Ranger Bear claims “huge trophy” in Florida

            University of Wisconsin-Parkside mascot Ranger D. Bear captured third place during the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) Mascot National Championship held Friday, Jan. 14, at Disney World in Orlando. RDB and his “Ranger Security” crew of Dana Calamia, Alex Mena, Brent Schultz, Matt Smanski, and Steve Wesner danced, joked, and played guitar in a memorable 90-second routine that even included a friendly poke at a certain Wisconsin mascot that didn’t make it to nationals.
            Stephanie Sirovatka-Marshall, Ranger Bear’s best buddy on campus, said RDB and the students were very nervous but very enthusiastic during the competition which started with a 22-hour drive through six states and culminated with Friday’s big performance.
            “They were calling and texting constantly during the trip and the performance,” Sirovatka-Marshall said. “After the performance, they called and said ‘We have a really big trophy—like three and a half feet tall—to bring home! And you’re going to have to find a place to show it!’ I told them I’ll be happy to find a place where everyone can see it”
            Competing in the Open Mascot division, Ranger Bear narrowly trailed “YoUDee,” the University of Delaware mascot, and “SouthPaw” from the University of South Alabama in the final results. He placed ahead of University of Montana standard bearer “Monte” and ahead of “Big Blue” from Old Dominion University. Ranger Bear reached the competition on the strength of a terrific two-minute video which placed him in the top five out of the 18 schools in the Open Mascot Division.                         
Ranger Bear’s routine can be seen by clicking http://tinyurl.com/6gcskvf and clicking on the right arrow in the toolbar three times, clicking “Mascot” and scrolling down. RDB’s show is the third from the bottom.
Sirovatka-Marshall said Ranger Bear’s skit incorporated many different elements under the “Ranger” theme—the Texas Rangers, the Lone Ranger—but RDB couldn’t resist taking the opportunity to poke a little fun at his pal Bucky Badger who didn’t make the UCA’s Division 1 competition.
“Ranger Bear would never ‘dis’ Bucky but…if you watch his routine there might be a reference to a certain Madison mascot,” she said.
Ranger Bear and crew left Kenosha Wednesday and drove through the day on Thursday to reach the competition site. They began their return north on Sunday and were back on campus—with their trophy—in time for the start of spring semester classes Tuesday, Jan. 18.