You’ve seen the Trent Tiger cheering around a sold-out Motorpoint Arena at last week’s Varsity Ice Hockey, but who is actually behind that costume?
Lydia Davies, an NTU third-year Broadcast Journalism student, is the woman behind this Varsity season’s mascot.
Our Editor-in-Chief, Rucsandra Moldoveanu, spoke to her about the ‘liberating’ experience.
How long have you been a mascot?
“Varsity Ice Hockey was my first game as a mascot!
“I have been acted for mascot for all of the Varsity games coming up.
“I bonded really well with our VP Sport so it will be really nice to do the events together.”
What does it feel like to be the Trent Tiger in front of thousands of people?
“It feels…hot! Haha.
“It was super fun and I loved the non-stop energy, but I have never sweated so much in my life!
“I absolutely loved the buzz of the arena and the people there.
“I had also always wanted to be a mascot at an ice hockey game so it was a bit of a dream come true!”
What’s your favourite part about being the Trent Tiger?
“My favourite part was definitely being in disguise, so I could act as weird as I wanted to and no one knew who was behind the costume.
“It was pretty liberating, actually!”
What about your least favourite?
“My least favourite part was definitely the heat inside that big tiger costume!”
What does it take to be a mascot?
“You need a lot of energy as you have to keep up the act for the entire game, before and after too.
“In a practical sense you need someone there at all times to help you up and down the stairs as the visibility inside the costume isn’t good.
“This was a fun part for me though as I took my best friend and she was so helpful.”
How did you become a mascot?
“I think that an email was sent out to those in NTU sports committees and as I’m the marketing and comms officer for Athletics, I received the email.
“I replied right away and said I’d love to do it.
“I think I was chosen partly because a girl has never been the Trent Tiger before, which is cool!
If you could be an animal, would it be a tiger?
“If I could be any animal I probably would be a tiger now!”
Have you ever been a mascot before?
I used to do Disney Princess Parties for kids which involved a lot of dressing up, but this was my first time being a sports mascot.
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Lead image: Lydia Davies