Senior’s performance takes first place in state competition
For the first time in six years, Waddles won first place out of the 16 mascots competing in the National Cheerleaders Association State of Texas Championship.
Inside the mallard duck suit, Cooper Mendoza has represented the Taylor Independent School District since seventh grade, repeatedly placing second in prior competitions. Now a senior, Mendoza concludes his time as the life-sized waterfowl with a bang as he secured top scores for his final performance.
“(First place has) always been something, like, we look forward to every year, and then every time we do it, we always just fall slightly short,” he said.
Mendoza’s winning skit at the Dec. 14 Dallas competition represented his status as an upcoming collegiate scholar who has to choose where to begin his new journey after leaving Taylor High School.
The skit features Mendoza as Waddles graduating, receiving college acceptance letters and playing a gameshow to decide where he’s going next — the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Colorado or the University of Minnesota. After the gameshow segment, he unveils his decision under his graduation gown.
Mendoza has yet to make an actual decision, so he chooses a different school each time he performs the act.
“
(Cooper Mendoza) brings the skit to life with everything he does whenever he performs.”
— Tracie Donahue, Taylor High cheer coach The session ends with Waddles packed up for college, waving farewell to the crowd to the tune of NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye.”
“His mother is the brains behind all his skits,” Taylor High Cheer Coach Tracie Donahue said. “She’s very creative … and brings those props to life, and he brings the skit to life with everything he does whenever he performs.”
Mendoza began his journey in middle school with a dare from classmates to try out. With a short skit, he landed the role and stuck with it.
However, it took him some time to get used to the character, opting in his early days to stay on the sidelines rather than become the center of attention.
“It opened me up in many ways that I didn’t think … like being able to make new friends easily,” Mendoza said. “I used to be … more of an introverted person, but being Waddles, like, forced me to be an extrovert.”
His growth as the Duck is inspirational, Mendoza’s coach said.
“I love this kid. Just to see him grow,” Donahue added with tears in her eyes. “He was timid … but just to see where he’s come to … it’s amazing. … It’s really been a really amazing ride for him, and just to see every year how he just brings the character to life.”
Impressed by Mendoza’s skill in the Waddles suit, Donahue makes it a point to highlight the mascot in the cheer routines, which she said most coaches choose to have in the background.
“He’s front and center, and he just makes all the difference in the world,” she said.
On Jan. 17, Mendoza will continue supporting the cheer squad in its University Interscholastic League Spirit competition.
In addition to developing the confidence to become more open, the mascot life also allowed Mendoza to meet peers who pushed him to be his best, putting him in the top 10% of academics in his grade level, he said.
“(Being Waddles) brought me closer to a lot of new friends,” he said. “The crowd I was around, they all motivated me just to become a smarter individual.”
With Mendoza set to leave in a few months, Donahue is on the lookout for the next Waddles.
“I’m looking for how can they engage the crowd, that’s No. 1,” she said. “I really hope and pray that someone has been watching (Mendoza) and is like, ‘I really want to do this,’ and will come out and give it a try.”
For his successor, Mendoza advises them to “be yourself and more.”
“Once you get over that (being scared), then it’s really fun because you’re able to do anything you want without, like, caring about … how people can see you because they can’t really see,” he said.
