From Vandals to Blackbirds (5- minute freewrite - Wednesday prompt: vandals)

Did you know the University of Idaho intercollegiate athletic teams are called the Vandals? I often wonder if there is ever a really interesting story behind the selection of school mascots. One of the high schools I attended called themselves the Bulldogs; my second high school was the Chiefs. (That was on an American Indian Reservation, so it made some sense.)

Our tiny grade school didn't have a mascot until I was in 6th or 7th grade. Our students didn't play against other schools with any regularity, so I suppose nobody thought we needed a mascot. But my friend, Dawn, and I decided our team should be called the Falcons. We were thoroughly fascinated by the days of King Arthur, and thought a falcon would be an appropriate mascot. I don't remember whether there were other suggestions, or a vote. That part of the story is gone from my memory. I was surprised when I recently learned the name stuck, and that school (still tiny) is known as the Falcons to this day. So in that one particular case, I do know the story behind how the school got that mascot for its very own.

The oddest school mascot I heard of was the Blackbirds. Really, what is fierce about a blackbird? They sing beautifully, but does that matter to a sports team?

Once again, I have digressed somewhat from the prompt, but that's the beauty of a freewrite: I rarely know where it is going when I start!

Thanks to @mariannewest for the daily freewrite prompts! If you haven't tried one, you should!