For the first time in SU history, Otto the Orange is played by an all-women cast
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Since she was a sophomore at Syracuse University, Kate Davignon has kept a secret. Having to reveal it to her close friends and the campus community Sunday, she was nervous. But, along with her few confidants, she revealed her secret identity: Otto the Orange.
“The secret is my favorite part about it and being able to not have to tell everybody everything all the time,” Davignon said. “Being able to experience it for myself and for other people and with my teammates is something that’s really special and unique about the program.”
On March 24, Otto’s birthday, the mascot’s Instagram page posted a video of this year’s six graduating Ottos: Emily Ref, Faith Eberst, Grace Burrows, Cassie Argen, Maya Vidal and Davignon. Tied for the largest graduating class of Ottos, this year’s seniors, for the first time, are all women. Each student had a different journey to becoming the iconic mascot – Ref joined her junior year, Burrows is a SUNY ESF student and Eberst is a Syracuse local.
“These girls are gonna be friends for life,” Ref said. “And I just think it’s about doing something so unique together and ending it on the same timeline.”
It’s less common for women to be professional mascots, especially because a lot of mascots have masculine features, Vidal said. Oftentimes, many assume that the people in mascot costumes are men, including Otto, who uses they/them pronouns. Vidal said the all-women group made the reveal more special.
“People think only men to be mascots or only men can be super athletic and do something as cool as this,” Eberst said. “So being able to say a group of girls has been doing this for three years or however long is pretty cool.”
As they’ve spent time with each other, this year’s cohort has grown closer. Ottos do workouts as a group, work events together and attend mascot meetings. The time spent together is what allows their friendships to blossom, and Vidal said some of her closest friends are her co-Ottos. Eberst and Argen hung up the Otto costume early, revealing themselves at a men’s basketball game three weeks ago. Eberst said being away from the group of girls has felt like forever despite the short time.
Five of the six Ottos have a background in theater. Being Otto allows them to engage with others in the same way theater does – they can change someone’s day, Vidal said.
Vidal nearly went to conservatory school for acting, but over the pandemic decided against it. When she stepped on SU’s campus, she was hoping to find somewhere she could perform and considered the dance or cheer team. But after seeing Otto, she knew what she wanted to do.
“It’s a lot of storytelling, and it’s taking yourself out of it and conveying a message to the wider public,” Ref said. “Similar to theater, you’re taking yourself out of the equation and jumping into a character.”
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Ref auditioned to be Otto during her junior year because she wanted to join another supportive community at SU. Julie Walas, the mascot’s coach and the group’s “Syracuse mom,” has helped garner an encouraging atmosphere by planning retreats and helping current mascots connect with alumni through the Otto alumni mentor program.
“As alumni, it is really important to give back and sometimes we get nice little gifts or notes or things to help with our program from the alumni,” Davignon said. “I would love to be able to do something like that in the future to stay connected to the program.”
When out of the costume, the six girls will get coffee and study together like any other college friendship, Burrows said. While they’re not often questioned about their friendship, they have invented some creative lies to hide their tracks. Burrows, Vidal and Davignon came up with an anthropology club where they met each other, even though only Vidal is an anthropology major.
“It’s really funny because sometimes you’ll see a group of us go out together and we’re all the same height and we’re all giggling and laughing,” Burrows said. “You wonder how those people got so close, and it’s like, ‘Well, surprise!’”
Spirit was on the top of Burrows’s wishlist when looking for a school to transfer to in 2020. With the college’s close connection to SU, ESF was her perfect fit. Burrows didn’t realize she could be Otto as an ESF student, but once one of her sorority sisters was revealed to be Otto, she decided to apply. She was already rooting for the Orange but, through Otto, got to be the “ultimate Orange fan,” she said.
As they leave Otto in the past, the six seniors will miss the little things Otto does during appearances – like the classic head spin or scooter races. It’s been hard for the group to fathom that they are no longer going to be Otto.
“You don’t really know how much you need this like a tight-knit group of people until you’re actually in it,” Ref said.
