In a move that is sure to surprise many people in Cloverdale and around the province, the Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary sports teams will no longer be known as the Panthers. Principal Allan Buggie and Athletic Director Brien Gemmell held a news conference to announce that the school, which has had all sorts of success in recent years in many different sports, including Basketball, Football, Rugby and Track, is rebranding itself.
“It is important that Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary reflects the community in more genuine and authentic ways,” explained Principal Buggie. “The fact is that you cannot find a real panther anywhere in Cloverdale. However, you can find lots of little kitties. We just thought it was a much more realistic and local nickname.”
Gemmell, the Athletic Director, elaborated on that idea. “To be honest, many of our athletes found the Panther to be a violent and disturbing image. Too many of our kids were just scared putting on the jersey, the idea of Panthers was so frightening to them. And for our opponents, forget it. So many schools threatened to boycott our games because they felt that the Panther was offensive, violent and scary. Kitties are much more gentle and good-natured.”
Teams from LTS will immediately become known as the Lord Tweedsmuir Kitties. With rugby season just underway, the Lord Tweedsmuir Kitties will compete for rugby glory this spring.
Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School Library 