Baby, You Can Drive My… Jaymobile!

Mike Waldo of the Class of 1970 pushed Jesuit and Pensacola (where he lives with his wife Judy, seated under the oak) to renew their long-dormant high school football rivalry. To celebrate the first game since 1966, Waldo bought a Mercury Grand Marquis and had it re-painted Jesuit Blue & White. He drove to New Orleans Thursday evening and parked the “Jaymobile” in the Traditions Courtyard, the setting for a lunchtime pep rally on Friday.
Lunchtime pep rallies during football season have long been a tradition at Jesuit High School. While the main purpose of the pep rally is to foster support of the team and stoke Blue Jay Spirit among the student body, Jesuit’s pep rallies have evolved in the myriad of methods used to achieve these goals.
The “Old Locomotive” and the “Atomic Bomb” cheers were popular in 1966, the last time Jesuit and Pensacola played each other during their interstate rivalry series that began with a bowl game in 1945. The rivalry between the Jays and Tigers was renewed this season and the game quickly became an event featuring a pre-game reception for the the players and coaches who participated in the original series.
Of course, a lunchtime pep rally was part of this mix and to pump some adrenalin into the Jays, alumnus Mike Waldo of the Class of 1970 enthusiastically agreed to showcase his special Blue & White Grand Marquis. Waldo, who lives in Pensacola (but frequently visits New Orleans), was instrumental in bringing the two teams back together after a 47-year hiatus.
Waldo and his wife Judy arrived in the “Jaymobile” and parked it in the Traditions Courtyard for the pep rally on Friday, Sept. 27. The uniquely Jesuit car helped to promote interest in the game. Additionally, the Jaymobile served as a perfect target for a competition among Blue Jays, who thoroughly enjoyed trying to fly their paper airplanes into the front or back seat areas.
Galleries
Pep Rally with Jaymobile - Jesuit vs. Pensacola - Sept. 27, 2013
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Mike Waldo of the Class of 1970 pushed Jesuit and Pensacola - where he lives with his wife Judy, seated under the oak - to renew their long-dormant high school football rivalry. To celebrate the first game since 1966, Waldo bought a Mercury Grand Marquis and had it re-painted Jesuit Blue & White. He drove to New Orleans Thursday evening and parked the "Jaymobile" in the Traditions Courtyard, the setting for a lunchtime pep rally on Friday.
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The "Jaymobile" sports a two-foot custom magnetic "J" along with a magnetic Jayson.
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Mike Waldo made signs that depict the final scores of each of the games between the two teams. The signs were placed along the main entrance to Tad Gormley Stadium. Jesuit's record against Pensacola is 13-6, which includes the 28-7 win over the Tigers on Friday, Sept. 27. For the 2014 football season, Jesuit will travel to Pensacola to play the Tigers on their home field. Mr. Waldo, of course, will not have to drive his Jaymobile far to park it outside the Tigers' stadium.
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The Jaymobile even sports a legitimate Florida license plate: Jesuit
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With the windows of the Jaymobile open, Blue Jays enjoy some fun in a harmless mocking of their football opponent's hometown. Pensacola is not only a popular tourist destination for New Orleanians, but also an anchor for the country's military, especially the Air Force. Blue Jays folded sheets of paper into airplanes and launched them towards the Jaymobile. Four Blue Jays made successful pinpoint landings inside the Jaymobile, a not-so-easy-as-it-looks feat that entitled the winners to a special prize.
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Freshman Austin Ros reacts to being the first to officially hit the "Jayseye" by landing his paper airplane on Waldo's driver's seat.
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A hundred or more Blue Jays tried and failed, but Austin Ros appears ready to sign up for flight school.
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"Top Gun" Austin Ros will claim his prize: a freebie treat from whatever stuff Br. Billy Dardis, S.J. will be selling to raise money for the Jesuit Missions.
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Austin Ros welcomes his freshman classmate John Crowson to the exclusive "Top Gun" club after he became the second Blue Jay to sail his plane into the confines of the Jaymobile. Two other Blue Jays eventually joined the club: junior Peter Kim and freshman Michael Scillitani.
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The pep rally gets underway with Santa (aka Jorge Abadin) waving the "J" flag.
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Director of student activities Matt Orillion '98 waves to Blue Jays sitting under the oaks in the Traditions Courtyard to stand up and join the pep rally.
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The chanting begins... and hardly stops.
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Mr. Orillion throws sheets of paper to the Jays for them to fold into planes. The message: the Jays are gonna fly past the Pensacola Tigers at Friday night's football game.
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It appears that everyone in the crowd wants to be a "Jay Pilot."
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The Jays have plenty of raw materials for manufacturing their planes. What was not used was promptly picked up and recycled.
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The Blue Jay Band's drum line brings the pep rally to a close and the Jays begin dispersing, although Ms. Nilda Rivera was just getting into the swing of things.