Lamar High School makes history with first live animal mascot

Lamar High School cheerleaders with “Thunder” the new school mascot

Move over, Ralphie.  Lamar High School now has its own live buffalo mascot!  “Thunder” made her first public appearance at the September 20, 2024 homecoming parade and football game (Lamar’s second game in their new Thunder Stadium).  She seemed unfazed by the sounds of the crowd, the people crowding around her pen to pet her, the cannons or even the helicopter that delivered the game ball.  I paid a visit to the Chad Hawkins family’s farm south of Lamar to get her story, as well as have her pose for a photo with the Lamar High School cheerleaders (which was a bit like trying to herd cats due to her spunky personality).  Chad wanted this story to be about Thunder and not about him, but despite his modesty, he’s the reason Lamar now has her as its mascot.  Not long after the name change from the Lamar Savages to the Lamar Thunder was made due to a mandate from the state, Chad started thinking about the possibility of Lamar having a live mascot, similar to Colorado University’s “Ralphie” and West Texas A&M University’s “Thunder”.  Ralphie (the current version is nicknamed Ember and is the 6^th live mascot for CU since 1967) is a beloved part of CU football and has frequently been named one of the best college mascots.  The crowd delights as they hear “Here comes Ralphie!” at the beginning of each home game while the Ralphie Handlers (student athletes who train and care for her) lead her as she runs onto the field.  West Texas A&M’s buffalo mascot has been a tradition since 1932, although there have been several years throughout their history when they were without a live mascot.   Technically, Ralphie, Texas’s Thunder and Lamar’s Thunder are American Bison, but here in the US they are commonly referred to as buffalos.  True buffalos live in Asia and Africa.  Bison are generally smaller in size and are less aggressive than buffalos are.

The more Chad thought about the idea of Lamar getting its own “Thunder”, the more invested in it he became.  He approached Lamar Superintendent Dr. Chad Krug and presented the idea to him.  To his delight, Dr. Krug “was all in” from the beginning, but the school board needed to also be on board.  After Chad called each one and explained his plan, they voted unanimously to allow a live mascot.  After getting permission from the Colorado High School Activities Association, the Hawkins family purchased Thunder from Greg Emick, who farms south of Lamar and has buffalo there as well.  To be clear, the school board did not purchase Thunder – the Hawkins family did.  Chad stated that “we are her handlers and caretakers but she is the SCHOOL’S mascot”.  Based on all the information I could find, Lamar is the only high school in the state of Colorado to have a live animal mascot.

The goal is to have the cheerleaders become active in her care as well.  Head Cheerleading Coach Ashley Manjoy and Assistant Coach Melissa Miller (both of whom are Jennifer Hawkins’ sisters) are thrilled about having Thunder as part of the excitement at games in addition to the cheering squad.  She will bring an entirely new energy to the field.  She will also be present for home soccer games.  While the Hawkins family is very familiar with the different animals on their farm, having a buffalo calf is new territory and they’re learning as they’re going.  A local veterinarian is involved as well and is doing a lot of reading about their needs as well as reaching out to other vets who have experience with buffalo.

Harper Hawkins shows Thunder her buffalo puppet

Thunder was born June 12 and because of her young age, is still being bottle-fed cow’s milk but is being introduced to alfalfa, straw and corn.  Since Chad is her primary caretaker, she has closely bonded with him and Chad’s family jokingly said “she thinks he’s her mom”.  Indeed, she doesn’t want to leave his side (hence the difficulty in getting a good photo, as she didn’t want to be in the picture unless “mom” was holding her halter and standing with her).  Chad’s wife Jennifer and their children Aspen, Stetson and Harper also participate in Thunder’s care. He gives a lot of credit to them, saying “If it wasn’t for the kids and my wife, I couldn’t do it.  They are a huge help”.   Aspen recently graduated and said she only wished they would’ve acquired Thunder last year while she was still in school.  Harper is a 4^th grader and is very excited to have bragging rights at school about her family having a buffalo.  Stetson is a sophomore and is also excited to have Thunder as part of their family.  Stetson will likely be the person to run Thunder across the field before home games once she is trained and ready for it, which hopefully will be very soon. The plan for Thunder’s future as Lamar’s mascot is open-ended – a lot will depend on her temperament as she grows into an adult but she has a place on the Hawkins farm for life regardless.

Jennifer Hawkins leads Thunder to the barn for her feeding

If anyone has concerns about Thunder being used as a mascot, they need look no further than the obvious love the family already has for her.  In fact, just a few days after they brought her to their farm, Chad found himself in the barn in the middle of the night “just to check on her” like a parent with a newborn.  After the cheerleaders left for their regular practice and his kids left to do their farm chores, Jennifer slowly led Thunder back to the barn for her feeding.  Alone with Chad, he sheepishly told me “I can’t believe how attached I already am to her”.  He’s raised plenty of bovine calves and has cared for them all, but this little buffalo has clearly stolen his heart.

By Barbara Crimond