Graduating Lancer midfielder Robbie Oates has hung up the Winston suit after several years as the mascot (DAVE GAUTHIER/University of Windsor)
By Kate Hargreaves
Lancer midfielder Robbie Oates (BSc Kin ’24, BEd ’26) has maintained a packed sports schedule over his last few years at UWindsor.
Some nights, he’s on the basketball court, others surrounded by cheering volleyball fans and others still on the sidelines at football games. He’s even been known to make the occasional appearance at a pre-game tailgate.
Oates, who graduates this June from the Faculty of Education, gets a solid workout in at every game despite exclusively holding a roster spot with the Lancer men’s soccer team.
That’s because, for the last few years, Robbie Oates has been UWindsor’s mascot, Winston.
“It was like heat training for my sport,” Oates laughs as he describes the experience of donning the Winston suit and transforming into the high-energy knight. “I try to stay hydrated.”
Oates did not set out to become a mascot but fell into the role when another Winston had to cancel last-minute prior to a game.
Being the right height for the suit — Winston is about six feet tall — Oates put on the armour and hit the court.
Despite his experience on the soccer pitch, there was a learning curve to becoming Winston, Oates says, including learning the etiquette around mascot interactions across different sports.
“Basketball, you can be pretty close to the game, but with football, you can’t really be on the field at all,” he explains.
“It took me a while to learn where they wanted me and what’s appropriate for each sport.”
During soccer games, of course, Oates was costume-free and on the pitch as a midfielder.
While Oates describes his personality as reserved, he says he found the experience of being Winston a fun way to let loose.
“I was more willing to dance than I would be without the costume on,” he says. “I’m not going to dance at a basketball game otherwise, but in the suit, no one really knows that it’s me.”
Hyping up a basketball crowd is one of Oates’s favourite memories from his years as Winston.
“There was a Western/Windsor basketball game early in my time as Winston,” he recalls.
“It was packed in our new gym, and Thomas Kennedy was just dunking on Western. It was really close. I think we only won by a couple points. Just a really good atmosphere.”
As Oates graduates at June convocation, he has hung up his mascot suit. However, the experiences and lessons from his time as Winston will follow him into his future career as a primary/junior teacher.
Having coached children’s soccer, Oates decided to pursue teaching as a way to combine his passion for sport, with an eye toward teaching physical education.
During his practicum as a teacher candidate, however, he had a chance to teach drama for the first time and found himself borrowing from his Winston days.
“It was handy having some acting skills so I could demonstrate how to read lines or move your body in ways that help the performance,” he says.
As for advice for the next Winston to don the suit, Oates says that being passionate about Lancer sports is crucial, something that came naturally to him as a varsity athlete.
“I played for the University, I did both degrees here with the other athletes, so it just kind of felt like supporting my friends a lot of the time,” he says.
“You have to want Windsor to win, that’s the main thing. You have to embrace the whole of what being a Windsor Lancer is.”