Slater The Gator: The Man Behind The Mask
Rob Pedicone, 27, has been the man behind the mask of the Green River College Gator Mascot since the winter of 2017. Pedicone, who has been working as the Recreation and Athletics Coordinator for about one year now, says he decided to start working at Green River because of the fresh new leadership of President Dr. Johnson as well as the school’s positive and healthy environment. Pedicone has recently taken over the role of mascot as Slater the Gator from student AJ Patel, who was Green Rivers’ Gator mascot previously.
The relatively new addition to the ever-increasing onslaught of initiatives taken by the college to promote school spirit was recently named “Slater” as voted by Green River students. Pedicone has had only a handful of student and Recreation and Athletic Center (RAC) employee predecessors who had taken on the role of representing Green River as the gator mascot. AJ Patel, Artur Issakhanov, and Paul Meas had played the role of Slater the Gator before Pedicone had taken over the position as the school’s locally infamous mascot.
Pedicone, however, accounts fondly of his experiences so far as being Slater the Gator. “My first appearance as the Gator was back in Fall 2017 at a board of trustees meeting.” Pedicone said, “The whole time in my head I was like, don’t fall, Don’t fall, Don’t fall.” Pedicone notes that the limited eyesight and clunky feet attachments give being Slater the Gator a steep learning curve when it comes to general functionality and moving around in the gator suit.
Pedicone goes on further to explain that because of the student, staff, and visitor attitudes towards the gator mascot, it is always a fun time when playing the role of Slater. “You feel kinda like a superhero in the suit.” Pedicone said, in regards to how he is treated when interacting with people while in the suit. Mascots can only communicate non-verbally, so Pedicone noted that he grew accustomed to fist bumps, high fives, hugs and dancing in order to match and surpass the energy levels of his audience or to set the bar for school spirit at an event. “It all starts with a friendly, approachable demeanor.” Pedicone said, “The goal of Slater the Gator is to connect with others and to be a great representative for Green River.”
The events that Slater the Gator attends seems to have no end, when asked about the type of events he must mascot as the gator in, Pedicone said that “Slater the Gator has made appearances for athletic games, noteworthy meetings, special events on campus, and for new student orientations. Also, Slater has been used as a model for College Relations in numerous publications.” Pedicone further accounts one notable event during his time so far as Slater the Gator was the international program’s new student orientation for spring quarter. “The interaction with new international students was amazing.” Pedicone said, “People were hyped to see Slater the Gator.” At the same time, there was also an event with local high school students visiting Green River who were also excited to meet Slater the Gator. “I’ve never been hugged so many times in my life.” Pedicone said, recalling the event fondly.
Being Slater, the Green River Gator, although fun, is hard work. Pedicone accounts that he as Slater as well as members of the RAC staff may take photos for over an hour during highly populated events. Standing, dancing and jumping in the hot sun while wearing a thick, heavy gator suit with only one point of ventilation. “I probably lose at least a couple pounds in sweat every time I wear it.” Pedicone said, in regards to the hard work required to play the part of a school mascot. Pedicone finds all the hard work worth it, however, as he says it is fulfilling work to interact with such a fun and diverse group of students while simultaneously representing Green River College in a light that reflects the positive, healthy, and fun attributes of the school.
