By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current
Anyone who has attended athletic events at Geneseo High School, indoors or outdoors, must have seen the “Maple Leaf,” AKA Dru Curcuru.
Curcuru, now a senior at GHS, became the Maple Leaf mascot in his junior year, and explained, “They were looking for someone to be the Maple Leaf and I volunteered and I have been the Leaf ever since. When I was a sophomore I would see the Maple Leaf come to one or two of our football games, so when I took it over I changed that, and I have brought the Maple Leaf to everything.”
The Maple Leaf attire was created by Patricia Wideman and was “handed down” to Curcuru from Madi Scott, who graduated from GHS two years ago.
Curcuru described the attire as being “one piece of cloth that has cardboard in the back for support.”
He has worn the duds for the last two years to numerous sp0rting events including football games, girls’ and boys’ basketball games; girls’ and boys’ wrestling, and volleyball games…”This spring I plan to have it on at some soccer games,” he added.
In addition to nearly all home games, he also has dressed as the Maple Leaf to some away games such as the UTHS and Rock Island football games and the UTHS basketball game.
While at the events, he stands in the student section and said, “I get as loud as I can to encourage players and I try to get others around me to get loud and support the team.”
“The Maple Leaf is not the most comfortable outfit because the cardboard in the back is always hitting against my head when I’m cheering for our team and I can’t stand too close to other people or else the Leaf will hit them. I also get very hot inside the Leaf, especially during the start of football season when it is incredibly warm outside.”
When he graduates from GHS in May, Curcuru plans to pass the Leaf down to someone, “just like how I got it. I have heard of some students who want to wear the Maple Leaf next year and I just want to make certain that I give it to someone who knows what to expect.”
He said he often gets asked “who is going the get the Maple Leaf and I can finally say who I’m giving the Maple Leaf to when I graduate. It’s going to be the person who goes all out for themes, cheers the loudest, and someone who will be at all the events…The next Maple Leaf is Quinnland Einfeldt.”
When asked if he is going to miss being the Maple Leaf, Curcuru replied, “Absolutely, I will miss everything about being the Maple Leaf form being in the student section and cheering with my friends to trying to find something I could put on the Maple Leaf to fit the chosen theme of the night (Students choose a variety of theme dress for various sporting events).”
The young man’s future plans are to attend Augustana College in Rock Island and major in biology/pre-dentistry and then go to dental school to become a dentist.
He is the son of Tony and Katie Curcuru.
