Five students per year serve as the HokieBird.
Fall 2012
FEATURE
In what years did you play the HokieBird?
2007-10
What are you doing now?
I am currently working as a stage manager on one of Cirque du Soleil's shows called "Quidam." It's an International Tour that is currently touring North America.
What was your most memorable experience as the HokieBird?
One of the most memorable experiences … would probably be my first home football game as HokieBird. I was pretty nervous to perform my first game. I had already done some other appearances as the HokieBird to locations around campus, but football games are so different. I remember just telling myself to pick up my feet when I was running in front of the football team; otherwise, I'd be road kill.
Tell us about your favorite reaction to the HokieBird.
Being the HokieBird is literally like being a rock star. Everywhere you go, people want photos, autographs, and especially high-fives. My favorite reactions, though, are from children, who only want to hug and sit on your lap. At one appearance, there was one kid that would not let go of me. This was the first time she had met the HokieBird, and after hugging the HokieBird once, she just wanted to sit on his lap. We played some games, and it was a great moment for me and hopefully her.
What sort of training did you have to do?
I began my time as a costume character working in Disney World as a performer, bringing their memorable characters to life and performing in their shows and parades. I worked there for eight months on the Disney College Program. I returned to Virginia Tech that fall and knew I had to audition for the HokieBird. I sent several emails around the athletic department until I finally was able to score an audition. Once I was picked, the rest of the "training" came from the other HokieBirds. The best training comes when you are in front of students or fans.
What are the basic rules of being the HokieBird? (Such as no speaking or removing the head) Body language must've been critical. What was your signature move?
A lot, actually. I would tap dance sometimes at basketball games with the HighTechs on the sideline. I could also manage a faux split as well! The biggest signature for my time as the HokieBird was the "Turkey Sausage" pyramid I would do with the male cheerleaders at football games. I would be on top of [a human] pyramid as the HokieBird. I heard this was done before, but I was the only HokieBird to do [this move] while I was at Tech.
Did you get into any fisticuffs with other ACC mascots on a football field?
I was never a HokieBird that liked to fight. Instead of fighting, I would usually challenge the other mascots to a dance off. I remember specifically the University of Miami's [mascot] wasn't a big fan of dancing—he really just wanted to fight. I avoided fighting with him by dancing with the Hokie Fans instead.
What's the worst part about being the HokieBird?
I don't think there's a "worst part" about being the HokieBird. I mean, you are the face and spirit of the university! My two least-favorite parts: the amount of liquid I lost through sweat while in the HokieBird was astounding, especially on warm summer days outside; and the fact that being the HokieBird is a huge secret until you graduate is bittersweet. I can't tell you how many times I would joke with my friends or classmates as the HokieBird without them knowing. If it weren't a secret, though, it wouldn't be as fun at graduation when you wear the feet under your cap and gown and "retire."
In what years did you play the HokieBird?
I was the HokieBird from the spring of 2003 until I graduated in 2006.
What are you doing now?
I own The Brick: Charleston's Favorite Tavern, a Virginia Tech bar located in downtown Charleston, S.C.
What was your most memorable experience as the HokieBird?
Wow, there are so many, but I would have to say it comes down to either famous actor Robert Duvall asking to take a picture with me during a Miami night game or [when I was] on the field during the second half of the West Virginia game the year they were No. 6. [We] came back and won the game in a torrential downpour. It's like the rainstorm made our fans go twice as nuts as they normally do!
Tell us about your favorite reaction to the HokieBird.
Probably the reaction I would get from children. There is this age range with kids, after they stop being scared of you but before they start picking on you, where they just absolutely love you.
What sort of training did you have to do?
There wasn't really any training we had to do to actually be the bird. During tryouts, we were taught things about the bird: traditions, how he should walk, act, etc., from the current birds, but it was really up to us to put our own personality into the bird. However, we were treated like athletes at the school, so we were required to work out three times a week in the weight gym with the cheerleaders and their trainer.
What are the basic rules of being the HokieBird (such as no speaking or removing the head)?
The biggest one that most people probably think of is "keeping our identities a secret," which for the most part was true. We weren't supposed to advertise we were the HokieBird until we graduated. [At graduation], it's a tradition for the birds to wear the feet with our cap and gown to let everyone know we were the bird. However, keeping the secret from your family, roommates, friends, and other athletes is pretty impossible. I would say out of the 26,000 people that go to Virginia Tech, only about 1,000 found out I was the bird while I was there. The rule of thumb on that one was don't advertise to people [that] you are the bird, but if it slips out, it slips out. A funny story [about the head]: Out of [those] who were the bird when I was, I was the only one who didn't accidentally have the head fall off.
