Royal Purple

Issue date: 11/7/07 Section: Arts & Lifestyle

Media Credit: Brad McAllister One of the two students who play Willie the Warhawk changes into his outfit in the Williams

It's safe to say that most students know who Willie the Warhawk is. He is the fun-loving, energetic, giant gray and purple mascot for UW-Whitewater. But what people don't know about Willie is who is inside the costume.

Unlike other college mascots such as UW-Madison's Bucky Badger, the two students who play Willie are kept secret from the majority of the student body.

"It's just easier for them to be creative and have fun with it and to be anonymous where people don't know who it is," Associate Director of Recreational Sports Therese Kennedy said.

In fact, only a few friends of the students know the truth.

"A few of my friends know, because you need an assistant when putting on the costume," Willie One*, a sophomore physical education major, said.

The costume has been updated since the warhawk became the official mascot in the 1980s. The current costume that Willie wears was purchased in 2001 for the grand opening of the Kachel Fieldhouse, Kennedy said.

There are nine pieces to the Warhawk costume. The pieces include shoes, a diaper-like item, sweat pants, shorts, a tail, a vest, a body suit, a helmet (or head), and a jersey. The diaper-like item and vest help provide more muscle definition for Willie and go under the body suit.

Willie Two*, a senior business and marketing education major, said that even though he can get most of the suit on himself, he does need help closing it up.

"Usually, if my handler isn't there, I can find a random person who will hook me up, and I'm good to go," he said.

It is no easy task being in the Willie suit, Willie Two said. The space a person takes up increases when in the costume because of Willie's wings and tail, and it's impossible to have peripheral vision because a person is essentially looking out of the beak through tinted, mesh eyes. Also, it can get very hot inside the costume because of the layers.

"I have Gatorade and water galore to help me stay hydrated," Willie Two said. "We played the Blue Golds, and it was 85 degrees outside, and I think in the suit is probably like 110. You move around and are very active, so it gets sticky inside the suit."

Being active and creative is a main part of Willie's personality, Kennedy said. A desire to be the mascot, the ability to excite a crowd and a love of athletics are also things Kennedy looks for in a potential mascot.

Continued...

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