Edgar Allan Poe or Jane Austen?
Two Boston College English professors duke it out in a page-turning rumble.聽
Illustrations by Mark Fredrickson
Baldwin Confidential
He鈥檚 everybody鈥檚 favorite mascot.聽 And nobody spills his secrets, see? .鈥�.鈥�.鈥塽ntil now.
Summer 2023
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It鈥檚 hard to imagine a big game at Boston College these days without Baldwin leading the cheers, taking selfies with fans, and spreading joy among the 51茶馆 faithful. The school鈥檚 mascot started out as an actual live bird, called Margo, whose name combined the 51茶馆 colors of maroon and gold. But after the beloved bird passed away, one inspired student rented an eagle suit and wore it to a football game in 1976, thus beginning the tradition of student actors. To this day, Baldwin is portrayed not by professionals but by a collection of unpaid undergrads, who hand down advice and lore to each new class of volunteers. Students who portray Baldwin are expected to keep it a secret until they graduate. They navigate boisterous crowds in a full-body costume with surprisingly limited visibility, all while staying in character and never speaking. And through it all, they entertain us in blistering heat, on ice skates, during road races, and on every playing field imaginable.聽
So what鈥檚 it really like to be Baldwin? We asked eight students who currently wear the suit about everything from auditioning for the role to their craziest experiences while playing聽it. (And don鈥檛 worry, we鈥檝e protected their secret identities by giving聽them pseudonyms.)
Oh, and if you happened to portray Baldwin while at 51茶馆, send us your favorite memories at bcm@bc.edu. We鈥檒l publish the best responses in an upcoming issue.聽
Adrian Champion聽 Baldwin actually came up to me one day at a football game. I was sitting in the front row and he gave me a huge hug. I鈥檒l never forget that moment. It was such a happy moment for me, and I was like, if I could do that for other people here at 51茶馆, that would just be so awesome. Seeing the joy Baldwin brings to so many people, the way he gets everyone so excited and creates a sense of unity, that inspired me. He brings out the inner child in everyone. He brings out that joy, that enthusiasm, that passion and drive that 51茶馆 has.聽
Melissa Montana聽 Everyone has a different persona when they are Baldwin. For me, he鈥檚 everyone鈥檚 little brother and he is trying to be cool and hype up everyone and he thinks that his big brother鈥檚 the coolest. But at the same time, he鈥檚 kind of still a little kid and聽really goofy and does cartwheels and silly things.聽
Lydia Ronson聽 I鈥檓 the youngest of four kids and we鈥檙e a 51茶馆 family. I鈥檓 the last of the pack. So when my mom got the email that said 鈥淲e鈥檙e hiring Baldwins,鈥� she sent it to our family group chat. I was like, No, absolutely not, I don鈥檛 have time for it. But I went and tried out and didn鈥檛 tell anyone. My plan was to keep it a secret until I actually got it. I announced it to my family at Thanksgiving dinner. I鈥檝e loved it ever since.聽
Melissa Montana聽 When it comes to what we鈥檙e looking for at the audition, we don鈥檛 really ask for skills so much as the energy and the charisma of Baldwin. We鈥檙e like, Can we imagine you as Baldwin?
Adrian Champion聽 We were in the Fish Field House and they played some music and had us dance around to see if we could keep our energy high. It was like twenty-five minutes of dancing and entertaining.
Lydia Ronson聽 We started on one end and walked as if we were Baldwin. And then there are scenarios they throw at you: Fr. Leahy is walking by and he wants a photo with you. How do you pose? or, A baby鈥檚 crying. How do you react?
Levi Stone聽 We met at Conte Forum and they looked at our skating ability. After they had seen us skate, they provided us with the Baldwin head, and they also provided us with a flag, and watched us skate around with that combination.
Mark Preston聽 When we鈥檙e hanging out with other mascots, we sometimes try on each other鈥檚 helmets. We definitely have the hardest-to-see-out-of helmet. Like, by a mile.
Mike Marston聽 You can only see out of his beak. Most people think you can see out of his eyes, but you can鈥檛, and his beak faces downward. So you are constantly looking down at people鈥檚 feet. If you watch carefully, oftentimes when Baldwin鈥檚 walking around, it kind of looks like he鈥檚 staring up into the sky. And that鈥檚 because the people that are inside the suit simply can鈥檛 see anything.
Adrian Champion聽 When we鈥檙e taking pictures, I can鈥檛 see the camera, I don鈥檛 know who鈥檚 taking the picture. I look at people鈥檚 feet as my signal for when a picture鈥檚 being taken. I鈥檒l put my arms out, people will crowd me, and if there鈥檚 a pair of feet, when those feet move, you know the photo鈥檚 over.
Mark Preston聽 We bought this 51茶馆 beanie that鈥檚 really thick and if we fold it in a specific way and put it on right under the helmet, it kind of props it up just enough where you can see a little better than normal, and that really helps.
Lydia Ronson聽聽I鈥檓 naturally an extrovert, so that鈥檚 how I was picturing it as Baldwin. But as soon as I put on the costume, I knew it wouldn鈥檛 be the same because it鈥檚 so hard for mobility. I can鈥檛 be jumping up and down and running around because I鈥檓 going to fall over.
Adrian Champion聽聽You have to be careful of not moving too fast or too drastically, because you will knock people over or knock a beer or pizza or nachos.
