Canton is finally going to see the behind the scenes of their beloved mascot Tony. Tony has been our favorite mascot when he made an appearance, but when was the last time someone was our full time mascot? It’s been years. After the long wait, Tony the Tiger has finally come back to life. 

Andriana Trahan, also known as Ana, has decided to take on the role of Tony the Tiger. Ana moved here this year after being a student at Weatherford. Although her year as Tony has just started she is more upset about the end that continues to creep up slowly. 

“My favorite part about being mascot is getting to do everything with the cheerleaders and feeling included in everything,” mascot, Ana Trahan, said. 

The mask allows her to be as crazy as possible; it also allows her to encourage younger students to get up and help with school spirit. Just like everyone else out there on the track and on the field, being the mascot is not that easy. It not only challenges her to be quiet, but it also challenges her to do tricks and conserve all her energy to show the crowd a pumped up tiger.

Our fluffy black and orange striped tiger makes the kids ecstatic for football games. At every game there are always kids who want to say hi to the tiger and watch the tiger in admiration. For parents this could be a good thing. Their child could be looking and waiting for Tony to pop up and start his routine. They might even sit still when they see the tiger, but we all know for sure that Tony is one photogenic tiger.

“I actually do like it when kids ask for pictures. It makes me happy when people are engaging with me,” Trahan said.

Pictures can be a good and bad side of being the mascot. On one hand she gets to make all the little kids smile when they take a picture with Tony. However on the other hand she continues to sweat while she waits for the picture to be taken, and when they want multiple pictures the agony of being in that costume builds. Of course the challenges continue to stack as she is continuously stuck in the mascot costume. Upon the obvious challenge to move it also is a challenge to keep her cool. Literally. Although she enjoys her time as mascot she also enjoys her time without the mask.

“It feels really nice to take the mask off because it gets really hot but it is really fun,”Trahan said. 

After long days of being Tony the Tiger,  Trahan gets to rest with a great feeling of appreciation. Tony was not her dream role in this school, but she is more than happy to fulfill the role for now. She plans to finish this year and then become a cheerleader so she can inspire younger students without the mask.