The new mascot, Brock Burwell, was introduced March 1 at the WVU-Georgetown men’s basketball game.
Durst, the second female to don the buckskins, did not seek a
second term.
“I had a
wonderful time with it and enjoyed every moment,” Durst said. “But academics do
have to take priority in my life and graduating is the first thing I’ve got to
accomplish now.”
A Point Pleasant,
W.Va., native, Durst’s sole choice for college was WVU, and she has
been involved with Student Government Association, Adventure West Virginia and Makeover
Morgantown.
She knew she
wanted to be the Mountaineer her sophomore year when she saw then-Mountaineer
Michael Squires (2007) engaging with the crowd.
“I went to a
football game and saw that the Mountaineer just brought so much energy and was
really involved in everything,” Durst said.
“I wanted to be a
part of that and find a way to be active in the school, so I knew that being
the Mountaineer was that for me. After I decided, there was no stopping me.”
To be considered
for the position of Mountaineer, interested students fill out an application,
which contains five essay questions. From the completed applications, the
Mountaineer Mascot Selection Committee selects 10 candidates to participate in
a half-hour interview.
The top four
applicants compete in a cheer-off competition. They wear replica buckskins and
carry rifles and are judged on their performances.
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Pictured: Mountaineer mascot Rebecca Durst stands on guard in the student section at a WVU Men’s Basketball game against Seton Hall Feb. 20, 2010. Durst was chosen as the second female mascot in school history in the spring of 2009.
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“I know that coming
forth with all that energy is what really set me apart from all the other
applicants,” Durst said of her selection. “I had to bring it every single time
I was in front of the selection committee and every single time I was out there
representing the Mountaineers. The
Mountaineer represents more than just the energy of our fans, it represents our
University.”
As the Mountaineer,
Durst attends football and basketball games, which is her favorite part of the
job because she gets to be involved with the crowd.
However, she also
travels to alumni events, participates in parades, contributes to community
service events and visits children’s hospitals.
“A little boy named Garrett - I remember, his
dad contacted me after I had been to the hospital and told me how excited he
was to see me and how excited he was that I remembered his name whenever I saw
him elsewhere,” Durst said.
“So that was really
a touching moment for someone to come back and tell me how I affected their
lives.”
As only the
second female to represent the University as the Mountaineer, Durst said the
most difficult part of the process was convincing the Mountaineer Mascot
Selection Committee she was capable.
Natalie Tennant, current West
Virginia secretary of state, was the first
female Mountaineer in 1990. Durst stated that although Tennant proved 19 years
ago that gender doesn’t make the Mountaineer, Durst faced the same challenges.
“The naysayers just fueled me to do better as
a female Mountaineer in this position and just overcome the gender barrier and
prove that it’s spirit, not gender, that makes the Mountaineer.”
Tennant has watched Durst at football games during her term
and believes she has done well.
“She has been a good representative for the University,”
Tennant said. “I’m glad to have another female mascot.”
Durst noted that
the Mountaineer is a role model for all children – male or female. But, young
girls especially look up to her and respond to her being a female.
“That’s something I
didn’t expect is to be such a role model for young girls,” Durst said.
WVU President James
P. Clements says his daughter Grace is one of Durst’s admirers.
“I think she’s
awesome, and she’s done a great job,” Clements said. “She’s always full of
energy, and her biggest fan lives in my house. Grace looks up to her.”
Durst hopes to
continue her success and be an inspiration to people of West Virginia now that her term as Mountaineer is over.
Currently a junior,
Durst hopes to be a nurse in West Virginia upon graduation.
“I’d love to be
able to give back to my state again as a nurse,” Durst said. “I had a wonderful
time as the Mountaineer, and I’ll always cherish these memories.”
This story was produced by West Virginia University School of Journalism students Joey Machak, Matt Armstrong and Candace Nelson as part of the school's Multimedia Bureau course. It is published here through West Virginia Public Broadcasting's partnership with WVU.