Dan Williams/Collegian
Should Hillsdale be the eagles?
"Let's go Chargers! (five claps) Let's go Chargers! (five claps)"
For the past year and a half, I have yelled cheers similar to this one at football games, basketball games and volleyball matches, but in the last few weeks, I have begun to question, "What is a Charger?" Are we a lightning bolt, a horse or an eagle?
In order to answer this conundrum, I decided I should do a little research. It turns out that the Hillsdale mascot has been continually changing throughout its history.
"From a historical sense, the mascot's name has experienced a few changes," Michael J. Kovalchik, director of athletics said. "The mascot has changed from the Dales to the horse logo to the present day 'H' with the thunderbolt."
With my newfound knowledge of the history of our beloved mascot, I decided to question a few of the people more closely related to the Chargers' name, the athletic coaches.
"I really feel that our young men and women are like a pack of horses that are full of strength and power, always ready to compete," Bill Lundberg, head cross country and head track and field coach and assistant professor of physical education said. "We are a horse displaying strength and speed. However, some people might consider us eagles because of our independence."
"We use the lightning bolt," Keith Otterbein, head football coach and Assistant Professor of Physical Education said. "I think it's because that is what we used when I was in school."
OK, but what about professors? Surely the academic leaders on this campus have their own ideas of what a Charger is.
"I think of our Charger as a mighty steed," John Somerville, associate professor of english said. "One that descends like an eagle, like lightning, from the clouds and makes the world safe from governmental intrusion. But then again, maybe it is just a horse."
"A 'Charger' has many meanings," Dan Henning, assistant professor of speech and debate coach said. "It can mean a plate used to hold meat, a person who charges someone with a task, the horse of a soldier charging into battle, an electrical device to re-charge batteries or an electrical current meant to invigorate. Personally, I liken it to the horse in the midst of battle."
In a last ditch effort to figure out the riddle of "What is a Charger?" I asked fellow students for their input.
"I like to think of our mascot as a lightning bolt," sophomore Becky Grzegorski said. "A lightning bolt is much better than a horse."
Senior Jessie Miller agreed.
"Its definitely not an eagle," she said. "The lightning bolt is way more intimidating and looks way better on uniforms. If its a horse, you really have to look closely to see what it is. Its not as intimidating. Its like 'Wow, its the Hillsdale Blobs,'" she said.
Senior John Dove said he thinks the mascot should be the Hillsdale Homeschoolers to represent Hillsdale's large population.
"Think about it man, the Hillsdale Homeschoolers. You've got a double H," he said. "Hillsdale Homeschoolers, woo-hoo!"
So, after countless hours of research, interviewing and pondering over the question that had bothered me for weeks, I came to the conclusion that no one knows for certain what the Charger truly represents.
But, wait a second. Could the name Chargers describe something greater than a horse, something more powerful than a lightning bolt and more graceful than an eagle? What about the students of Hillsdale College?
"I would actually like to change the question to 'who,'" Coach Lundberg said. "By 'who,' I mean the name Chargers describes the finest young men and women in the country, Hillsdale Chargers."