The Whip-Pur, the mascot for Hampshire High School at 1600 Big Timber Road, is competing in a contest for the state’s most unusual high school mascot name.
CSN and CSNChicago.com, according to their website, are “searching for the most unique Illinois high school mascot nickname in Mascot Madness.”
The Hampshire Whip-Pur mascot beat out the Sequoit mascot on Thursday by a score of 51 percent to 49 percent of the votes. The Whip-Pur mascot will advance to the next round next week.
“This is exciting,” said Hampshire High School Principal Brett Bending. “The Sequoits put up a good fight. I encourage Hampshire Whip-Pur fans to vote early and vote often.”
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Hampshire’s mascot competed against 15 other mascots in the Skyline Region in the first round. The other contestants in this region were: New Trier Trevians, East Aurora Tomcats, Evanston Wildkits, Zion-Benton Zee-Bees, Argo Argonauts, DeKalb Barbs, Carmel Corsairs, Mount Carmel Caravan, Andrew Thunderbolts, Collinsville Kahoks, Antioch Sequoits, Lockport Porters, Schaumburg Saxons, Elk Grove Grenadiers, and the Joliet Central Steelmen.
Dave Hicks, Hampshire High athletic director, said CSN contacted the school about the contest.
“They asked us for information about the Whip-Pur,” Hicks said. “The Whip-Pur was originally a tiger with purple and white stripes and a whip. Hampshire High students came up with the mascot during the 1940s.”
“Fans are encouraged to vote for each of their favorite nicknames in a four region, 64-team bracket, similar to the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s March Madness” according to the CSNChicago.com website. “Each week, they advance one round with the coronation of the Mascot Madness champion taking place during the Illinois High School Association 4A Boys Basketball Championship on Saturday, March 19. Voting is done exclusively through www.csnchicago.com/MascotMadness. On each regional voting page, official tallies are recorded via Twitter and Facebook. Fans are encouraged to not only vote for their favorite school, but for others in each region as well. Each week, the voting round opens on Monday at 12 p.m. and ends on Thursdays at 4 p.m.”
Images of the Whip-Pur are found in Hampshire schools.
There is a 3-foot high, fiberglass statue of the mascot at the front entrance of Hampshire High. It was a gift of the Hampshire High Class of 2015.
The Hampshire High Class of 2013 gift to the school was a mural of the Whip-Pur in the school’s middle stairwell.
The water tower by Hampshire High is painted white with purple paw prints.
In addition to serving as the mascot for Hampshire High, the Whip-Pur is also the mascot for Hampshire Middle School, 560 S. State Street, and Hampshire Elementary School, 321 W. Terwilliger Avenue.
The mascot for Gary D. Wright Elementary School, 1500 Ketchum Road in Hampshire, is the Wildcat.
Denise Moran is a freelance reporter.