When Free State first opened to students in 1997, the Firebird mascot had no name until the first person wore the suit. Although the Firebird is often portrayed as male, the name “Freddy” came from a female student. According to the 1998 Talon Yearbook, Jodi Kesinger (née Frederickson) wore the suit and took on the role of Freddy at every large sporting event.
In order to prepare for her role, Kesinger trained with the Head Mascot Coach of Kansas University, Le-Thu Erazmus Campbell, who was Baby Jay throughout the ‘90s. Despite both of them being women, Kesinger said many people assume mascots are men.
“It’s the expectation that it’s only a male position, but that’s not a thing,” Kesinger said. “I was a tomboy growing up, but I love dancing. So, when you think about a mascot, it’s really about entertainment.”
Through her experience with dance, Kesinger worked closely with the coaches of the Spirit Squad. Kesinger said this is what led to creating the name “Freddy” for the Firebird.
“It was a Pep Rally Day…, and they wanted to present the Firebird popping out of an egg. [One of the cheer coaches] was like, ‘We need to name this,’ and somebody just said, ‘How about we name it Freddy after Frederickson,’” Kesinger said.
However, Kesinger’s mascotting career didn’t start with Freddy; she said she also wore the first Warhawk mascot costume.
“I was good friends with Kathy Branson, who was the math teacher at that time at West Junior High. She asked me one day, ‘Hey, we have a Warhawk mascot costume now. Would you want to wear it for this event?’ I had a fun personality, and I was just kind of outrageous anyway, so I was like, ‘Oh hell yeah. Let’s do it,’” Kesinger said.
Kesinger said it isn’t common for mascots to receive athletic scholarships; however, because of her impact as Freddy, Barton Community College gave her an offer.
Since then, the Firebird costume has been worn by more girls than just Kesinger. Junior Olivia Storey represented Freddy for the 2025-2026 school year, and she said that it’s significant that the original Freddy was portrayed by a woman.
“It’s important because it’s not something that would always be seen as super traditionally feminine or something that a girl would typically do. It’s important to have representation as mascots,” Storey said.
According to the Geena Davis institute, 67% of mascot characters are male. At Barton County Community College, there is one of few female mascots, Miss Kitty, which is who Kesinger portrayed. Despite getting a scholarship to go to Barton County Community College, Kesinger said her favorite memories of being a mascot were at Free State.
“I had watched the cheerleading and dance squads put together these elaborate routines for halftime shows, so I asked my coach if I could put one together myself,” Kesinger said. “I got to do it twice, and it felt like the last hurrah for me at Free State High School. I just wanted to show everyone I got some moves, I know how to entertain and this was a fun ride.”
As a member of the spirit squad, Storey also has experience in dance. She said that it’s nice to know there is someone like her who has portrayed Freddy the Firebird.
“Even though I only had Freddy for a very short time, it still is really cool for me to know that I have some solidarity there,” Storey said. “I don’t really get easily insecure about things I do, but I still think that it can bring a sense of security, because I’m not alone in doing that.”
