At SwimTopia our staff is often entertained when we hear about unusual swim team nicknames and mascots… We thought you might be too, so we decided to run a series of blog posts on the topic! Stay tuned to hear which team mascots are the most common among SwimTopia teams, and later, which are the most unique, along with some of the interesting stories behind them…

Creating Team Identity

Most swim teams have a team mascot or a nickname that creates a common identity and personality for their team. Mascots are traditionally a person, animal or object thought to bring luck to the team, and are used to create a sense of team spirit. Some team mascots are common and others are completely unique to the team and come from some unusual historical circumstance.

There appear to be many different ways team mascots are chosen. Often it seems the team mascot or nickname is chosen as it simply sounds good with the team name, because of alliteration or rhyming, for example: Bethesda Barracudas, Circle C Seals, Villa Gorillas.

Or it might be that a fierce or stealthy animal name is chosen to instill fear in the competition. Think: Sharks, Tigers, Hornets.

Mythical creatures or heroic warriors may be used as the mascot or nickname to embody the fighting spirit of the team: Vikings, Raiders, Krakens.

Common Categories of Team Mascots

If you’re looking for a team nickname or mascot we have discovered a number of categories amongst our teams. It appears you’re only limited by your imagination and creativity!

Fish: 
Redfish, Bluefish (as in “One Fish, Two Fish”), Swordfish, Sailfish, Sunfish, Firefish, Barracudas, Marlins, Piranhas, Wahoos, Halibuts, Tarpons, Snappers, Mackerels 
Aquatic:
Aquadux, Aquamoose, Aquadillos
Reptiles/Water Animals:
Vipers, Crocodiles, Gators, Frogs, Otters, Seals,
Oceanic:
Sharks, Hammerheads, Tiger Sharks, Dolphins, Killer Whales, Orcas, Man o’ War (jellyfish)
Rays:
Stingrays, Mantarays, Manorays, Ragin’ Rays
Sea:
Seahorses, Sea Monkeys, Sea Dogs, Sea Serpents, Sea Wolves, Sea Hawks
Waves:
Waves, Wave Runners, Wave Riders, Blue Wave, Purple Wave, Tidal Wave, Surge, Breakers, Splashers, Riptide, Rapids
Land Animals:
Foxes, Wolves, Bears, Bruins, Cubs, Tigers, Lions, Panthers, Cougars, Monkeys, Gorillas, Kangaroos, Wombats, Buffaloes, Critters, Predators
Birds:
Skimmers, Cardinals, Hawks, Penguins, Ducks 
Mythical:
Dragons, Krakens, Neptunes, Imps
Militaristic:
Armada, Raiders, Chiefs, Vikings, Trojans, The Tribe, Warriors, Marauders, Pirates, Fighting Farmers, Lancers, Torpedoes, Missiles, Lasers
Weather:
Cyclones, Hurricanes, Typhoons, Thunderbolts, Thunder, Twisters, Whirlwinds, Breeze, Tsunami

If you have an interesting story behind how your team chose their mascot or nickname we’d love to hear about it to include in our future installments! Please email hello@swimtopia.com