Something new may have stood out at recent California Baptist University games. Here is a hint: It is 7 feet tall, pink and aggressively cheering to distract the opposite team.
Figured it out? It is a unicorn, of course, and it is the latest addition to the CBU halftime entertainment.
The four colorful characters are officially known as the “CBUnicorns.” This concept came about completely by chance through the ingenuity of CBU students.
“How it started? A student showed up with a unicorn costume on and we ran with it,” said Andrew Reina, assistant director of athletic marketing and fan engagement.
Reina explained the unicorns will be used as entertainment to keep the crowd engaged at halftime. Do not panic, though — Lance is not going anywhere.
The CBUnicorns are not official mascots. They are meant to be viewed as “weird off-brand pseudo-mascots, but these are technically not going to be official mascots,” Reina said. The students in the unicorn costumes will be different every time, but we must first acknowledge the student who started it all.
Saryah Harris-Davis, sophomore business administration major, was the first student who showed up in a unicorn costume on that fateful night.
“It was the Grand Canyon University game for (men’s) soccer and I had talked to my boss, Clark, and I had asked him if I could wear my unicorn costume — because what’s more distracting than a 7-foot unicorn?” Harris-Davis said.
Harris-Davis is in the CBU Crazie Crew. It is the Crazie Crew’s job to keep the crowd entertained during CBU sporting events. The unicorn thrilled the crowd that night. It caused such a positive response that Athletics took notice of the opportunity to create something new for games.
“The athletic director loved it,” Harris-Davis said. “The crowd loved it. I was taking pictures with kids at the end of the game. So he saw it as an opportunity to make it something that was attractive with the crowd. We kept trying it out at soccer games and people just kept taking photos and saying, ‘Hey, unicorn,’ so (the athletic director) was like, ‘I have an idea — what if we make a CBUnicorn?’”
The CBUnicorns debuted “officially” at the women’s volleyball game against Abilene Christian on Oct. 13.
“I saw (the CBUnicorns) for the first time at that game,” said Tanner Kekoa Foster, senior business major. “I thought they were pretty funny.”
Now, one question may come to your mind: Why unicorns? The answer is simple: Why not?
“It was just random — like purely random,” Harris-Davis said. “It’s honestly just for fun. We are just a bunch of kooky kids in giant unicorn costumes just having fun. That’s just what it is. It really branched from nowhere. It was just something cool that happened.”
Harris-Davis may be employed as one of the Crazies, but this did not stem from her occupation. The wonder of the CBUnicorn stems directly from her personality.
“I have a lot of energy and I am very outspoken and that is not the easiest person to be around often, especially in college,” Harris-Davis said. “Like you just don’t feel like being peppy all the time, but that is my character and I cannot help it. It’s so exhilarating that me just being myself and me putting myself out there was something that was accepted by so many people. The crowd interacting with it and the teams loving it — it made me love my job even more. I feel accepted in a way for my quirkiness and my craziness and high energy, and it’s just the best environment.”
Being a part of the Crazie Crew provided the perfect opportunity for her personality to shine and was a long time aspiration for Harris-Davis.
“I always wanted to be a Crazie,” Harris-Davis said. “When I found out I was going to be a Crazie, I literally called my mom balling my eyes out. It is literally the best job ever. I get to support my school and the sports doing what they love and get paid.”
Next time you are at a CBU sporting event, look for the CBUnicorns to join in on the fun and appreciate a new wave of CBU school spirit.
