Since most Vox staff were back home during commencement weekend, we didn’t get our usual photographs of Hoyas in their last moments on the Hilltop. However, on graduation day, former Vox editor and graduate of three days Jackson Perry captured Jack Jr. contemplating his last moments with the students he only recently came to know. It’s up to you, now, JJ, to keep their memory alive!
Oh, the places he’ll go! Georgetown’s new mascot-in-training Jack Junior is currently traveling from his birthplace in Southern California to Washington, D.C., visiting with Georgetown alumni and seeing famous sites like the Las Vegas Strip and the Gateway Arch along the way.
After a weeklong road trip, Jack Junior will arrive on the Hilltop at the end of his cross-country trip on Friday at 4 p.m. for a welcome ceremony at Healy Circle (you can follow his progress across the country here).
At the official celebration, JJ will receive his Georgetown collar and become a Hoya. Hoya Blue, the Pep Band, and the cheerleaders will be on hand to attempt to teach JJ the words to the fight song. All attendees will get a “special celebratory favor” after the ceremony.
Friday also promises the first meeting between JJ and his Mr. Miyagi, Jack the Bulldog, who is still recovering from surgery to repair a torn ACL.
While we anxiously await Jack Junior’s arrival in 48 hours, here’s another video of the young whippersnapper! That poor shoe! We wonder if the shoe’s Nike logo was intentional.
In two weeks, a four-month-old bulldog puppy named Jack Jr., or J.J., will join Jack the Bulldog as a Georgetown mascot-in-training. The puppy was a gift from bulldog breeders Janice and Marcus Hochstetler, the parents of two Georgetown students. In a University statement, Jack’s caretaker Rev. Christopher Steck, S.J., noted that J.J. has “the bulldog penchant for wrestling and already enjoys ripping boxes apart.”
“J.J. has a very mellow personality,” Steck said. “He likes to sit in laps and is curious about the sights and sounds of the world.”
On the afternoon of April 13, the University will hold an official welcome party for J.J. A website will allow students to track J.J.’s progress as he travels from his birthplace in California to the Hilltop. You can also check out this Facebook page for more photos and information about J.J. He’s also on Twitter.
J.J. will live with eight-year-old Jack in Steck’s New South residence, taking classes on box-eating and nap-taking. As he has since 2003, Jack the Bulldog will still appear at Georgetown games in the fall, while J.J. learns the ropes.
“Jack’s presence will provide important support to J.J., since the older dog is already comfortable with his life as a mascot at Georgetown,” Steck said. “J.J. will be looking for signals from Jack, and Jack’s enthusiasm in different environments will encourage J.J.’s own.”
J.J.’s arrival signals the beginning of a transition period from one mascot to another, as age begins to take a toll on our current mascot. Jack tore his ACL while jumping onto a couch earlier this year, and is expected to have surgery in April.
“We are extremely grateful for the Hochstetlers’ gift of a new bulldog puppy to the Georgetown community,” said University spokeswoman Stacy Kerr in a statement. “We are thrilled that J.J. will be joining Jack the Bulldog on campus.”
Dog-centric website Paw Nation is going all out for the American Kennel Club’s 125th anniversary, hosting a series of contests about the top 125 dogs in pop culture.
The current contest involves the top five college canine mascots, and our own Jack the Bulldog is one of the contestants! The competition is pretty Bulldog heavy, with the University of Georgia’s UGA and Yale’s Handsome Dan are also in the running. The other contestants are Texas A&M’s Reveille, a Collie, and Boston University’s Rhett, a Boston Terrier.
Unfortunately Jack hasn’t been faring too well—he’s currently in third place out of five contestants, with only seven percent of the vote. Clearly the voters haven’t witnessed his significant box-battling skills…
Last week, the Athletic Department held tryouts for potential Jack the Bulldog mascots. Three hopefuls—all freshmen—showed up to audition for two open spots (since there are so many obligations, three students share mascot duties).
What does it take to make a good mascot? Dance skills; the ability to successfully execute high fives, low fives and fist bumps with limited visibility; and a high tolerance for hot, smelly costumes (one potential Jack almost threw in the towel before his audition started due to the stench).
Because the mascot’s identity is a highly-guarded secret, Vox wasn’t allowed to interview the candidates, but we are able to show you footage from their try-out routines. Enjoy!
Vox Populi is the staff blog of the Georgetown Voice, Georgetown University's weekly newsmagazine. Opinions expressed in posts are those of their author alone unless otherwise stated.
Entries (RSS)
