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OTHER SPORT STORIES - Standings - Personal reflections on Title IX Squeal like the dolphin you are! Kirsten Clark Sports Editor The mighty growl of the grizzly strikes fear into the hearts of men, the fierce attack of the shark sends opponents running for cover. Honestly I have no idea what kind of noise a dolphin makes; a high pitched squeak and a splashing of water is not all that particularly threatening to me. I have been a sports fan all my life, and mascots have always been a part of what I cheer for. They are something to rally behind and a symbol of authority. Which is what I had always thought of a mascot should be. Historically, mascots have been symbols that people have admired, things that portray characteristics we would like to have: courage, bravery, strength and maybe not the ability to quickly run away from your enemies. THE EBBTIDE'S OFFICIAL EDITORIAL OPINION ON OUR MASCOT, THE DOLPHIN Ty Garfield - Of all the aquatic mammals, Dolphins are my least favorite. Dolphin - The Dolphin is the perfect mascot. How dare you question my author-a-tah!! Brian Kerin - I like the Dolphins, they're sluts. They are one of only three species that has sex for pleasure, other than humans. Bullwinkle Morris - I HATE the friggin' Dolphins! Those gutless bastards couldn't cover the point-spread if their grandmothers were on fire. Heartless swine! Andrew Johnson - Why does Bullwinkle have to hate everything? Anyways, when I was in High School, we changed from the Chiefs to the Mavericks. I understood that change, but I don't find anything Shoreline about the Dolphin. Puppet - WHO'S HAND IS UP MY ASS? It damn well better be clean. What do you think? Check out the Back Page where Puppet asks, "How does it feel to be a Dolphin? I want something tough, rough and mean. I want teams to hear about the Shoreline what-evers, and not laugh. Believe me my friends, right now they laugh a lot. According to the Austin Zoo, the definition of the word "mascot" means, "A person, or an animal or an object believed to bring good luck, especially one kept as a symbol of an organization such as a sport team." Did you know that there was a previous mascot at Shoreline, other than the mighty dolphin? We used to be known as the Shoreline Samurai: a team of professionals who attack quickly and leave no trace. Now, seriously is there really anyone out there who has not wanted to have some of the qualities of a samurai? They are quick, quiet and fierce. Using "Samurai" as a mascot was not meant to harm any cultural background, only to fame the characteristics of that person or group of people. During the mascot crisis, the Shoreline Samurai has not been the only one attacked. In the professional sports world there are many teams with "controversial" names. First off, there are the Cleveland Indians and their mascot, Chief Wahoo. Which, was not chosen because of any Indian quality, but picked in 1915 to honor the first Indian baseball player, Louis Francis Sockalexis. Since Jacobs Field opened in 1994, there has been a huge uproar stating that Chief Wahoo is racially offensive. Next, there is the Atlanta braves with Chief Knockahoma and his tomahawk; the tomahawk being a hand motion and a chant by the Atlanta fans. Chief Knockahoma is a fictional character, but according the Atlanta Braves website the mascot came from when they played in Boston and were owned by John Ward and James E. Gaffney, the "chieftains." They then came to be known as the Braves, because they worked for the Chiefs. I could go on and on with controversial names from professional sports all the way down to Pee-wee football teams in all of our hometowns; however, that would take pages and pages of type that I do not have. Therefore, I will leave you with a few other names for you to check out. The Washington Redskins, the Kansas City Chiefs, the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux, the Florida State University Seminoles, and finally the Meadowdale Chiefs of Lynnwood, Washington. © 2002 Shoreline Community College™