Twenty male contestants from the senior class faced off against each other for the title of Mr. Bobcat 2019 on Thursday, September 25 at Oyster River High School.
Mr. Bobcat is an annual male pageant to fundraise for the senior class that happens on the Thursday of spirit week. There are five competitions each contestant must compete in including: the question and answer portion, the pick-up line portion, the push-up competitions, the limbo competition, and the talent portion. Contestants were scored based on their performances in each competition. The contestant with the highest overall score was named Mr. Bobcat. The 2019 Mr. Bobcat was Ty Mountain. This year’s event had a strong turnout because many contestants wanted to help fundraise for their grade. The contestants found that they overall bonded with each other from this experience.
“It was definitely a good year. Last year it was hard to find 12 contestants to participate and this year we had 20 contestants who were all enthusiastic and excited,” said Lindsey Mount (‘20), one of the judges for Mr. Bobcat.
Mr. Bobcat winner Ty Mountain believes, “…it all came down to the dance… me and Paidan practiced this dance for a month… he would come to my house on the weekends and we would practice.”
Ty Mountian and Paidan Allen lip synced and danced to the song “bop to the top” from High School Musical, a crowd favorite. What set Mountain apart from Allen and the rest of the competition was his victory in the push-up competition earlier on in the night. Judge Chloe Jackson (‘20) explained, “we had a hard time deciding (the winner) this year because all of our scores kinda lined up the same… with Ty and Paiden doing the same act and doing really well within the act it came down to limbo and the push ups competition… if you don’t do well in the beginning of the competition it almost takes you out of the running.”
The first competition was the question and answer portion, a panel of judges from the senior class asked each contestant a question. A judge would call out a contestant’s name and ask them a question such as, “If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?” To which one of the contestants, Will Graph, answered, “to fly! Because… who doesn’t want to fly!”
Once each contestant had answered a question, the contestants moved into the pick up line portion of the competition. Each contestant passed the microphone down the line, saying their pick up line. Most pick up lines, including Rylan Conner’s, were comical. “Hey girl, you smell like trash, can I take you out?”
After the pick-up lines, the contestants hurried off stage to change into their swim attire for the push up and limbo competitions. The push up competition was tight. In the end, Ty Mountain beat out Noah Hall for the win. The push up competition was followed by a very intense and long Limbo challenge. After battling it out with Paidan Allen, Will Graph snuck away with the limbo title.
Finally, the crowd’s favorite competition, the talent portion. “The talent portion is just so special because every guy gets to choose what they want to do…I think everyone did such a great job with their talent acts,” said Taryn Mills (‘20).
Each contestant had at most two minutes for their talent performances. Some decided to partner with another contestant. There was a wide variety of talent acts, ranging from magic acts to singing and dancing, rollerblading, drumming and playing hot cross buns on the recorder. Contestants used the talent portion as a way of showcasing why they should win the title of Mr. Bobcat.
Even though many contestants had great talent acts, it came down to being well rounded throughout the night, something Mountain had going for him.
For many students Mr. Bobcat is a fun, light hearted event where students can kick back and relax while watching the contestants embarrass themselves on a live stage. However, for the males competing in the competition it’s a great way to bond and make new friends while coming together as a grade at the same time. “The kids that aren’t necessarily friends all bond together because they are embarrassing themselves on stage and they are all rooting each other on backstage… it’s really nice to see them all realize that they are a part of a group fundraising for their class,” said Heather Healy, the senior class advisor.
For many seniors, including Mount, Mr. Bobcat is a great way to get involved in your grade for your final year as a high schooler. “I think just witnessing the event for the past three years really made me want to be in on the action… I think it’s definitely a memorable moment for my senior year and I’m really happy I did it,” said Mount.
Likewise, many underclassmen after experiencing the event are excited for their senior year when they get to be a part of the action. “I’m excited for my senior year when I could possibly be a judge,” said sophomore Annika Kell (‘22).
Mr. Bobcat has been a very successful event in the past and the trend continued this year as the auditorium was packed with excited students. Healy explained, “it’s a great way to kick off the school year in terms of the fundraising efforts because it leads right into spirit day… the person crowned Mr. Bobcat is able to wear their sash and crown during the pep rally and I think that really adds to the senior class.”
Photo by Chase Amarosa