Pali Blues Feature Article – www.bluessoccerclub.com
Friday, January 21, 2010
SANTA MONICA, CA – The Phillie Phanatic, San Diego Chicken, Milwaukee Brewers’ Racing Sausages – there is something about a sports mascot that makes a night out at the stadium unforgettable. Now, after two championship seasons in the USL W-League, the Palisades’ own Pali Blues Soccer Club is ready to unveil its very own mascot in 2010. The twist is the team is asking its fans, and all Palisades Post readers, to help create one.
“We are always looking for new ways to engage the community,” explains Blues GM Jason Lemire. “We were lucky enough to have the Pali HS dolphin at a few of our games last season but this year we want our fans, particularly our younger fans, to help us create a mascot that will be our very own.”
The mascot’s role would be two-fold: to help pump up the crowd at Blues games as well as make public appearances and promote the Blues’ community service initiatives. In short, someone (or something) who would be fun to see walking down Sunset during the 62nd Palisades Americanism Parade.
Of course the first challenge in coming up with a Pali Blues mascot is that there is no clear choice based on the team’s name. After all, what on earth is a Blue? This no reason, however, for a team to go mascotless. On the contrary, some of the greatest, or at least most memorable sports mascots, are the result of team names that do not appear to lend themselves, in any way, to someone dressing up in a funny costume.
Take, for instance, the New York Mets. A name hearkening back to the old New York Metropolitans, there really is no obvious mascot for such a team, unless of course you consider a man with a large baseball-shaped head an obvious selection. But obvious or not, since his creation in 1964, Mr. Met has helped rally millions of baseball fans and is a member of the fabled Mascot Hall of Fame (founded by David Raymound, the original Phillie Phanatic).
Another team name close to the hearts of many Palisades families is the Stanford Cardinal. For those unfamiliar with this unusual moniker, Stanford University’s sports teams are not named after the seasonal bird, but the color cardinal. So, what kind of mascot do you have for a team named after a color? Why a tree of course! Based on the redwood tree that appears on the Stanford seal, The Stanford Tree is traditionally a member of the Stanford marching band, and the costume always memorable.
If Mr. Met and the Stanford Tree prove anything it is that a team like the Pali Blues can pick just about anything to be its new mascot. The team hopes it is a freedom of which Post readers will take full advantage, encouraging fans to be as creative as possible.
Once the basics have been decided upon – the mascot’s name and general description – Lemire plans on turning design duties over to local elementary and middle school students, with finalists posted on the Pali Blues website and beyond.
“There is no question that the Palisades is full of talented kids,” Lemire asserts. “We want to give them the opportunity to actually see one of their creations come to life.”
What exactly that creation will be is yet to be determined.
To enter the Pali Blues Mascot Contest you can email your idea to mascot@bluessoccerclub.com or – even better – mail your submission to The Pali Post c/o The Pali Blues Mascot Contest at 839 Via de la Paz, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272. Submissions should include a MASCOT NAME as well as a BASIC DESCRIPTION (type of animal/person/object.) There is no limit to the number of submissions an individual or family can make. The deadline for submissions for this first part of the contest is February 11, 2010.
All submissions will be considered by the Pali Blues and Pali Post staff. Good luck and remember to have fun. To help spark your creativity, here are a few ideas for coming with the name and look for the new Pali Blues mascot: Things that are the color blue, Things found “Where the Mountains Meet the Sea,” Anything related to soccer, Things that start with the letter “P.”