Joel Whitney聽 Every movement you have to do is so exaggerated, like nodding your head. When I nod my head in the suit, I鈥檓 literally leaning my whole body back and forth to create the slightest nod.
Lydia Ronson聽 I can barely walk in the costume鈥擨 don鈥檛 know how people are skating.
Levi Stone聽 I鈥檝e played hockey since I was three, so the skating wasn鈥檛 so much an issue鈥攎ore so skating with the suit on. The first time, I almost ran into one of the fire cannons. We also have to deal with the flag. If you don鈥檛 watch out where you鈥檙e placing it, you could end up stepping on it and then聽you鈥檒l fall.聽
Mark Preston聽 I鈥檓 basically skating blind. You can see like a tiny sliver on the ground right in front of you. So I start counting once I pass the blue line. I have about three and a half seconds before I have to turn or I鈥檒l run into the boards.聽
Adrian Champion聽 It鈥檚 the best workout of your life. It鈥檚 like being in a sauna and doing Zumba. You get really sweaty. The protocol is, you finish your shift, you take off your Baldwin costume, you flip it inside out, and then you spray it with Lysol.聽
Melissa Montana聽 There was one game where there was a fifty-foot radius around Baldwin because it was just so hot and the suit hadn鈥檛 been washed. And he smelled so bad. The trainers were saying to fans, 鈥淵ou鈥檙e too close.鈥澛�
Mark Preston聽 I grew up in a hockey environment and the costume smells exactly like the hockey locker room: revolting. But I wouldn鈥檛 have it any other way.
Melissa Montana聽 You try to mask it with Febreze, but there鈥檚 no amount of Febreze that can聽mask that.聽
Adrian Champion聽 Recently, I bought a bottle of cologne and I sprayed Baldwin down. I got a couple of compliments like, 鈥淗ey Baldwin, you smell so good today.鈥澛�
Lydia Ronson聽 It鈥檚 all volunteer鈥攆ootball games, lacrosse games, any sporting event. There鈥檚 a list of events and you sign up for what you want.聽
Adrian Champion聽 For a football game, there are multiple Baldwins. Fans can notice that at intermission鈥攕uddenly Baldwin is a foot shorter. There鈥檚 one that does the tailgate, one that does the march out with the cheer team, one that does the first half of the game, and one that does the second.
Jeremiah Krudapet聽 We鈥檙e not supposed to tell anyone that we鈥檙e a Baldwin until we graduate. We have alibis for when we have to disappear for games, like, 鈥淗ey, I鈥檓 a manager for the cheer team,鈥� or 鈥淚鈥檓 working concessions at the basketball game.鈥� But all my roommates are big 51茶馆 basketball fans, so it鈥檚 suspicious when I tell them I鈥檓 going to the game and then not actually there.
Adrian Champion聽 I told my roommates. There鈥檚 no way that I could keep it from them and come up with excuses each time I have to play Baldwin. But outside of them, no one knows. Except, of course, my mom, who loves to brag about it and tell everyone she knows in my town.
Mark Preston聽 It鈥檚 fun when you see people around campus that you know are a Baldwin, and you kind of do a little head nod, and everyone鈥檚 like, 鈥淗ow do you know that random person that you鈥檙e separated from by two whole class years?鈥� And you鈥檙e like, 鈥淥h, you know鈥攋ust from around.鈥�
Melissa Montana聽 You become cooler. You definitely are like,聽Wow, I鈥檓 so cool right now!聽And then you get out of the suit and you鈥檙e like,聽Wow, I鈥檓 not cool anymore. No one knows what I was just doing.聽So frustrating.
Joel Whitney聽 Everyone has a specific walk. I can鈥檛 describe it, but when they鈥檙e in the suit you can just look at them and be like,聽Oh, that鈥檚 X person.
Mike Marston聽 There鈥檚 a protocol for if the head accidentally comes off. If it ever happens on the football field, we鈥檙e all expected to make a ring around Baldwin so he can put on his head without anybody seeing.聽
Adrian Champion聽 I almost had my head fall off once. My first basketball game. I bumped the beak by accident and the head almost came off, but luckily I was able to grab it before it actually came off my head. That was a nightmare experience鈥攊t鈥檚 something you dread as a mascot.聽
Lydia Ronson聽 The best part? The smile on the kids鈥� faces鈥攂ut I can鈥檛 actually see the kids at all. But just, like, knowing. The other part is I get to act like a fool and nobody knows that it鈥檚 me.聽
Melissa Montana聽 There are certain people you come to recognize while in the suit. Like, I鈥檒l do hockey games, and there鈥檚 this one little kid who comes to every single hockey game and loves Baldwin and one time he dressed up as an eagle for Baldwin. It was just like the most heartwarming thing to see.聽
Joel Whitney聽 This year I did a women鈥檚 basketball game and there were a bunch of little kids there. And after the game they were all running up to me and asking me to sign something for them. They kicked us off the court because we stayed on there for like twenty minutes after the game ended. So I had to go up to a security guard and ask for a table and I just sat there for another thirty minutes signing different things. It was awesome.
Melissa Montana聽 It鈥檚 been one of the greatest experiences at Boston College. It鈥檚 like having this superpower because everyone on campus knows your name and knows who you are, and you immediately spark joy. It鈥檚 such a unique experience to just be able to walk around and make people happy.聽
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