The Mascot Debacle of 1995 Part 3
The Mascot Debacle of 1995 Part 3 | Part 2 | Part 1
There we stood. Him and I. The Alta Hawk and the Mountain View Bruin.
We stood there for a few seconds, and then he started dancing. He pulled a couple of moves and then pointed at me. I pulled the Macarena and finished with a pelvic thrust in his general direction. The crowd was getting into it and cheered us both on.
Our intention was never to come into contact, but the moment got the better of both of us. As we got closer, we pretended to shadow box, and then the Alta hawk hit my head softly with his wing, so I hit him a little harder with my hand/paw. This is where it spiraled downward.
The Pretend Fight that Turned Real
He grabbed me and put me in a headlock, and I caught him around his waist and took him to the ground. At this point, the crowd was incredibly loud. I couldn’t hear specifics words, chants, or cheers, just muffled loud noise.
The Hawk reversed his position and got on top of my chest pinning me to the ground. He was hitting the mask back and forth with his wings when suddenly he was no longer on top of me, and the crowd went ballistic.
The following portion of the story is not first hand, but what was told to me about that moment by multiple people after the fact. Indeed the crowd was into the “play” fight that we were having. At this point halftime was supposed to be over and the players from both teams were waiting for us to finish before starting the second half warm ups.”
People watched as the fight escalated until I was pinned by the Hawk. Mark (not his real name) a large football player had seen enough. What can be described as nothing more than a tackling drill. In frustration and anger Mark bolted from the front row of old wood bleachers like a freight train and pummeled the Hawk to the ground.
Mark was six plus feet, 230 pounds and built to last. He was three starter on the football team and had the crazy twitch in his eye. This was his last tackle as a Mountain View Bruin.
This was the moment when the weight was lifted or taken off my chest and the crowd went ballistic.
Mark had taken a free shot at the Alta Hawk. (We learned later he dislocated the Hawk’s shoulder and broke the other mascot’s collarbone). This did not go over well with Alta Hawk fans, some of the kids tried to come onto the court to fight Mark. The resource officer and administration stepped in, but couldn’t stop the fights after the game. Rumors were that there were three or four fights after the game out in the parking lot. All because of a Mascot Dance Off gone wrong.
I remember standing up with arms raised in a V listening to the crowd go nuts. I didn’t finish the game.
In the Locker Room
Chaos.
One of our AP’s was on the phone with dispatch, the medical trainers were trying to see what the damage was, but couldn’t get through the big bird costume. Alta’s AP was muttering under his breath repeatedly shaking his head, “What the hell were you thinking?”
The Alta Hawk, now with his mask off, was crying/grunting in pain. I sat there staring at my Bruin mask, now on the floor in front of me, wondering where it all went wrong, trying to figure out what in the crap had just happened.
Finally, one of the AP’s told me, “There is no way you are going back out for the second half, you are going to get killed.”
I changed my clothes and put the duffle bag in the corner. I went back into the gym and quietly watched the rest of the game, listening to everyone’s version of what had just occurred.
The Aftermath
Like most stories, over the next few days, rumors got bigger and bigger. I remember hearing from someone that said the Alta Hawk was now paralyzed and that the school was starting a fundraiser to get him an electronic wheelchair. It was insane, not only did I hear the stories, but most people didn’t know that I was the guy in the Bruin costume. I was like Clark Kent hearing about how amazing Superman was, but couldn’t say anything. “I know that’s crazy!”
I don’t remember what happened to Mark. Did he get suspended or expelled? I don’t know. We never spoke about the situation, and I never got a chance to thank him. His tackle sent Bueford T. Bruin to legendary status.
The next week we had a meeting about my status as a Mascot at MVHS. After hearing my side of the story, and talking it out. The Administration, AD, and Cheerleading coach agreed that I could stay, but needed to take a break for a little while.
I got suspended from being the mascot. I know it sounds ridiculous, try saying it out loud. I had a two-week break but spent the next year and a half sporting the Bruin Mascot costume alongside my female counterpart. It was awesome.
MVHS vs. ALTA
Bueford T. Bruin did not attend a home or away Alta football, basketball, or baseball game during that time. I/We tried to argue our point multiple times (see Part2) with no success. I suppose there are a lot of lessons here, but I hope the next time you see a high school mascot, you think of a nerdy 15/16-year-old kid trying to get out of class to ride the bus with the cheerleaders, and think of this story.