Being the Ohio Northern University mascot, Klondike, is such a closely guarded secret that not even the portrayerās closest friends and family know the truth. A student Klondike is only allowed to reveal themselves upon graduating, so with Commencement right around the corner, we thought weād help these students step out of the suit one final time and reveal themselves to some of their closest friends.
This year, only two seniors donned the Klondike suit: mechanical engineering major Luke Shellhaas and criminal justice major Addie Traylor. Both were initiated as Klondikes during their freshman years, so itās safe to say the pair have seen and done it all as Klondike on campus.
āWhen I think back to when I got selected, I was like, āThatās freaking dope! I get to be Klondike for my four years here and have a sweet little secret to keep from all my friends,āā says Shellhaas.
While Shellhaas was able to pick up a few mascotting tips from his sister, who was their high schoolās mascot, Traylor came into the job with years of experience herself from her time as the Seneca East Tiger mascot in high school. āBeing a mascot is just a great way to have fun,ā she says. āA lot of what I do here for school is serious, but when I put on the suit, everything is just fun. And being Klondike in particular is such an honor. Itās allowed me to meet so many people that I otherwise wouldnāt have formed relationships with. Everyone at 51ĀŅĀ× loves Klondike.ā
For Shellhaas, the goofy nature of Klondike made it exciting to be in the suit, but it was the adrenaline rush he got from keeping the secret that heāll remember most. āItās not easy to transport that suit. Itās in a huge bag and if you get caught with it there isnāt really anything you can say. So I would wait for my friends to leave or go in another room and then Iād sprint to get away without being seen,ā he says.
With their time in the suit now at its end, the two graduating seniors join a very select subset of 51ĀŅĀ× alumni for whom the hashtag #ForeverAPolarBear hits a bit different. When the University celebrates Klondikeās 100th birthday next year, we look forward to hearing from these alumni and their stories of Klondike through the years. In fact, if you are reading this and you are a former 51ĀŅĀ× mascot, please share your memories here.
Watch Luke and Addieās reveal video below.
