The inside Swoop on the Catlin Eagle

Hard-core Catlin Gabel School (CGS) Eagles sports fan or not; everyone knows Swoop the Eagle. At almost every major sports game, Swoop swoops in to show his support whether he’s punching out PKs from lower schoolers at the homecoming soccer game or flapping his wings enthusiastically at Sea of Blue as students recite the Fight Song.

Our feathered friend has made many appearances this past year such as the Fun’d Run supporting CGS students walking to raise money for the school and tossing t-shirts from a golf cart driven by CGS president Tyler George at his naming ceremony. He attended this year’s homecoming soccer game high-fiving fans, leading the homecoming parade, and taking photos with kids for their parents.

*Swoop the Eagle leading the Homecoming soccer parade*
Courtesy of Henry Beckerman ‘25

*Swoop the Eagle blocking a PK*
Courtesy of Henry Beckerman ‘25

The man behind the tail-feathered mask is none other than senior Henry Beckerman, who donned the Eagle costume last year when he was a junior. When the eagle mask comes off, one should not expect an alter ego; Eagle or not, Beckerman can still be seen at practically every CGS athletics event. He’s gone to 80 games, most notably driving a 9-hour round trip to watch this year’s girls’ volleyball state playoff game in Coquille.

Along with being a dedicated CGS sports fan, he also possesses other ideal qualities for being the school’s mascot. According to Beckerman, he’s good at getting a crowd “riled up” and he loves making people happy.

One way he roused the crowd during last year’s soccer season was by challenging alum Owen Jones ‘24 to a pushup competition. Beckerman stated that he let Jones win.

Beckerman’s secret weapon however is his background in dance. He started breakdancing when he was around seven or eight years old before taking lessons at the Multnomah Athletic Club for a year. He now puts those skills to use as he busts out handstands, the worm, and elaborate breakdance poses that make the crowd go wild.

Video of flag waving + worm (Courtesy of Henry Beckerman ‘25) https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1s1UzxyuClK9hQJwbcXSgYgalTCAPDae7MDTn2q8p6-o/edit#slide=id.g31bef3963ae_0_6

Swoop’s dance moves are especially popular with the younger CGS students. Often, lower and middle schoolers will ask Beckerman to do “trendy dances” such as the griddy or the floss.

“I’ll act like I am saying ‘No! No! No!,” said Beckerman. “And then I’ll start doing it [requested dance move]. And then the kids just go crazy.”

“I think the primary demographic for the eagle is children under the age of ten. Those are the biggest Eagle enjoyers,” said Arman Manternach ‘23, a former Eagle mascot.

*Lower schoolers wait in line to hug Swoop the Eagle*
Courtesy of Arman Manternach ‘23

Manternach stated that the best part of the job was hanging out with the lower schoolers because they are the ones who get the most excited to see the Eagle. He enjoyed running around with them and giving them high fives.

Beckerman has had his own fair share of lower-school fans. One time after a volleyball homecoming game, having shed the eagle costume, he was walking towards his car with his friend when three little kids from CGS started chasing him around and circling him, saying “You’re the eagle! You’re the eagle!”

“It’s funny walking around too, because everyone kind of knows it’s me now,” said Beckerman. “And so I always have people [younger students] coming up to me and say, ‘Are you the eagle?’”

One notable example is CGS’ Academic Dean John Harnetiaux’s kid who at soccer games always, without fail, asks him if he’s the eagle.

“I always act like I’m not even though I secretly am,” said Beckerman.

He also expressed the same sentiments as Manternach and specifically said what brought him the most happiness was after taking pictures with the lower schoolers parents. Many of these parents happened to also be faculty and would tell him on campus how happy their kids were that they got a picture with Swoop the Eagle.

Sometimes, however, it’s not all cupcakes and rainbows. The remaining summer heat during fall sports season, and a black track is a deadly combination, making the costume more comparable to a sauna. Beckerman finds no respite even during winter sports as the lack of AC in the gym compounded with the body heat of the fans and sweaty athletes also makes it uncomfortable to wear the mascot costume for long periods of time.

Being the Eagle is also “a tradeoff” because it hinders Beckerman’s fan experience/presence.

“I love watching the games and cheering on the players, and I can’t really do that as the eagle, because I’m not supposed to talk and I’m in this big costume,” said Beckerman.

However, Beckerman believes the pros far outweigh the cons as he can see the positive impact the mascot has on fans and athletes alike.

“I think it makes sports games more fun…having an entertainment portion during timeouts or breaks,” said Beckerman. “And I’d like to think maybe it increases attendance. I don’t know if it actually does.”

“It’s something that you definitely do for one year or one season and then you’ve done your part and you can hang up the costume,” said Manternach.

He believes that the main benefit of Swoop the Eagle is to cultivate a strong sense of school spirit early on and keep the younger generations of students interested and engaged in CGS athletics.

“Having the eagle to anchor the engagement from the little kids really brings the entire campus together,” said Manternach. “[When they are older] they will still have a strong school spirit and continue to turn out to the athletics games because it’s what they’ve always done and they have positive memories of them from when they were little.”