It’s not double vision, there are now two Aztec Warriors and both will be seen at San Diego State football games in the fall.
Dexter Gareau, television, film and new media production senior and Oscar DeLeon, an aerospace engineering senior, have been selected to replace Mike Lopez, who has been the Aztec Warrior for the past three years.
Lopez’s duties as the Aztec Warrior will end in correspondence with the current basketball season.
Throughout the years, it was common to have two warriors. However, for the past year, Lopez has been the only one to blow the conch shell. That’s about to change again as Gareau and DeLeon will split their mascot duties this fall.
“The committee, comprised of alumni, students and community members, has always wanted to have two mascots,” SDSU Alumni Association Executive Director, Jim Herrick said. “Everyone feels that there are enough events and games to have two.”
For Gareau, the process of becoming the next Aztec Warrior has been an unplanned development spanning several years. He originally found out about tryouts a few years ago, but didn’t feel ready at the time.
“I didn’t feel like I was buff enough, tough enough or mentally prepared enough for the job,” he said.
The main focus now is for Gareau and DeLeon to begin their physical training as both of them have been asked to put on weight to bulk up. Gareau, who is 5 feet 8 inches tall, plans to gain 15 pounds, while DeLeon, who is 6 feet tall, plans to gain 25 pounds. Both warriors must be able to speak confidently about Aztec culture.
For DeLeon, the decision to try out was more spontaneous. He remembers the day he took a tryout flyer while walking out of the gym and saw a poster that read “Are you the biggest baddest Aztec Warrior?”
Although DeLeon has never been involved in anything similar to a mascot, he describes himself as a “school fanatic who supports athletics and academics.” He is an active member of Sigma Chi, SDSU American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and he played for the SDSU rugby team during his first two years as a student.
From the 19 candidates who expressed interest in the position, there was no short fall of creativity and uniqueness in the eight candidates who auditioned. Some even brought their own uniforms and makeshift drums.
For his tryout, DeLeon relied on his own energy and spirit to set himself apart from the other candidates.
“I didn’t bring any props, I just went out there feeling like an Aztec and gave them the best war cry that I could come up with,” he said.
DeLeon, who is of Aztec descent, was born in Zacatecas, Mexico and moved to California with his family when he was about 5 years old.
Performing in front of people is not new for Gareau as a result of his involvement with the film and theater department. He will participate in a play next month, yet despite his experience with audiences in the past, he is aware of the effect his new audience size might have.
“I’ve never had an audience of thousands of people, 50,000 for football and 12,400 for basketball,” he said. “It will be intense, but I think it’s something that you can’t really rehearse for. You go to the gym and you just bring the personality, and hopefully I won’t get too intimidated down the road.”
