Weiner: A (Game) Day in the Life of USC’s Traveler

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Posted on October 29, 2021


  By Matt Weiner, SuperWest Sports

USC’s mascot, Traveler, is described in various fashions, but very rarely is he described as relatable. Minus the brute strength, monstrous size and other physical characteristics he lives a similar life to you and I.

Keep in mind similar, not identical.

Like any inhabitant of Earth, the best way to get to know him was by taking a trip to his home and meet his family. Which is why I found myself in Joanne Asman’s home in a quaint and quiet section of Burbank, California, on a gloomy Friday afternoon.

The Asman household was one of many homes that hosted a little backyard gathering of friends to get ready for USC’s matchup against Utah the following Saturday evening.

Their neatly organized ensemble of coffee, cookies and sandwiches on top of a USC folding cloth was nothing out of the ordinary. But hardly any of us have thousands of dollars worth of production gear from the Pac-12 Network sitting next to it. They were interviewing Joanne for a piece on Traveler that following day for a pregame show.

In today’s social media world, gatherings on Friday before kickoff on Saturday are well documented, but the audience is typically contained to a fan’s friends and family. Documentation in this setting was for a niche audience of millions.

The one identical feature is that his life on screen is just as filtered and edited as anyone’s.

While Joanne was answering questions about how Traveler IX compared to previous Traveler’s, a vacuum was humming away in the kitchen.

Traveler with Joanne Asman | Dunnlll/YouTube

A production assistant immediately tended to it and shut the door. Through that brief event I began to see just how perfect every detail in the magnificent horse’s life had to be.

Perfection lasted from when I first arrived at Joanne’s home on Friday afternoon all the way until we dropped Traveler off at his home after USC’s crushing defeat to Utah that night.

This pursuit of perfection is maintained through constant discipline. The phrase “knock it off!” rang out from Joanne and Tommy Trojan (Dana Kanstul) once every 30 seconds during the two days I spent with the crew.

“Knock it off!” is ubiquitous throughout all of our childhoods if we are lucky enough to have parental figures who love and care about us.

If you heard that phrase it meant someone valued your life enough to help you fix the patterns of behaviors that aren’t self soothing in the long run.

Traveler misbehaves just as quickly as he behaves, but what 17-year-old doesn’t?

When I returned to Joanne’s home the next day the “knock it off!” was given with a quicker authority because it was game day. Game day is a tactical operation.

It’s one logistical hurdle after the next one, but no hurdle stood out quite like the carpool situation.

Anyone who has traveled with a group to a sporting event has lived through this logistical nightmare. It’s an issue that couldn’t be solved by any recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

This wasn’t your regular conversation revolving around who is most comfortable driving at night or seeing if someone’s trunk can fit a stroller. If you think it’s difficult to put eight people in two cars, just imagine adding a horse to the mix.

Conversations about traffic and which freeway exit you took are commonplace for everyone who lives in Southern California.

Quips about tailgaters, rubbernecking bad accidents, and offering what you think is the probable cause, or questioning how long one should stay on the 110, are a great way to talk about something that means nothing.

Traveler with a member of his crew. | http://uscmascottraveler.blogspot.com/

Usually I’d label this form of fodder as asinine, but when you’re cruising with the Traveler crew, these have purpose. You have to have better situational awareness than Slovis in the pocket during a two minute drill.

Showing up late could throw off the entire process and lead to something going awry for Traveler.

The entire route has to be mapped out before. Some side streets in Los Angeles aren’t made for a wide body trailer to come rolling through. Unbeknownst to Waze there are also some freeway exits and side streets that are blocked off.

Then there is what’s happening inside the car.

Sitting shotgun next to Tommy Trojan (Dana Kanstul) it felt like I was watching my AAA instructor teaching me how to drive when I was 16.

I have never seen someone go 65 MPH on a freeway in California and give the sufficient amount of time and space for each lane change. I imagine it’s how President Biden gets driven around.

The one difference between driving the President around and Traveler is the choice of snacks (I don’t think he’s much of a hay guy) and the nanny cam that sat on the dashboard.

The nanny cam allows Dana to keep an eye on Traveler while he’s in the trailer. It’s one of many measures taken that adds complexity as well as a safety net for the operation.

Hanging out with Traveler in a small group made me forget about the power he comes with. This all vanished when we approached the stadium I was sent out to remove a traffic cone from the sidewalk.

Holding this orange cone made me realize how much of an icon he was. It’s a power that’s only allotted to those that are starring in the movie, not the people who are paying to watch it.

Being among those that have paid to watch it my whole life I’ve never understood what it’s like to be on the other side of the cone, or the other side of the photograph.

Traveler with a young fan posing for a photo. | Bleacher Report

Hundreds of times I saw the same 10-15 second clip play out. Fans approach with a face full of admiration and fear asking if it’s alright to take a photo.

They pose for a jiffy and, after the photo is taken, they soak up the last bit of astonishment while patting Traveler. Then they are on their way.

You slowly realize that Traveler serves as a photo op so families can fill up their camera rolls with nostalgia. A relic for fans to remind themselves on their lock screens, mantles, holiday cards and cubicles that all can be right in the world for just a moment.

Both parties will accompany one another once again in the Coliseum, but with two very different seating arrangements.

Traveler spends the entire game in the tunnel surrounded by gigantic posters of legends like Carson Palmer while being ensconced in the echoes from people with whom he was taking photos.

Witnessing prized moments that many would only get to see through a screen. Most fans would react like teenagers on the Ed Sullivan Show when the Beatles first came to the states if they got to see Kedon Slovis and Drake London awaiting battle.

For Traveler, they were just meaningless objects his senses picked up. Just like them, he was in the zone.

Traveler takes the field on three different occasions: pregame ceremony, touchdowns, and the beginning of the fourth quarter torch lighting. The second occasion hasn’t come around nearly as often as he would have liked.

Torch-lighting ceremony commemorating 60th anniversary of Traveler. | Photo courtesy Joanne Asman

I was one of ten people holding a yellow rope to keep people on the sidelines away from the warning track to prevent them from taking a sturdy hoove to the head.

From the stands, I’ve watched him go around the field more times than I can remember. But this game against the Utah Utes revealed the relationship between Traveler and the fans.

Traveler unknowingly giveth, and we happily taketh.

Kids who were born after the Cody Kessler and Sam Darnold eras had a magical twinkle in their eye when he came around. Half bewilderment and half admiration. A memory so visceral it will never leave them.

Traveler takes a lap and we partake in jubilance.

Before they know it, it’s their turn to fill up their holiday cards and office spaces of pictures with Traveler.

—More from Matt Weiner—