There is a huge problem with spirit at TCU. I’m not talking about our attendance at sporting events or even the amount of purple and white being worn around campus. I’m talking about our mascot, SuperFrog.
In years past, the chance to be a part of the game as much as the players was such an honor that many students would try out for it. However, in recent years, the number of students trying out to be SuperFrog has declined. I remember walking into the rec center and taking a glance at the tryouts for the mascot. There may have been 10 or 15 people at the most who were thrilled to be there. Others appeared to be forced to be there, most likely by their cheerleading girlfriends or nagging parents. Either way, it is just a huge disappointment.
Granted, I could never be SuperFrog due to my height and ability to get crazy, but I was tempted just to walk in there and give it my all. I couldn’t be more embarrassing than those students just standing around watching other guys get pumped up.
What really hurts me, as well as other students I have talked to, is the subject of cheerleaders having to jump into the costume and assume the role of the famous frog. This shows the lack of spirit and enthusiasm of all students. Being a giant frog is not the job of the cheerleaders, especially when they are trying to excite the crowd for more than two hours without a break.
However, it should be the job of the student body. If there is not a student capable of being SuperFrog, then a faculty member should step up. Remember, this is your school just as much as it is the students.
Only 20 to 30 students out of almost 9,000 are there to cheer on the field. There should be hundreds of people working hard for the chance to be on the playing surface with these athletes and cheerleaders.
Even though the student body is getting the raw end of the deal, a major factor in the decline of participants is due to the lack of publicity for the tryouts. The school needs to step up its advertising and allow more time slots for auditions. TCU is on track to be one of the top athletic programs in the nation. However, something as small as this can really hurt the mighty Horned Frog Nation.
Almost any athlete would say that the more into the game the crowd gets, the more pumped up players become. Look at other famous mascots such as the USC Trojan, the Florida Gator and the Florida State Seminole. Superfrog could join this elite group of mascots and provide us with that spark that players and cheerleaders cannot bring to the table. Most of all, SuperFrog is an opportunity to do something great in your collegiate career. Anyone can be a hero and lead a team to victory, but only a legend can lead an entire school to victory. Be a legend. Be SuperFrog.
Shawn Redd is a junior news-editorial journalism major from Sunnyvale.