Photo by Barry Stephenson.
Will Sobera
Will Sobera is a junior at Mountain Brook High School and dons the Spartan mascot uniform for football games and other events where his high energy and school spirit are needed.
They’re one of the most common sights on Friday nights, and Saturday and Sunday afternoons. They come in many shapes, sizes, colors, genders, nationalities and even breeds, but they all answer to one name: mascot.
Mascots such as Big Al, Aubie, and Blaze can draw just as much attention on a Saturday afternoon in the state as the Tide, Tigers and Blazers do in a game. When it comes to high school football in the Birmingham metro area, there are many mascots to choose from, but there’s only one Mountain Brook Spartan: Will Sobera.
A junior at Mountain Brook, Will describes himself as a “bordering on normal” guy; he’s not as outlandish as his costumed persona, although they do share some similarities.
“One thing is just my attitude toward sports,” Will said. “I’m super enthusiastic about the teams.”
Will dons his Spartan apparel for not just football games but any event where school spirit runs high.
Reactions were rather mixed when he told his friends and family about his new activity, Will said. While many friends wondered “how it happened,” his father wasn’t surprised.
“My dad was like, ‘That’s perfect for you.’ He and I have always talked about how I want to go to Auburn and how cool it would be to be Aubie.”
The road to becoming the school mascot was an abrupt journey, Will recalled, beginning with summons to the office of Mountain Brook High School Principal Amanda Hood.
“I thought I was in trouble for something, but she said, ‘What would you think about being the mascot?’”
Will believes the offer was “the perfect thing for me,” and he feels he was born with an inherited sense of school spirit – and that sense fuels his performances on the sidelines.
Sustaining the energy and enthusiasm throughout the entirety of a game or event took time to fully develop, Will said.
“My first seven or eight games, the mentality that I took was do what you see professional mascots do.”
It was soon after that when he found his groove in the costume, realizing the best option was to be himself.
“And myself is, like anyone who knows me will tell you, I’m kind of a rowdy person.”
Will’s favorite moment on the sidelines came during the boys basketball team’s trip to the Class 7A state tournament last spring. He was on the sideline for Mountain Brook’s semifinal game against Theodore, as Terrell Guy’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer lifted the Spartans in double overtime.
“I just remember falling to my knees … and the student section behind me going crazy. That was so much fun.”
Of course, wearing the suit isn’t always a joy, and Will said he fields the same question almost every day.
“It’s really hot in there. I get that question all the time,” Will said. “I kept track from the first time someone asked me that. It’s somewhere between 145 and 150 [times].”
