(Potomac Nationals) When the Potomac Nationals put out a call for volunteer mascots, they hoped to get a few responses to choose from. They had no idea how many people were willing to put on a fur suit in 90 degree heat.

“We got more than 30 mascot responses,” General Manager Josh Olerud told me. “We probably got another 20 more from people who didn’t have costumes and thought we just needed someone to wear ours.”

Most of the responses came from universities, professional teams and local businesses. There were a few from the private sector that, while perhaps not appropriate for this particular gig, stood out in their own way.

“We had a random fan who had a costume laying in their basement – this weird chicken-looking thing. So we thought that was cool,” Olerud said. “There was one in a Fruit of the Loom costume, one was a Santa Claus outfit. One was just some guy dressed up as Peter Pan. Someone even sent in a photo of their dog wearing bunny ears.”

Sounds like the perfect cast for a Rejected Mascots reality show.

The team decided to pick their 12 favorites from 11 different organizations and let the fans decide which mascot was worthy of the full-time gig. All of the mascot finalists will be in attendance at the July 18 game against the Lynchburg Hillcats (tickets here), and fans can go to the fan assistance booth during the game and vote for their favorite.

The finalists, pictured above, are:

George — George Washington University

Patty the Patriot— Prince William Ice Center, Potomac Patriots

Talon— DC United

Grrrounder— Harrisburg Senators

Chicken— Theresa Cattlit

Sym Man— Symantics

Fluff — AvantGarb Inc

Uncle Slam the Eagle — Scare Force One Roller Derby Team

Da-Bomb-shell — Cherry Blossom Bombshells Roller Derby Team

The Pickle — Majority Whips Roller Derby Team

BeelzeBubba and Battlecat — Demon Cats Roller Derby Team

That’s some strong roller derby hustle.

Did you send in a mascot pic that didn’t make the final list? Send it to me and I’ll include it in our Rejected Mascots update.