Frankie the Friar is the official mascot of the Saint Francis University Red Flash. The University's original friar mascot debuted in 1983 and has been a mainstay at SFU athletics events ever since. The current rendition of Frankie first appeared during the 2009-10 athletics season.
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Just as one season is ending, the next begins. Frankie tryouts are held at the end of Spring semester each year (April). This gives us time to practice over the summer while still attending special events, order the correct sizes of gear, and hold a preseason camp the week before classes begin. To qualify for Frankie tryouts, athletes must sign and be willing to follow all program guidelines including maintaining a 2.25 GPA, attend 4-8 hours of events per week, and adhere to all University rules.
After preseason camp, Frankie attends all home football, home men's and women's basketball games and any postseason tournaments. Practice is once per week for two hours. Conditioning is twice per week for 45-minutes each. If Frankie decides to compete, additional hours are to be expected. Frankie also supports at least one of every sports' home competitions per season, attends one community service event per month and also attends many other community outreach events as requested.
How to Mascot
Becoming Frankie the Friar has 9 guidelines in which we practice:
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Always have a Spotter - safety person to help in special situations
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Keep identity a secret - never reveal the identity of yourself until retired
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Be larger than life - exaggerate all movements as if a superhero
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Stay involved - pay attention and be alert to the environment around you
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Entertain the fans - always have 5 staple 'moves' to perform
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Befriend everyone - you have no enemies, only people you have not met
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Give respect to get respect - some crowds do not appreciate mascots
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Stay hydrated / rested - take plenty of planned breaks during long events
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Care for the costume - Frankie is a representation of the entire University
Philosophy
Participating as Frankie the Friar is a privilege. He/She receives many benefits; however, those may be taken away if he/she does not fulfil their duties. Being a student is your first priority. You are at Saint Francis to earn a degree and studyhall could be assigned. Once your grades are in order, you may participate 100%. Our goal as a program is to support SFU Athletics by leading fellow students, alumni and community members (fans) through a complete game time experience while exemplifying the SFU Athletics Mission and Vision.
Competition
Every other year, Frankie the Friar joins the cheer and dance teams in attending NCA and NDA Collegiate Nationals in Daytona, FL and exhibitions at 3-4 local competitions. In the "off" years, we compete at a smaller collegiate competition closer to home. A mascot competition consists of a 1-minute skit that encompasses 6 components of entertaining a crowd.
Tryout Requirements
Saint Francis University always has a Main Frankie who gets first choice of events and a Backup Frankie to support and practice with the Main Frankie.
The most important part of the tryout process is to be a confident but friendly and supportive teammate. A coachable athlete will always make the team over an arrogant athlete at the same skill level. Tiebreakers will use the 'Coachable' category first and the 'Skit' assessment second.
You must earn at least 1 point in the coachable category to become Frankie.
The person earning the highest amount of points will be given the choice to be the Main Frankie and the person earning the second highest amount of points will be the backup Frankie.
A sample score sheet is below and will be updated throughout the year so you know your rank:
Name: _________ Year: ______
Coachable 0 1 2 3 1 point for each: confident, social, supportive
Conditioning 0 1 2 3 1 pt= 2-4 burpees; 2 pt= 5-6 burpees; 3 pt= >6 burpees
The Walk 0 1 2 3 1 point for each: larger than life, arms, head movement
The Wave 0 1 2 3 1 point for each: gets attention, creative, exaggerates
Slow Clap 0 1 2 3 1 point for each: full body, pace, end with bang
Interview 0 1 2 3 1 point for each: has time, has energy, loves SFU
TOTAL: ______
All current students interested in Frankie tryouts should complete the Tryout Profile at the top of this page. Updates will be posted in the News Section of our "Program Overview" (linked) as well as on our social media pages.
