UCSD is suffering from an identity crisis. If you aren’t sure exactly how, here’s a test for you: turn to your inner self and ask, “”Self, what are we here at UCSD?”” And your inner self will answer, “”We’re the forks,”” or better yet, “”We’re male mermaids.”” Both of these answers have reverberated through the minds of many perplexed UCSD students, but it’s time to put an end to this echo.
Guardian
Let’s begin with some Greek Mythology 101. Poseidon, brother of the all-powerful Zeus, was ruler of the oceans, among other things. Like all Greek gods, he had many lady friends, one of whom was Amphitrite, a lesser-known sea nymph. To make a long story short, Amphitrite gave birth to one of Poseidon’s sons: Triton. While it’s true that Triton was a merman, he did share Poseidon’s powerful control of the ocean. He did so with a conch shell, which he blew mightily when the waves needed to be whipped into shape.
Obviously, there is a connection between the mighty Triton mentioned above and the merman who we see on so many logos around campus. But this is where the UCSD identity becomes even more baffling. Triton on the UCSD logos is holding a rather large, three-pronged pitchfork.
What happened to the conch? Pay attention people! That fork is called a trident; It’s Poseidon’s weapon of mass chaos, and apparently Triton liked to borrow it every now and then.
Admittedly, it is confusing that UCSD’s mascot, Triton, carries a trident when it’s just been explained that he shouldn’t. But let’s try and act like the well-educated people we are, and handle this with reason. Our mascot is Triton, therefore we, at UCSD, are the Tritons. It seems fair to me, then, that our symbol is the trident. It would have been more convenient to have had Triton pictured with a conch shell, but honestly, there’s nothing too intimidating about a seashell. I won’t even begin to discuss the perils of a potential football team with a seashell logo on their helmets. Enough said.
According to UCSD Athletic Director Earl W. Edwards, “”The Triton was picked because of its association with the ocean, which was the foundation for UCSD. The Triton is also considered one of the better mascots due to its uniqueness as well as its design.””
Well there you go, UCSD: Our school and our traditions were built around the power of the ocean. While some people on campus have tried to go by the name of the Koalas or the Sun Gods, Triton is the only one that’s really stuck around (it helps that he’s on all the T-shirts, caps, balls and such that you find).
So now that we’ve all been enlightened as to who Triton is, what should we do with this information? We always all complain bitterly about school spirit, but I think Triton Pride has potential to become as contagious as SARS.
Raise your hand if you own anything with Triton on it! Something that says UCSD? That, my friend, is school pride. Have you ever enjoyed yourself at a school event? Two words: Sun God. Speaking of which, our yearly keg-a-thon is fast approaching and here are some suggestions on how to prepare: attend a sporting event on campus, even if it’s just an excuse to get a tan; your presence will help. But here’s a good one: next time you see a tour group, walk by with some of your buddies, yell, “”Tri-ton! Hurrah!”” Cheesy? Um, yeah! But who said school pride had to be elegant?
“”Looking at the other nicknames in the UC system … UCSD’s Triton may be the most representative of the campus from which it emanates,”” said Associate Athletic Director Ken Grosse.
Which brings me to my final point: clearly, we should take pride in who and what we are here at UCSD. By all laws of deduction, we — at UCSD — are gods and goddesses. And that’s reason enough to start the Sun God celebrations early.