Body language must've been critical. What was your signature move?
Yes, body language and props were the key elements to being the mascot. The saying "go big or go home" pretty much fits here. All of our gestures had to be big because the suit was so big. I don't know if I really had a signature move. I was really good at dancing and could do the "crip walk" really well in the large feet. [Also], I was really good at coming up with funny props and outfits for the bird to use and wear.
Did you get into any fisticuffs with other ACC mascots on a football field?
Yes, but we couldn't pick fights with the other team's mascot unless it was worked out and scripted with the other mascot before the game. Usually the visiting team's mascot would have to lose fight as common rule, no matter who was winning. When we were still in the Big East (my first year as the bird), we could just go up to [opposing mascots] and start messing around, but when we joined the ACC, they changed the rules. It wasn't a fight, but the funniest thing I probably ever did to the other mascot was to walk up to the U.Va. Cavalier right in front of [his home fans], hand him a Sharpie, and ask him to sign a giant box of Captain Crunch [cereal] because [the two characters] look almost the same.
What's the worst part about being the HokieBird?
I would have to say probably the exhaustion, heat, and sweat during the early-season games. I was the bird when we played University of Southern California at FedEx Field in D.C., and it was so hot that after running around tailgates and doing the first half of the game, I almost passed out due to dehydration. Someone else had to be the bird for the second half because I could barely walk. [Despite that,] I wouldn't trade being the bird for anything; [it was] the most fun I've ever had!
In what years did you play the HokieBird?
1994-96
It's awesome that you went "pro" as a mascot. How long have you been with the Jaguars? (Are you still with them?)
I started the mascot program with the Jaguars in 1996, after graduating, and am still running the program and performing as [Jaguars' mascot] Jaxson De Ville.
Do you have a day job, or is being a mascot a full-time job?
It is a full-time job, but I hope to be a productive citizen when I grow up.
What was your most memorable experience as the HokieBird?
[There are] too many to choose from. The entire experience of being the HokieBird is something I will never forget. The trips to bowl games, basketball tournaments, and nationals. I was also fortunate enough to be the first HokieBird to win the NCA Mascot Title. My last football game as the bird was the Sugar Bowl, and my last basketball games were the NCAA Tournament in 1996 in Dallas.
Tell us about your favorite reaction to the HokieBird.
I enjoyed the reaction of the opposing teams' student section on the road.
What sort of training did you have to do?
I got sent to the principal's office a lot in my early school days, and I spent quite some time in [Former Tech Athletic Director] Dave Braine's office while at Tech.
What are the basic rules of being the HokieBird? (Such as no speaking or removing the head)
You've gotta be able to do "the walk"—the HokieBird has a very specific style to his walk. No talking in costume, do not allow anyone to see you without the head on, and remember what and who you represent and always respect that tradition.
Body language must've been critical. What was your signature move?
I created the "Scream Machine," which I think is still used.
Did you get into any fisticuffs with other ACC mascots on a football field?
We were in the Atlantic Ten Conference when I was there, and I did get into a bit of an incident with the St. Joseph's Hawk.
What's the worst part about being the HokieBird?
Occasionally having to disappoint people when you can't stick around at an appearance to see everyone or when all the cheerleaders are fighting over you.
In what years did you play the HokieBird?
2002-08. I did it in undergrad, then continued on while I was getting my MBA, but didn't do quite as many appearances then as I had as an undergraduate.
What are you doing now?
I live in Charlotte, N.C., and am the business development and marketing director for a commercial painting company called A&K Painting.
What was your most memorable experience as the HokieBird?
Wow, hard to chose only one, there are so many! I guess I would have to say being selected for the Capital One All-American mascot team and getting to go to Los Angeles to be on set and film the commercials. It was a blast to meet all the other mascots. Plus, I was the first female mascot to make the team, so it was quite an honor.
Tell us about your favorite reaction to the HokieBird.
When we played James Madison University at home one year, I went over to the away team's area with a big dog catcher's net and a stuffed dog and waved it in front of their fans and cheerleaders to taunt them. [JMU's mascot] he Duke Dog and cheerleaders got mad and ganged up on me, and I ended up having to fight their mascot off by hitting him with the stick from the net. I later met their mascot without our suits on, and the reaction on his face when he saw that it was a girl was priceless!
