By K. Richard Douglas
For fans of college sports, the team’s mascot is as well-known as any star player on the team. Real college sports fans can reel off a list of popular mascots. What is less known, is the amount of work and commitment these mascots make. The person, hidden below the costume, is as committed to the team and its success as any other team member. The person in the costume is also an athlete like the players in uniform.
During the 2023 graduation season, when most colleges and high schools were immersed in milestone days for thousands of students, one event may have stood out as extra unique and exciting for participants and sports fans.
At the 2023 University of South Carolina (USC) graduation ceremony participants were in for a big reveal as the student beneath the school’s beloved mascot “Cocky” costume would be unveiled for the first time. Sports is a big part of college life at the University of South Carolina. The Gamecocks compete in 21 varsity sports.
The student who was revealed at this year’s commencement ceremony just happened to be receiving her degree in biomedical engineering. But, before continuing her studies in the school’s master’s degree in biomedical engineering program, Sarah Sylvester surprised everyone at the graduation ceremony and created a viral video in the process.
Yet, after two years of donning the costume and thrilling college sports fans, what originally drew her to become a famous mascot?
“Believe it or not, I was never a mascot in the past, nor did I ever want to become a mascot. As cliche as it sounds, I just wanted to be ‘Cocky.’ I always knew I wanted to go to the University of South Carolina. My mother and sister are alumni and so I grew up visiting, exploring the campus, and going to football games. It was the only place I applied for college. My freshman year I went to every single event and sporting game possible. Oftentimes, I would find myself watching Cocky, in love with his character, the way he interacted with others, and the joy and laughter he always brought to the environment,” Sylvester says.
She says that one day she told some close friends, “I am going to figure out how and I am going to do that one day.” The rest was history.
“I made the proper connections, auditioned and here we are. My pure passion and love for the character and university led me to the position,” she adds.
Absolutely Surreal
From ringing the opening bell on the New York Stock Exchange on College Colors Day to doing a nationwide televised interview with David Muir on ABC World News, Sylvester as Cocky or herself, has had some incredible experiences.
“Holding the position as Cocky has given me invaluable opportunities and the memories of a lifetime. Even the smallest experiences such as high-fiving or hugging a student when they might be having a tough day hold the biggest places in my heart. There were also many larger experiences that were proven to be once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. One of the most memorable experiences for me has been ‘coming out of the box’ in the middle of the football field at home football games. At USC, the pregame tradition for years has been for the song ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ to play as ‘Cocky’s magic box’ is in the center of the football field, where at the big crescendo, the curtains drop to reveal Cocky jumping around, to then jump out of the box and down to the end zone to lead the entrance of the football team onto the field,” Sylvester says.
She says that the first time she got to lead this experience was absolutely magical and she wouldn’t trade it for the world.
“In addition to partaking in countless memorable experiences at home in Columbia, South Carolina, I also got to travel abroad to represent the university in countless ways as well. One of the most unique experiences was being invited to ring the opening bell on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. In September of 2022, Cocky as well as a few other notable SEC mascots were invited to come to New York City. There, they wanted us to lead the ceremonious ringing of the opening bell to spark the beginning of the day in the New York Stock Exchange to represent national College Colors Day. We got to stand up on the platform and ring that large famous bell. Afterwards, we got to sign the wall of celebrities that have gotten to do the same over the years,” she remembers.
Sylvester describes that experience as “absolutely surreal.” “Another experience that will always be one of my most treasured is competing and placing in my own national’s competition. Every year in Daytona, Florida, there is the NCA and NDA national’s competition where cheer and dance teams, and their mascots, compete for a national title. For mascots to compete, they have to receive a bid to go, either at camp or via submitting a video to audition. I did the latter and beat out several mascots for a chance to compete at nationals,” Sylvester says.
She says that mascots compete by creating a skit with a soundtrack and props, the theme of which is entirely up to the performer’s choice and perform it in front of judges and a large audience.
“They then only announce the ones who ‘place,’ which are the top five. Being that Cocky hadn’t placed in several years, and that I was creating the skit and props entirely by myself with the help of one close friend and my father, my goal that I had set for myself was to place, and that I did. Hearing my (or Cocky’s, rather) name called as a placer on that big stage fulfilled a goal of mine and re-established my knowledge that I can do anything I set my mind to. All of these experiences have proven nothing short of that,” Sylvester says.
Running parallel to all of the functions she fulfilled as Cocky, there was still the primary reason that Sylvester enrolled at USC. It was the reputation of the degree program she participated in.
What led Sylvester to pursue a biomedical engineering degree and an interest in medical devices?
“Growing up I always knew I wanted to be in engineering. I always loved STEM, and math in particular, and excelled at it; although, I wasn’t always sure of which pathway I wanted to take with it. In high school, I became part of a volunteer program where I shadowed departments all over the local hospital, most notably the biomedical engineering department, the emergency room and the operating room,” she says.
Sylvester says that it was there that she learned of her passion for the medical field and how it operates as well.
“After some research, I discovered the field of biomedical engineering and specifically that I could take that pathway to focus on developing medical devices to further enhance the medical field. I knew that the University of South Carolina offered that program, and it was history from there,” she adds Because she was part of an accelerated master’s program during her senior year, her pursuit of a Master of Engineering degree in Biomedical Engineering at USC will only take her one year.
Future patients may never realize that they are benefiting from a medical device that in whole, or in part, was developed by an engineer who was once also a college mascot known to fans far and wide. That may be fitting, since for two years, USC fans had no idea who was underneath the costume of their beloved mascot Cocky. For Sylvester, either way, she has a lifetime of stories to tell.
