Behind the beak: MCC freshman brings Victor Eagle to life
Ross Roberts stands 6 feet, 4 inches tall, but once he puts on the Victor Eagle costume, the Meridian Community College freshman gets even taller.
“I’m 7 foot,” Roberts joked.
Roberts, 18, from Suqualena, had no mascot experience before becoming Victor. His first opportunity came after his sister, Polly Roberts, an MCC sophomore, told him the College was looking for someone to wear the costume.
“My eyes lit up,” Roberts said. “I wanted to be Victor.”
His sister passed along his name, and Roberts was soon asked to serve as Victor during MCC’s College for Kids program this summer. By the time fall orientation began, the role was his.
Roberts is also a member of MCC’s Ivy League student recruiting team. Most of his Ivy League responsibilities now center on mascot appearances at orientation, student move-in, pep rallies and other campus events.
Getting into character is simple.
“I just gotta go out and be an extra kind of goofy,” Roberts said.
Because Victor cannot talk, Roberts uses movement and gestures to connect with people. During student move-in, he challenged students to games of rock, paper, scissors.
He has also learned that Victor should never stand still for long.
Roberts once stayed still enough that people thought the mascot was a statue. When he moved, he startled them.
“I made sure ever since that moment, always keep moving,” he said.
The costume comes with other lessons.
Roberts wears a thin shirt and shorts underneath it to deal with the heat. He also wears black socks after a College for Kids student pointed out that his white socks were showing.
“A kid came up and said, ‘I can see your socks,’” Roberts said.
Seeing where he is going can be even harder.
Roberts can only see through a small area in the mascot head, so another Ivy League member often helps guide him. He sometimes lifts Victor’s beak to get a better look around.
That limited vision has already caused a few funny moments. During a pep rally at Southeast Lauderdale, Roberts and another Ivy League member ran onto the basketball court to throw T-shirts and ran straight into each other. No one fell, but Roberts said the moment showed why Victor sometimes needs a guide.
The heat and limited vision can make the job challenging, but Roberts said the good parts make it worth it.
“The pros outweigh the cons,” he said.
Roberts stays busy outside the costume, too.
He is taking 19 credit hours during his first full semester at MCC. He is undecided on a major but has started considering pediatric dentistry. Roberts said MCC appealed to him because it was close to home, affordable, and familiar.
College has been a big change after being homeschooled, but Roberts said he has settled into the routine.
He also came to MCC with a head start; Roberts took general psychology and music appreciation as a dual enrollment student before becoming a full-time freshman. During College for Kids, he helped with a chess class when he was not Victor.
Roberts enjoys playing piano, a hobby he has had for most of his life.
Still, much of his time at MCC now revolves around Ivy League and Victor.
Roberts said he is especially proud of this year’s Ivy League group and the friendships they have formed.
“I love our group,” he said.
For Roberts, being Victor has become another way to be involved at MCC and connect with students.
It has also taught him a few important mascot rules: keep moving, bring a fan and never wear white socks.