As some may know, the current mascot of Antioch Community High School is Superfan Stan. He has been around for about 16 years; however, his time may be coming to an end. Over the last few years, Superfan Stan has faded away from ACHS sporting events. During the fall of 2022, the Cardinal Crazies desired his reappearance.
Even though there are some complications alongside bringing Stan back to events, the Cardinal Crazies are trying to work around them. Athletic Director Marni Polakow views some issues that exist around his appearance.
“I just don’t think he is a good representation of who we are and who we want to be,” Polakow said.
The Cardinal Crazies found a solution that worked around the issue to an extent. They were able to purchase a t-shirt that fit Stan to cover his outdated clothing— Polakow approved the t-shirt, and Stan was able to make his comeback.
Polakow still thinks he brings vibrancy and energy to different occasions. She believes most kids did not even know that we had a mascot. She thought it was a pleasant surprise to bring Stan out for some students and staff at the Friday football game against district rival zLakes Community High School.
Some students have different opinions; junior Aiden Van Alstine thinks having Stan at events is incredible. Van Alstine favors Stan’s presence as he vividly remembers Stan at events when he was younger.
“Stan was always at the football games on Friday,” Aiden said. “He would walk around and give high fives, and we thought it was the coolest thing because we were only like 8 or 9 [years old].”
Senior Tiffany Williams believes that Stan is a tradition. She enjoyed the Antioch vs. Lakes game with Stan. Williams remembers him from freshman year; she thought he was a great way to get the crowd up.
“I know people find it entertaining,” Williams said. “We should bring him back for every home event.”
Now the t-shirt cannot last forever, so Cardinal Crazies, Polakow and Cardinal Crazies Advisor Stephan Pfautz are working on designing a new mascot for the upcoming school year. They want the mascot to revolve more around the school and student section. Welcome, Stan, while you can because he may be gone soon.
