Horsing Around: Costumed mascot Thunder raising ABAC's profile

May 25—TIFTON — A horse is a horse, of course, of course. and here at ABAC he is a force. Though Thunder is not a talking horse, he is quite a horse that fans endorse.

Pay attention to any Abraham Baldwin Agricultural social media account and Thunder makes frequent appearances.

"We try," said Thunder's "handler" Sunny Ross Sparrow, ABAC's Assistant Director of Enrollment Management, about getting a mascot to events. "We try to get him at Stallion days, get him around campus when we have an event on-campus [such as] homecoming. We've taken him to national conversions, the National FFA convention in Indianapolis." Earlier this year, Thunder went to the Georgia FFA convention.

He's a huge hit wherever he goes.

"Everybody's excited to see Thunder," Sparrow said, adding he seems to be most popular at expos.

Mascots have long been part of the college experience. The Stanford Tree was arguably the most famous costumed mascot, but thanks to such publicity as ESPN "This is Sportscenter" commercials, Otto the Orange (Syracuse), Hairy Dawg (Georgia), Big Red (Western Kentucky) and West Virginia's Mountaineer have become celebrities as well.

They were lightning before the Thunder, who is on his way to rivaling Megan Thee Stallion for Stallion popularity.

ABAC's homecoming theme for 2023? Top Gun Thunder: A Need for Steed.

When ABAC announced its return to basketball for the 2024-25 season, Thunder was a prominent part of the announcement. An Instagram reel going through Thunder's daily routine garnered 775 likes.

For now, Thunder is the one making appearances. Four-legged horses remain in the stable.

"We have talked about it," Sparrow said. "A couple of students have brought up having some kind of live horse." Liability is a major concern, she said. When live horses object, it is not just with a "Neigh," but sometimes more unpredictably.

That does not mean a college so known for rodeo is totally without live horse representation. It has become a staple of high school cross country meets held on campus to include a trail horse or two to highlight the path.

As in the case of superheroes and costumed mascots at other schools, the identity is, in theory, a secret, though sometimes it is more of an open secret than others. Especially since he is not only everywhere, but a student, too, Sparrow said.

Thunder did unbridle, in a sense, at graduation. At other colleges, she said, "They wear either the feet or the hands at graduation." Sparrow said they borrowed this idea for Thunder and in 2023, Bryce Roland donned a cap, gown ... and hooves.

"It has a thumb," Sparrow said, so gripping the diploma was not that difficult.

With Thunder's schedule, sometimes there is a fill-in, she said. Thunder's paddock these days is not just Tifton, but ABAC's Bainbridge campus as well.

Sparrow said that even with the help, there remains but one Stallion costume. She said the suit has to be dry cleaned. "Even if it's cold outside, you're still going to sweat in it," she said. "It's a hot costume." and made even hotter with the horse body being a onesie.

Roland was in the role for about three years.

The last few students to suit up have been individuals the marketing department knows personally or have approached them about suiting up.

Sparrow said each Thunder has brought a different personality to the role. "There are definitely different personalities," she said. One Thunder was more of a dancer, boogieing while surrounded by a huge circle of FFA convention attendees. An outgoing personality is a must.

As for future plans, Sparrow said they will try to have Thunder at even more events. Tifton events are a possibility.