MASCOT PROFILE

Viking

Hudson Valley Community College

Share your support for your favorite mascot!

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1. Where are you from?
   You might associate Vikings with other areas of the world, but some of us sailed up the Hudson River many moons ago. After jumping ship on a North American voyage some 600 years ago, I froze in an iceberg that became lodged under the Troy-Menands Bridge. Eventually in the early 1960s, I thawed and made my way up the hill to Hudson Valley.
2. How many teams do you represent?
   Vikings are everywhere at Hudson Valley – a proud community of faculty, staff, students and alumni.  However, I also represent 16 highly decorated, men’s and women’s athletic teams, from bowling to ice hockey, football, lacrosse and tennis. (Unfortunately, we don’t have a rowing team!)
3. How were you chosen to be school mascot?
   Hudson Valley adopted me in the early 1960s after turning to the students, faculty and staff for suggestions for an identity of the college mascot. (I beat out a Hippie!) I like to think they were drawn to my spirit of exploration and desire to discover new knowledge and opportunities to learn.
4. Do you have any friends that are mascots?
   In 2002, I met SouthPaw when the Tri-City ValleyCats (a Houston Astros minor league baseball team) made their home on campus. This cool cat and I became fast friends and we hang out together during home games at “the Joe.” Every Viking needs a trustworthy companion, right?
5. What is your favorite campus event?
   I show up at all the games to cheer on our student-athletes. VIKING NATION! I’m also a regular at the students vs. staff Viking Cup Softball Game and the Viking Challenge Trivial Pursuit contest for local high school students. Hudson Valley’s Springfest and Pumpkinpalooza are two other favorites of mine. Sometimes, I use my ID card to ride CDTA downtown for city events, especially the Thanksgiving Turkey Trot, and the Victorian Stroll.
   
6. What do you consider the ideal fan?
   Hearty enough to attend ice hockey in the winter and softball in the spring, our fans are the best. Until the final buzzer sounds, Vikings fans enthusiastically cheer until they’re GREEN in the face!
7. What’s it like to be a mascot?
   I lend a hand – or offer a high five – to my fellow Vikings and our campus visitors. Being the ambassador of this great college is an honor.
8. What do you like to do for fun?
   Ping pong in the Campus Center, Frisbee in the quad, or grabbing a good book from the Viking’s Cove Bookstore or the Marvin Library.
9. What is your favorite Broadway play?
   I love the arts and our student trips to the Big Apple, but I prefer the many bravo-worthy productions taking place in the Maureen Stapleton Theatre on campus. Our Theatre Arts majors and the Cultural Affairs program put on a full slate of events each semester.
10. What is your favorite New York State destination?
    From one corner of the state to another, there’s so much to see and do here in New York. As a Viking, I am naturally attracted to water and forging my own path, so I enjoy the Hudson River and hiking in the Adirondacks.