science

Sammy Bearkat

Sammy Bearkat is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Sammy Bearkat rather than just read about it. In short: Sammy Bearkat is the mascot of Sam Houston State University (SHSU), located in Huntsville, Texas. He is a popular attraction at many athletic events such as football, basketball, and volleyball.

Key takeaways

Sammy Bearkat belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Sammy Bearkat to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Sammy Bearkat from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Sammy Bearkat is the mascot of Sam Houston State University (SHSU), located in Huntsville, Texas. He is a popular attraction at many athletic events such as football, basketball, and volleyball. He also appears for various campus and community functions. Sammy's two-minute routine earned him a national championship of the mascots division at the 2005 United Spirit Association Collegiate National Championship. Sammy was also named the 2010 and 2011 National Cheerleading Association (NCA) Mascot National Champion. In the 2012 nationals season, Sammy competed with the SHSU Co-Ed Cheer Team (who made their first appearance ever) at the National Cheerleading Association (NCA) collegiate cheer competition. Together they won first place and earned the title of NCA Division I Cheer National Collegiate Champions. In 2013 Sammy also competed with the SHSU Co-Ed Cheer Team who won their second straight national championship title for NCA. Sammy returned to the Band Shell in Daytona Beach to compete alongside the SHSU All-Girl cheer team who won the NCA All-Girl Division I National Championship Title in 2014. In 2015 Sammy was able to wrap his paws around another NCA Division I title as he competed alongside the Co-Ed Cheer Team. In 2016, Sammy competed alongside the SHSU Division I Co-Ed Cheer Team to win another 1st place NCA National Championship. Sammy was also chosen as the 2016 NCA Mascot National Champion after showcasing a great routine in Daytona Beach, Florida. Sammy has now brought home 1st place in various different flavors in 2005 (USA Mascot Championship), 2010 (NCA Mascot Championship), 2011 (NCA Mascot Championship), 2012 (NCA Division I Co-Ed Championship), 2013 (NCA Division I Co-Ed Championship), 2014 (NCA Division I All-Girl Championship), 2015 (NCA Division I Co-Ed Championship) & 2016 (NCA Mascot Championship & NCA Division I Co-Ed Championship), 2017 (NCA Mascot Championship), 2018 (NCA Division I All-Girl Championship).

History Sam Houston Normal Institute's athletics teams were originally nicknamed the Normals. When the Texas Legislature changed the name of Sam Houston Normal Institute to Sam Houston State Teachers College, the term “Normal” became outdated. The settled replacement was Bearkats, though early references spelled the name either "Bearcats," "Bear Cats," or "Bearkats." A bearcat is said by some to be a kinkajou, a small, golden, carnivorous mammal that resides in the jungles of South America. It is doubtful those who coined the "Bearkat" nickname had either a kinkajou or a binturong in mind. However, more likely, the name came from a popular local saying of the time, "Tough as a Bearkat!" Since the animal in the saying was thought more mythical than real, the spelling settled upon was "Bearkat." In the late 1940s, then SHSU President Harmon Lowman attempted to change the Sam Houston mascot from Bearkats to "Ravens" (after General Sam Houston's Cherokee nickname). Mrs. Vernon Schuder reported that the alumni were polled and she voted for the raven, but that "all those old Bearkats beat us out!" Three real kinkajous graced the SHSU campus in their role of a live mascot at various times during the 1960s and 1970s. On December 14, 1959, Sammy began appearing at sporting events and other university functions. Although many of the former student mascots remain unknown, some of them include:

