New mascot pumps up Wiscasset’s fans
Andrew Lincoln, in the Wolverine costume, leads the Wiscasset Wolverines onto the court Dec. 18 against Lisbon. Lincoln, who spearheaded the effort to get a mascot for the school, said he hopes to be able to dunk via a trampoline for the postseason. BEN BULKELEY/Wiscasset Newspaper
Mascot in action. BEN BULKELEY/Wiscasset Newspaper
Andrew Lincoln, in the Wolverine costume, leads the Wiscasset Wolverines onto the court Dec. 18 against Lisbon. Lincoln, who spearheaded the effort to get a mascot for the school, said he hopes to be able to dunk via a trampoline for the postseason. BEN BULKELEY/Wiscasset Newspaper
Mascot in action. BEN BULKELEY/Wiscasset Newspaper
Andrew Lincoln was certain there was something missing from Wiscasset's sidelines.
There are cheerleaders, a goodly-sized student section, and scores of fans sporting back and red gear at any given Wiscasset home game.
But the basketball fan and Wiscasset High School junior noticed that there was still something missing.
“I watch a lot of NBA games, and all the NBA teams, and some of the other schools we play — they all have mascots,” Lincoln said Thursday, Dec. 18 after making his first appearance as the mascot. He spoke with the shaggy brown Wolverine head propped up on his brow in between trips to high-five the crowd.
“I thought it would be cool if we could have a mascot of our own.”
So, with the help of fundraisers and the Wiscasset Boosters, money was raised and the Wolverine mascot costume was purchased to make its entrance during Guns N’ Roses “Welcome to the Jungle” played on Thursday, Dec. 18.
Lincoln led the boys varsity squad from the locker room and sprinted first out onto the court. He dished out hugs to the starting five while wearing the shaggy brown fur suit and Wiscasset home jersey.
“It's hotter than you'd think,” he said during a break. “I sprinted out — I was running as fast as I could, and it's hot.”
The suit is equipped with a fan in the head, for just that purpose, Athletic Director Sarah Ricker said.
“We're going to be having a contest pretty soon to name the mascot,” she said. “(The costume) arrived in the mail this week and it's just for us — it's unique and it was made just for Wiscasset.”
Ricker said that beyond the teams and Boosters fundraising, it was Lincoln's project from the start. When he saw the creation for the first time, Lincoln said it met all his expectations.
“When I first saw it, I was overjoyed,” he said.
Lincoln said he has been taking notes from the Chicago Bulls mascot, Benny the Bull, and the Brooklyn Nets’ mascot on how to get a crowd fired up.
Because, like the team he cheers on, he has a similar goal: to make it to Augusta.
While the Wiscasset Wolverines on the court are hoping to make it to Augusta to compete in the state playoffs, Lincoln and the as-yet-not-named mascot have a different goal in mind.
“When we get to Augusta,” he said, “I want to use a trampoline to dunk.”
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