school culture and part of what makes our school unique,” Henjum said.
“We all enjoy being able to say, ‘Kingsmen and Regal,’ and know what everyone is talking about. Everyone signs their random CLU Compliments stuff with ‘a lonely Kingsmen’ or ‘a hopeful Regal’ anyway, so there’s no reason to change it.”
Other students may feel on the fence about the mascot. Coming from a guy’s perspective, though, being called a chivalrous Kingsmen by a lovely Regal just has a nice ring to it. Let’s keep it that way.
Evan Engel
Staff Writer
Published Nov. 20, 2013