The Robin mascot in Friday's homecoming parade. |
Hidden Places: Mascot loved by many, but who knows what's inside the Robin's head? Oct. 11, 2008 Sherlock Holmes said it: The best place to hide something is in plain sight.
The crew has ferreted out some well hidden places in these pages, but turned it attention this week from homecoming to the well-known, from the outside anyway, avian mascot of Antigo High School.
The Antigo Robin made its well-received first appearance of the season at the school’s homecoming contest against Medford Friday. Since Antigo doesn’t have a cheer squad, the mascot has big shoes to fill—literally.
Part superhero, part cheerleader, this flightless bird is a hit with fans, especially the younger ones, and that’s especially rewarding to Christie Kondzela, the costume’s human animator.
“It’s really fun,” Kondzela said. “You watch the game and you get to interact with people. Usually they’ll try to get me to do cheers and things. And the little kids want their picture taken with me. They’re cute and they’re fun. They have a lot of energy.”
The suit has four components: a torso, pair of tights, a set of oversized feet and a papier-mâché head. It’s not conducive to gymnastic moves, which is a challenge for the athletic Kondzela, who plays tennis, softball, basketball and hockey.
“It’s hard to see through the little beak, so you have to really look around,” Kondzela said.
“The head is the heaviest part. The feet are large so they can curl under your shoes. The whole thing is bigger than your own body, so you have to control where you’re walking.”
Not only is the suit hard to manipulate, it can be uncomfortable.
“It’s really hot in there,” Kondzela said. “I definitely like football games the best, because it’s so much cooler.”
In case you’re wondering about the suit’s fourth-quarter fragrance, “It’s bad, really bad,” Kondzela says. “It seriously needs to be washed. Before I get in it I Febreze it—a lot.”
Kondzela shares duties with George Monk, who, owing to his place on the varsity football team wasn’t available for homecoming service. At Friday’s pep rally, Derek Wilson wore the suit.
“He’s funny,” Kondzela said. “He was doing a cartwheel last year and the head fell off. But I think the tights fit him better than me.”
Kondzela is the daughter of John and Lynn Kondzela. She’ll be less available as the winter sports campaigns rev up. But she hopes to continue as mascot.
“I was asked to do it last year for a couple games. I haven’t done it yet this year. It’s so hard to find volunteers. They say my character is funny. They say I have a good personality, so they thought I’d be a good mascot.”
Hidden Places is a weekly Antigo Daily Journal feature that examines some of the more unusual, historic or unknown features in and around the northwoods and occasionally farther afield. The crew is always looking for suggestions and willing tour guides and this week our sports guy, Larry Abitz, stepped in for a significant interview with the Robin mascot. Contact Lisa or Debbie at the Journal, 623-4191, or e-mail them at hiddenplacescrew@hotmail.com.
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