Gilbert McEachern (1959-1961, Original Sammy Bearkat) Holly Ritter (1980-1981) Joe Dacovich (1981-1982) Shelley Stogsdill (1982-1983) Kim (Henderson) Boudny (1983-1984) Cari Ashkar and Sherilan (Youngblood) Young (1984-1985) Angelina (Wooten) Santos (1985-1986) Johnny Robinson (1985-1986) Kelly Cartwright (Plunkett) (1986) Crofford "Snooky" Lane (1986-1987) Brad Davison (1987-1988) Lana Burns (1988-1989) Cindy Coe - Samantha Bearkat (1989-1990) Ryan Rose (1988-1990); (* in suit on stage to compete at 1989 NCA Cheerleading National Championship (SHSU's first ever National Championship appearance). He was also in the suit on mat to compete at 1990 UCA Mascot National Championship, 2nd Place (SHSU's first ever Mascot Championship appearance) video: 1990 Highlight Reel Danet Vrazel - Samantha Bearkat (1990) Patricia "Trish" Briscoe (1991-1992) Michael Turner (1992) Henry "Dale" Chambers, Jr. (1992) Chris Gill (1992-1993) Bishop Greene (1993) Kenny Alexander (1994-1995) James Pharaon (1995-1998) (*in suit on mat to compete at UCA Nationals, 10th Place) videos:1995, 1996, 1997 Mark Barry (1998-1999) (*in suit on mat to compete at UCA Nationals, 5th Place) video: 1998 Jeremy Hatfield (1999-2000) Jon Segura (1999-2000) Patrick Gardenier (2000-2006) (*in suit on mat to win 2005 United Spirit Association National Championship) videos:2003, 2004 Trent Coots (2004-2008) Jarrod Leftwich (2005-2010,*in suit on mat to win 2010 National Cheerleading Association Mascot National Championship with a 92.22 score.) Thomas Inman (2009-2011,*in suit on mat to win 2011 National Cheerleading Association Mascot National Championship with a 90.00 score.) Zane Thrift (2009-2012, *in suit on mat to compete at 2012 NCA Mascot Nationals, 7th place with a 78.89 score.) Keith Jennings (2010-2011/2013-2015, *in suit on mat to win 2014 National Cheerleading Association All-Girl Division I Cheer National Championship with a 95.63 score.) Julio Poletti (2010-2011) Heath Martin (2011-2012) Stephanie Chronister (2011-2012) Jackson Mayes (2011-2012,*in suit on mat to win 2012 National Cheerleading Association Division I Cheer National Championship with a 96.00 score.) Brad Ertl (2012-201, *in suit on mat to win 2013 National Cheerleading Association Division I Cheer National Championship with a 91.78 score & 2016 National Cheerleading Association Division I Cheer National Championship with a 94.98 score) Jarid Swope (2014-2018), *in suit on mat to win 2015 National Cheerleading Association Division I Cheer National Championship with a 96.95 score & 2016 National Cheerleading Association Mascot National Championship with a 57.63 score. Jason Carson (2015-2017), 2017 Cane Award recipient (video 2017 Award) Harrison Teel (2016-2017), *in suit on mat to win 2017 National Cheerleading Association Mascot National Championship with a 58.23 score. 2017 Cane Award recipient Amy Gibson (2016-2018), 2017 Cane Award recipient Addison Martindale (2016-2019), 2017 Cane Award recipient Riley link (2023-2026)

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Sammy Bearkat: Sammy at a SHSU Football Game — Sammy at a SHSU Football Game

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Sammy Bearkat

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Sammy Bearkat claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Sammy Bearkat before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Sammy Bearkat ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Sammy Bearkat

In research: Sammy Bearkat appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Sammy Bearkat in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Sammy Bearkat is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Anthropomorphic mammals, Conference USA mascots, Mammal mascots, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Sammy Bearkat outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Sammy Bearkat in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Sammy Bearkat means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Sammy Bearkat out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sammy Bearkat in simple terms?

Sammy Bearkat is the mascot of Sam Houston State University (SHSU), located in Huntsville, Texas. He is a popular attraction at many athletic events such as football, basketball, and volleyball.

Why does Sammy Bearkat matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Sammy Bearkat?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Sammy Bearkat.