User:Reid RC/Wise Owl

The chosen mock mascot of the Kalamazoo College Mens Swimming and Diving Team, Wise Owl is a plastic owl figurine, the type commonly used to scare away crows in gardens. Originally taken from Fripp Island, South Carolina during a spring break trip, Wise Owl was transformed from a souvenier into a mock mascot when the Wise Owl Cheer was created.

While not originally brought into the team in the hopes of creating a new cheer for the Kalamazoo College Mens Swim Team, Wise Owl has since embraced his role within the team, and even inspired similar cheers amongst other competing MIAA swim teams. The Wise Owl Cheer is performed with one individual, often a mens team captain, in the middle of a circle of mens team swimmers, who screams the words "Strength. Courage.  Wisdom. Wise Owl.  Wise Owl.  Wise Owl.", which are echoed back individually by the ring of swimmers. After the third "Wise Owl" is shouted the team draws closer and begins jumping and chanting "Wise Owl" in tandem, ending with a loud "Zoo!" For each of the first six words the man in the center squats down and thrusts up Wise Owl high above his head ("Strength!" and Wise Owl is lifted up and the word is echoed; "Courage!" and Wise Owl is lifted up and the word is echoed, etc.).

Wise Owl has since been put on many articles of team apparel, inspiring controversy within the Kalamazoo College administration and athletic department. It has ruled that swim team apparel may not contain the words "Wise Owl" or an image of an owl alongside the words Kalamazoo College, due to branding reasons and the fact that the school's mascot is in fact the hornet. During the 2009-2010 swim season, following a strenuous debate between the swim team and the administration of the college for reasons unrelated to Wise Owl, the mens team created "Wise Owl University" short-sleeved t-shirts depicting an owl's face, which were used for their team shirts that season.

Wise Owl is also characterized by an orange cape that he wears. His summers are spent travelling to various swimmers' homes, and he is often kept in the dorms during the school year. Wise Owl has a Facebook page through which he shows his support for Kalamazoo College swimming, and has even been embraced by Kalamazoo College swim team parents on both the mens and womens side. Owls have become a popular decorative fixture among both mens and womens swim teams at Kalamazoo College. Various members of the team and swim team alumni also boast owl tattoos, inspired by Wise Owl, some of which depict the same owl's face that appeared on the team t-shirts from the 2009-2010 season.

References:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSORXaMXcEohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSORXaMXcEo