A wolf with no name: All about Algonquin College’s mascot
Algonquin College is home to the Algonquin Wolves. According to the Students’ Association, “Every student at Algonquin College belongs to the Wolf Pack.”
To be a wolf is to be a member of the Algonquin College community, with a name and program to go alongside it.
But what about the school mascot, the wolf?
Students know them, students love them, but most students don’t know what to call them. That’s because they don’t have an official name.
According to Kelly Singer, Algonquin College’s senior manager of communications and marketing, this choice is deliberate.
“There are no immediate plans for an official name,” she said. “We want to organically see how the students, staff, alumni and community members connect with the Algonquin Wolves brand and the wolf mascot and go from there.”
While the generic name used by the SA for the mascot is “the wolf,” this has not stopped the college community from lovingly giving the wolf a nickname, Wolfie.
According to Cheryl MacEwen, manager of varsity athletic operations, the nickname started with kids at the Algonquin Wolves Sports Camp.
“They started calling him Wolfie and it stuck,” she said.
MacEwen clarified that the wolf does not have an official gender and the wolf’s pronouns depend on who operates the costume.
Despite the nickname, many students are left confused about who the wolf is and why they don’t have a name.
Employees of the SA athletics team are aware that the mascot doesn’t have a name. Event management employee Brianna Demille had never questioned the wolf’s name before.
“I guess it is kind of strange he doesn’t have a name, I had never thought about that before,” she said. “I’ve been told they’ve been working on it for three years.”
A quick Google search will lead to Algonquin College’s Wikipedia page, which indicates the name of the mascot as Thor. While this was once true, new developments have made this no longer accurate.
During the pandemic, Algonquin College decided to rebrand the mascot and team names for varsity sports. Prior to the wolf, Algonquin College was home to the Algonquin Thunder, whose mascot was named Thor.
The reason why the SA decided to rebrand to a wolf was reportedly due to their commitment to truth and reconciliation back in 2021. A statement was issued with the SA’s reasoning: “The wolf stands prominently in the Algonquin College Coat of Arms. Wolves are a pack — a loyal team — they teach each other, protect one another, love one another, and keep strong family ties. They represent good communication, intelligence, and have a strong cultural significance to Indigenous Peoples.”
Most mascots, such as the MLB’s mascot roster, are given personalities to let audiences connect with them. This is untrue for the wolf.
“The story of the Wolves — including our mascot — is still being developed,” said Singer. “While the Wolves brand is still young, we are committed to its continued growth and evolution.”
According to a community engagement poll series conducted on the Algonquin Times Instagram, @algonquintimes, most students don’t know much about the wolf but have formed opinions about them.
In the series of polls, there were three questions asked: “Do you know what Algonquin College’s mascot was before the wolf?”, “Who do you think should decide the mascot’s name?” and “Did you know that Algonquin College’s mascot doesn’t have an official name?”
With a low turnout of only 17 people, there are very few conclusions to be drawn. However, majority of those who took the poll were unaware of the mascot’s lack of name, and have no knowledge of what the mascot was before the wolf.
Majority of those polled said that they believe the name should be left up for the student population of AC to decide.
As the Algonquin Wolves brand continues to develop, students are left with a mascot with no official name. Despite this, the name Wolfie continues to stick as an unofficial nickname.
