The Rapid City Stevens Raiders debuted their new mascot for its first appearance since 2020. The raider (yet to be named) made its first public appearance on Saturday, October 18, at the Stevens volleyball game against Brandon Valley High School. Mr. Raider also appeared at the Raider-Cobbler football game on Thursday, October 23.
Mr. Raider has been a fan-favorite at all his appearances, high-fiving kids and photobombing students. Mr. Karn, the activities director at Stevens, spoke on the matter and mentioned, “Little kids really like it because it’s fun, they like to give high fives.” Karn continued, “It’s great for pictures, parents love it for that reason alone.”
Mr. Raider has already been directly responsible for increasing student and fan engagement whenever he is present. His exaggerated actions and excited energy lifted the morale of the student section and crowd during the football game against the cross-town rival Cobblers. This game featured a very cool moment where Mr. Raider and Karl the Cobbler connected in front of the Stevens student section. This addition of the Raider mascot has been major to the Stevens Raiders activities, student body, and school community.
Although having the mascot is amazing, it’s not just having it that is the goal, but instead what the mascot does for the students, athletes, and fans. Having a mascot is a big part of activities at a school, and having a mascot fills that missing piece for Stevens High School. “I think it’s just a part of it… It just adds to the experience,” Mr. Karn says.
This excitement isn’t limited to the crowd; athletes at Stevens enjoy having a mascot that boosts the energy at games and competitions. Anders Christensen, a basketball player at Stevens, stated, “My favorite part about having a school mascot is that it will get people pumped up and excited at sports events.” Lily Karn, a volleyball player who was present for the unveiling of the mascot, said, “It really helps everyone get hyped and play their best.”
Everyone knows that someone is under the costume, but not many know what it takes to be a true mascot. The costume is heavy and usually hot; this makes being the mascot difficult. It takes a special person to be a good mascot. They must have great school spirit, be committed, and have a talent that can be brought to the table, such as dance moves, athleticism, and professionalism, to set a standard. The person also has to have the awareness to interact with fans appropriately. This is especially difficult due to limited vision in the costume and the inability to talk while in character.
The Stevens mascot has had a long history dating back to the 1970’s when the last raider mascot was introduced. That costume lasted all the way until 2020, when Stevens halted its use of a mascot.
The Raiders went 5 long years without a mascot; this drought was ended by Mr. Raider this fall. Our mascot committee has been hard at work dealing with the resources needed to treat and maintain the mascot.
One of the reasons that the old mascot lasted so many years was that it was well maintained. It is the goal of the mascot committee to clean it and treat it well. Mr. Karn mentioned, “If we don’t treat it well, that’s when we’ll lose it too.”