Celebrating 10 years of Tiger tales
By GAYLE WEBER
Born from the idea of Fort Hays State University alumna Mary Ridgway and the pocketbook of alumnus Larry Dreiling, Victor E. Tiger has come a long way in his 10 years of existence.
And the duo decided the FHSU mascot needed some special treatment on his 10th birthday. So they rolled out birthday cakes to feed as many of Victor E.'s 3,000 closest friends as they could during halftime of the FHSU men's basketball game Wednesday night.
"This has been my pride and joy," said Ridgway, who designed the tiger logo for the university as well as Victor E.'s first costume.
The tiger had been the mascot for many years at the university before Ridgway developed Victor E.'s distinctive look.
And even after unveiling the tiger in April 2000, his name wasn't finalized until the following football season.
"When we did test marketing on him 10 years ago, half said they liked it and the other half said they'd get used to it," Ridgway said.
And boy, have they gotten used to him -- especially the children.
"I like him," 5-year-old Kadence Mai said Wednesday night with pom-poms in each hand and a balloon tied around her wrist to celebrate Victor E.'s birthday.
Mai has met the mascot during many of her visits to FHSU games.
"I always give him a high-five," Mai said.
Current Victor E. portrayer, FHSU sophomore Dawna Evers, said interacting with children is one of the most important parts of the job.
And another -- using emphatic gestures.
"Waving -- I have to do it twice as big because if you just do a little gesture, people aren't going to understand what you're doing," said Evers, who has portrayed a mascot for her schools since seventh grade.
It's those emphatic gestures that 11-year-old Mykeltie Horting likes so much every time she runs into Victor E. at an FHSU event.
"I like it that he doesn't talk, he just kind of messes around," Horting said with cake frosting covering her lips.
Victor E. celebrated his 10th birthday with other local mascots including McGruff from the Hays Police Department and the Cat in the Hat from The Mall who entertained children in the stands throughout Wednesday night's games against Pittsburg State University.
Campus organizations presented the mascot with birthday presents including a scratching post and chew toys. But Victor E. wasn't the only one celebrating. Evers turns 20 today.
"I'm not going to do anything for my birthday because I look at it as I'll be celebrating with (3,000) other people," she said. "I wouldn't have it any other way."