The King’s Guard, a non-registered-student-organization University group, will hold tryouts for the Kingfisher mascot from Friday to Sunday. Those who pass the tryouts will have the opportunity to appear in costume at games and entertain at events.

The current official mascot of the University is Block I and is associated with the Fighting Illini. Chief Illiniwek, the previous mascot, was retired in 2007 due to a ruling by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. 

The kingfisher, a blue and orange bird native to North America, was proposed as an alternative in 2011. Since then, the idea has gained momentum: It reached a faculty senate vote and won 105-2.

The Kingfisher wasn’t only chosen for its colors, however. According to William Buerk, junior in Engineering and the lead of the performance team of the Kingfisher mascot, there are many reasons why people support it as the new mascot of the University.

Some like how the kingfisher is not the mascot of any other university, while others like it because the kingfisher can be found right on campus, as it is native to Illinois.

“I saw this giant mural on the side of one of the buildings — I think it’s an apartment complex — and on top of it, you can see a kingfisher, clear as day,” said Evan Lemberger, senior in Engineering and a lead coordinator of the Kingfisher team. “And when I saw that, I realized that this is a symbol for the community and campus.”

While the mascot is not official, the Kingfisher still appears at many events and games. Performers engage in a wide range of activities, which include hyping up the crowd at hockey games and entertaining children at special events.

“We just want people to come and show what their talents are,” Buerk said. “Like — how well they might be able to fit into the role of the Kingfisher. Can you dance? Can you act and be funny and do improv and stuff without talking? Can you do something we haven’t thought of?”

There are many ways in which students can help the Kingfisher become official other than trying out to be in the costume. One can invite the Kingfisher to new events and increase the mascot’s involvement on campus. The Kingfisher also has merchandise that can be bought to demonstrate support. Lastly, if anyone wants to help directly, the Kingfisher team is always looking for new members.

“We have a lot of support,” Buerk said. “We’ve passed faculty votes. We’ve passed senate votes. People involved in the school in all capacities are always coming up to (us) and telling us how much they support it. We’ve passed student votes. We’re really just waiting for that final push.”

More information about the tryouts and the initiative can be found on the group’s Linktree.

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