Julia Conlon
A student trying out for the role of Mr. Wuf leaves Carmichael Gym to be tested on his ability to interact with fans. Mascot tryouts were held on September 8th, 2015.
For nearly as long as there have been team sports in America, there have been mascots. In the beginning, mascots were comprised of mostly live animals. NC State once had a live wolf that was brought out on the field during football games.
Once people began filling the role of mascot, the job shifted from token captive animal to hype man in a suit. On September 8th, the search for the man and woman to portray Mr. and Ms. Wuf began.
In order to keep the secret identities, Mascot coach Kristen Bolinger, asked that then contestants and current mascots names not be used because they haven’t been officially selected yet.
“We’re looking for the ultimate fan,” Bolinger said. “That’s what Mr. and Ms. Wuf are, so we want that in the person we put in their suits.”
The tryouts brought a diverse group of former cheerleaders and NC State super fans alike.
“All the mascots here can get the crowd going absolutely wild like that,” a student waiting to audition for the role of Mr. Wuf said. “It’s crazy. That’s talent right there. I want to be able to do that, to make 35,000 people go crazy, you know?”
Candidates for the mascot spot were asked to run through a set of game-day scenarios and then taken for a stroll around Talley Student Center to be tested on their ability to interact with the fans. The most essential part of the tryout process though, was the students’ portrayal of the Mr. and Ms. Wuf characters.
“Ms. Wuf, she’s definitely the sassy Southern lady,” Bolinger said. ”A little bit spunky, little bit mischievous… but very feminine and very motherly. She’s definitely sassy but she doesn’t mind being silly and having fun.”
Her male counterpart, according to a current Mr. Wuf, “…is a bro. A jock. He’s super macho, he’s a manly man.”
One of the distinctive features of a mascot at any school or corporation is that the identity of the person in the suit is kept shrouded in mystery.
“Lots of people have built relationships with Mr. and Ms. Wuf, so it’s important to us that whichever [Wuf] they’re meeting, it’s the same character,” Bolinger said. “It has less to do with the individual in the suit and more to do with keeping the tradition of the character alive.”
When asked what the best part of being a mascot is, a current Mr. Wuf answered, “the fact that it’s hard to get places because everyone wants to stop and take pictures with you.”
Another current mascot emphasized that the job is a huge time commitment, but it’s a lot of fun.
“We live a life like Hannah Montana,” she said. “It’s the best of both worlds.”