By Libby Nichols and Megan Wu
“I’ve gone to performances before and they were a lot of fun. I think it will be cool to be up on stage and it’s exciting. It helps our class fundraise and will be a blast,” says Mr.Bobcat contestant Michael Donovan (‘17).
On September 29, boys from Oyster River High School’s senior class will be competing in the annual Mr. Bobcat pageant towards the end of spirit week. The event is held as a fundraiser for the senior class and students from all grades come to watch. The event is organized by Economics teacher and the senior class adviser, Heather Healy, with help from a few students.
Mr. Bobcat consists of different categories that are judged by a panel of seniors. Healy says, “We just try to follow the same categories you see in a Miss America Pageant.” The categories are dress up, question and answer, pick up lines, swimsuit modeling, a push up challenge, and a talent portion.
The talent portion of the competition is what makes most of the contestants the most nervous. Participant Anson Thibault (‘17) says, “I am most nervous and excited for the [talent portion], but I’m not really doing it to win. I am doing it to have fun.”
During the Mr.Bobcat competition in 2014, one student said a pick up line that was deemed inappropriate which caused the staff to make the decision of proof reading all pick up lines. After that competition, all contestants have to submit their pick up line in advance to make sure it is appropriate. This isn’t the only change since then.
The 2016 pageant will be the first that guys will be allowed to judge. Ben McDonald, one of two boys to judge, “thinks it will be good to have a new perspective from the judging table.” Thibault (‘17) agrees: “I think they will do a fantastic job.” McDonald originally wanted to compete, but couldn’t think of anything for the talent portion. When he heard of an alternate way to participate, he wanted to give it a shot. “A lot of my good friends are contestants so I thought it would be funny to watch and judge them.”
When asked if he was rooting for anyone in particular, McDonald replied, “I’m a judge. I gotta keep it fair.” However, he did share his criterion for judging: “I’ll be basing most of the points on humor, but if there’s something touching enough to bring tears, I’ll have to reconsider for the particular case.”
All in all, Mr.Bobcat is more of a fun event for senior boys to participate in. The sense of competition is present but it is not the main reason for competing. “I want to just have fun up there. I’m not trying to win, although that would be cool,” Donovan says.
The event takes place in the ORHS Auditorium this Thursday at 7 P.M. Seniors get in for free and all others pay an admission fee of $7. MOR will be covering the event and a follow up video containing highlights of the event will be online this Friday.