BUCKFIELD “LADY BUCKS” GO UNDEFEATED

Honestly, I could care less that a Maine class D girls high school basketball team went undefeated in the Pine Cone Division (south conference).  I understand that they are one of the highest scoring teams in the state and that it is quite an accomplishment to win twenty consecutive games.  Great.

But this cannot be the big story here. In my opinion, the big story I garner from the above headline is where it makes reference to “Lady Bucks”, and the fact that in a cluster of small rural towns people are yelling and cheering for a squad of girls who are called “Lady Bucks”.

I guess when Buckfield High School came about it was only natural that they be called the Bucks, as the mighty Cougar, Hornet, Rebel, Falcon, Andy, and Tiger  have already been taken by surrounding towns.

(Hey, Livermore Falls, what the hell is an Andy? Your logo suggests a drunken logger with an ax, which I will admit is more imposing than all of the aforementioned animal mascots).

But one crucial piece separates the Buck from all of the other animal mascots (except the drunken Livermore Falls logger) and that is gender specificity.  Maybe it’s not real important, but when you suit up high school girls in basketball uniforms and refer to them as ‘Lady Bucks’ it isn’t very flattering.

As we stride towards equality in our society (albeit slowly) shouldn’t there be a boys team who needs a female animal mascot name, such as the Buckfield Male-Does or the Jay High School Man-Lionesses?  I’d like to see the public reaction to a massive mascot gender recall in the state of Maine.  “Goddamn Baldacci, first regionalization, now we can’t even call’em the damn Lady Bucks no more!  I’m voting Libertarian! No taxes, no stupid government tellin’ me I can’t cheer for the Lady Bucks”…and so on.

I suppose, when it’s all said and done (tourney time that is) you better have a good record if you are a Lady Buck–like an undefeated record.