What sort of training did you have to do?
Outside of tryouts, there really was no practice, but we did have a weight-lifting program to follow. It was the same one the cheerleaders and HighTechs did.
What are the basic rules of being the HokieBird? (Such as no speaking or removing the head)
No two HokieBirds could be out at the same time within a certain proximity of each other. For example, one of us couldn't be in one suit outside Cassell Coliseum while another HokieBird was in the other suit inside the stadium. That would ruin the mystique of the HokieBird!
Body language must've been critical. What was your signature move?
Dancing was my big thing. I loved to keep the HokieBird moving to the beat anytime the band was playing. I also liked to puff up the chest and flex my muscles and get down on one knee and pretend I was proposing to girls.
What's the worst part about being the HokieBird?
The smell! Those suits had been sweat in so much and by so many different people. No matter how many times they were washed, they still smelled awful. I would still smell the HokieBird stench in my hair two showers later every time I wore it. Also, sometimes we had to put the suit on directly after someone else took it off, so it would be soaking wet and disgusting!
In what years did you play the HokieBird?
1994-95
What are you doing now?
Sales for a medical device manufacturer.
What was your most memorable experience as the HokieBird?
Cheering on the crowd as our men's basketball team won the NIT at Madison Square Garden [and] carrying out a wedding proposal request from the field [during a football game], where we held up a sign, popping the question.
Tell us about your favorite reaction to the HokieBird.
My fellow HokieBird, Curtis Dvorak, did the dance routine with the basketball dance squad. The crowd went nuts, and we used a film of that dance routine to help launch us to a secondplace finish in the National Mascot Championship competition in Orlando that year.
Having the position to promote cheers is awesome. At a basketball game, I decided to turn the "GO" sign upside down when splitting the crowd cheer of "GO" "Hokies." It was pretty funny hearing half the crowd shout out "OG!"
What sort of training did you have to do?
Not enough!
What are the basic rules of being the HokieBird? (Such as no speaking or removing the head)
Remember that the fans don't see the person. To them, the bird is Virginia Tech. Encourage that. Don't be a jerk. Ever.
Body language must've been critical. What was your signature move?
I loved to puff up my chest and do the HokieBird Strut.
Did you get into any fisticuffs with other ACC mascots on a football field?
No, but my fellow HokieBird did with the Ibis from University of Miami.
What's the worst part about being the HokieBird?
There are two people who rotate the mascot duties all year long. At home football games, each of us will perform just half of the game. Getting into that sweaty suit at halftime after the other guy has already sweated out seven pounds of water weight is downright nasty.
In what years did you play the HokieBird?
I was the Hokie Bird from 1995-97.
It's awesome that you went "pro" as a mascot. How long have you been with the Panthers? (Are you still with them?)
I first went pro with the Carolina Panthers from 1998-2003 as their character, Sir Purr. I left them in 2003 to become the Sacramento Kings mascot, Slamson, and am now entering my tenth season with the team.
What was your most memorable experience as the HokieBird?
There are so many great memories as the HokieBird, but the one that sticks out the most is winning the 1997 NCAA Mascot Championship.
Tell us about your favorite reaction to the HokieBird.
There is not one reaction that takes the cake. I would have to say that everyone loves the HokieBird, and that in itself was one of the best parts about being this character.
What sort of training did you have to do?
We went to mascot camp each summer where they taught mascots the basic principles, but most of the time we always came up with crazy skits and stunts to do on game days (sometimes getting us in trouble!).
What are the basic rules of being the HokieBird? (Such as no speaking or removing the head)
Basic rules included no talking in costume, no showing your skin through the costume or taking off the head in public, no telling anyone who the HokieBird was, and always maintaining HokieBird character.
Body language must've been critical. What was your signature move?
Because every HokieBird was to remain consistent in behavior, no one should really have a signature move for themselves.
Did you get into any fisticuffs with other ACC mascots on a football field?
I did indeed get into fisticuffs. I got into a "minor" altercation with the Miami Hurricanes' mascot "Ibis" back in 1996. He started it though, and I was just defending myself. All in good poultry fun.
What's the worst part about being the HokieBird?
Worst part about being the HokieBird: We used to have to safety-pin the orange leggings to the Maroon body portion, and I can' t tell you how many times I would run in costume and those safety pins would come undone and stick into my thighs. Combine [that] with the salty sweat, and you have some painful memories. Other than that, being the HokieBird was a blast!