Boomer and Sooner, OU’s mascots, rally fans at sporting events, but who are the students who bring life to these beloved characters?
The OU Mascot team is made up of six students. Being on the mascot team takes a good attitude, high energy and true passion, members of the team said.
Tonya Kiper, a human relations senior is a co-captain of the team.
Before she became an OU mascot, Kiper said she tried out for her high school cheerleading team and didn’t make it. She was contacted to try out for a mascot position and was told to prepare a skit. When she went to perform for the coaches, she said she was the only one who had prepared a skit and was chosen as the mascot.
“I kind of fell into it, but I absolutely loved it,” Kiper said.
When she was a freshman at OU, Kiper said she met with the spirit coordinator in hopes of becoming an OU mascot but was told she wouldn’t make it on the team. Kiper said she saw a poster for tryouts her junior year, decided to go for it and made the team.
“I don’t know why they let me on the team, to be honest, but I’m glad they did,” Kiper said.
Kiper said she loves interacting with young fans.
“They get to see the things they see on TV or in a picture, and you’re getting to create that magic for them,” Kiper said.
OU mascot and psycology sophomore Blake McAllister, was a mascot in high school. Coming from a small town, he said he thought about what it would be like to come from a Kansas town of 2,000 people, go to OU and become an NCAA mascot. When he found out he made the team, McAllister said he was ecstatic.
Boomer and Sooner always seem to be having fun, so the hard work these students put in may often go unnoticed, McAllister said.
“It’s not for everyone,” McAllister said. “The suit is much hotter than the temperature outside, and you have to use improvisation all the time with the crowd.”
Being in a suit, the students on the mascot team do not receive much recognition, Kiper said.
“I’ve seen so many people come through and they start with a good attitude,” Kiper said. “Then they realize how much work they are putting in and they are getting no recognition and they are biting their tongue from saying anything,” she said.
Kiper and McAllister said another difficult part of being a mascot is that it is time-consuming. The team practices once a week, with more practices while preparing for national competitions, Kiper said. In addition to practices, the mascots make appearances on campus prior to game days and also make community service appearances.
Both Kiper and McAllister have found being on the OU Mascot team to be a rewarding experience.
“I found that I could be my excited, crazy, silly self all the time,” Kiper said “It was not only acceptable, but encouraged to be extra crazy.”
McAllister said he can be a completely different being while in costume.
“It is important to come to the realization that being a mascot involves being unselfish,” Kiper said. “This actually isn’t about you, it’s about making other people happy.”
