With the recent graduation ceremonies in the area a thought occured to me; could a high school's nickname affect the self esteem of the student body? Does being a Statesman, a Pioneer or a Tiger boost your sense of self? Is it an embarassment to attend a high school with an odd, even bizarre nickname?
I did a little research on the internet machine; Illinois seems to top the list of deviant school nicknames. There are the Canton Little Giants, the Orphans and Orphan Annies from Centralia, the Cobden Appleknockers, the Fisher Bunnies, the Freeport Pretzels, the Hampshire Whip-Purs, the Mightymen and Mightywomen from Dunbar High, the Hoopeston Cornjerkers, the Polo Marcos and the Tuetopolis Wooden Shoes. Imagine, if you will, the mascots.
Not to be outdone, Indiana has games between the Frankfort Hot Dogs and the Rising Sun Shiners, debates pitting the Shoals Jug Rox against the Alices from Lincoln High. Missouri has the Aurora Houn' Dawgs and the Maryville Spoofhounds, Michigan the Mt. Clemens Battling Bathers, the Gwinn Modeltowners and the Watersmeet Nimrods. New Yorkers root for the Sleepy Hollow Headless Horsemen, Virginia boasts the Fluvanna County Flying Flucos and Connecticutians cheer for the Avon Old Farms Winged Beavers. What are they thinking?
I could find no correlation, however, between nicknames and success so "Congratulations seniors!" Although, I hope you were a Pioneer or a Statesman or a Tiger and not a Nimrod.
