Syracuse University made the top 10 in a national competition-for it’s mascot Otto the Orange.

Otto placed sixth in the 2008 College Cheerleading & Dance Team National Championship’s College Mascot competition, held Jan. 18 at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex. The mascot also made it to the semifinal round of the 2007 Capital One Mascot Open, which concluded on Jan. 1.

Thirty-four SU cheerleaders, six coaches and the five student athletes who perform as Otto were in attendance when SU received its three-and-a-half foot tall trophy for placing in the competition sponsored by the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA). This is the first year that Otto has qualified for the top 10 stage of the competition. Last year, he placed 11th, just missing the national tournament.

‘Everyone in the Big East was there, it was a huge event, the biggest national championship in the country,’ said Dena Segbers, SU spirit coordinator and head cheerleading coach. ‘It’s a real honor to have been invited to it, and it was just a really great experience overall.’

For entry into the competition, each university submits a video of its mascot to UCA performing a one-and-a-half minute skit. Otto’s skit carried a ‘Saturday Night Live’ theme, with the orange performing a rendition of the ‘Spartan Cheerleaders’ sketch, originally performed by Will Farrell and Cheri Oteri and poking fun at the other universities’ mascots.

In addition to the video, each university sends film clips of its mascot’s spirit performances, crowd interaction and community service involvement. Otto’s community service appearances include Midnight Madness at Manley Field House, Relay for Life, elementary school book fairs and work with Alumni Relations, Segbers said.

Once the videos were reviewed by a panel of UCA judges, the top 10 candidates were invited to the national competition in Orlando to perform for the crowd. The University of Tennessee’s Smokey the Dog took first place out of more than 40 universities that submitted tapes. Final awards are aired on ESPN and ESPN2 throughout the year.

‘Usually we’re on the sidelines, so this is kind of like our Super Bowl,’ said Segbers. ‘This is our one time during the year that we do this for ourselves, and we’re grateful that we’re a university that supports cheerleaders as student athletes, including the mascot program.’

Along with Otto, SU cheerleading’s Coed ‘Orange’ Squad and All-Girl ‘Blue’ Squad also performed in their respective UCA competitions Saturday during the competition. This is the fifth year the coed team has qualified for the event, and they ranked 20th in the nation. Although is only the second year the all-girl team has qualified, they ranked 17th overall.

‘Our mascots work all year with the idea of nationals in mind, so to make it there and place is a big deal for SU,’ said Julie Walas, assistant coach for the spirit program and head coach for the mascot program. ‘He along with the cheer teams, are the ones that represent the university and rally the students.’

Pride in Otto is what SU enthusiasm is all about, Walas said. ‘SU is known for its student pride, and to have that pride represented for the first time at a national level is huge.’

Lauren Abruzzo, captain of the all-girl cheerleading squad and a junior broadcast journalism major, said she is very proud of SU’s spirit squad and their participation in the program.

‘Otto did great, and this really shows that we can compete athletically against the top teams in nation,’ Abruzzo said. ‘I hope that the student body can see that Otto and the squads are a really important part of the university.’

Published on January 24, 2008 at 12:00 pm