Breathing in deeply as she places the boots of the costume on each foot,  she looks up at the roaring stands and nervously plans out the night ahead of her. It is Friday night and the football game is in motion, when senior Adriana Rogers assumes her new role as Rowdy Ranger. On Aug. 26,  Rogers took her first step on the field as the 2016-2017 varsity Rowdy Ranger.

Rogers filled out an application and auditioned at the first varsity football game.

“In order to get the crowd pumped up I danced around and did push ups. Still, I was nervous I wouldn’t be good enough, but now I feel like this is where I belong,” Rogers said. “I became Rowdy because I wanted to make a difference for the whole school. Getting people hyped up makes me happy.”

At her first debut, Rogers interacted with the crowd and demonstrated her ability to get people into the game. Cheer coach Kristi Burns took notice, granting her the position as school mascot.

“She did everything I asked her to,” Burns said. “She was nice to kids and really excited. She got into the cheers and dances while bringing her own spirit into it. Also, she had the best attitude. But most of all, she was honored to be the mascot and that’s exactly what you want as a coach.”

Cheerleader Jocelyn Ochoa said Rogers was really outgoing, and she tried to be a crowd-pleaser.

Rowdy Ranger is responsible for traveling with the cheer team, maintaining academic eligibility and pumping up the crowd at most sporting events, including football, volleyball, basketball games and pep rallies.

“I love to have fun with the cheer team,” Rogers said. “You get that feeling you are doing something good and that people are enjoying the game. You gotta have a good spirit, it’s all about motivating the crowd and making them happy.”

Since taking on the job, Rogers has a pregame ritual of listening to music and planning the night out. However, after jumping, screaming, and being the voice of the crowd, Rogers becomes exhausted and sweaty inside of the extremely stinky head of the costume. Rowdy Ranger takes multiple breaks throughout the game in order to rejuvenate herself and to continue to pump up the crowd.

“The sweating and smell of the head doesn’t bother me too much,” Rogers said. “I focus more on how I love the hyped up feeling. You’re feeling it, the crowds feeling it, and it makes the determination to do the job well so much greater.”

Being Rowdy Ranger comes with a list of responsibilities and requires a lot of time.  This is a small price to pay in order to uphold the Rowdy Ranger legacy and become one of the many mascots Rogers has looked up to.

“This isn’t just something you do to get attention,” Rogers said. “You have to have a passion to make people feel good and much better than they ever would without a mascot. And I am that person. I am Rowdy Ranger.”