Answers Unearthed Regarding Spark’s Dissappearence

Outside of Williams Stadium a statue of Liberty’s Mascot stood tall, offering a salute to passersby. Many students and visitors frequently visited the eagle, a popular photo-op on campus. 

In recent weeks, however, only Sparky’s feet remain, begging the question: what happened to Sparky? 

Several students and staff theorized about renovations or simply a removal of the beloved statue. Some had crazier theories ranging from sabotage from rival schools to campus pranks. 

What really happened was a run-in with a rollerblading Liberty freshman. 

This freshman takes laps around campus on her roller blades every week. 

“As I roller blade, I generally like to give Sparky a high five as I go by,”
she said.

High-fiving Sparky became a ritual she looked forward to on her trips. 

“This time, when I just tapped his hand, he fell over. I took out Sparky,” she said. 

Sparky fell backwards leaving only his feet and the metal rods inside sticking up. Her and a friend tried to set Sparky back up but could not resurrect the damage. 

Instead, they called LUPD to come and take care of the fallen statue. 

“I still don’t know how I knocked it over,” she confessed. “There were metal rods sticking out. There’s no way I broke those with a high-five.” 

LUPD concurred – also wondering how the high-five could knock over a statue.

Richard Hinkley, Chief of Police, confirmed that  the high five caused the statue to break at the ankles and fall to the ground.

“Damage was not repairable and the statue was removed from the area,” Hinkley said.

 After LUPD removed Sparky, they came back with two traffic cones to cover the exposed metal rods for safety reasons until they could also be removed. 

An interview with Liberty University’s landscaping division offered no information on when Sparky may be repaired or return. 

“We never expected someone to knock Sparky over,” a representative of the Landscaping department said. “We don’t know when he’ll be back up.” 

Sparky had the metal rods inside to keep him standing upright. With the way he was knocked over, he will have to be rebuilt almost completely to stand back in his former spot of honor. 

LUPD does not have any answers on his repairs or return. 

“The roller blader definitely wasn’t alone in her assassination of the statue,” someone from LUPD joked. “But so far we don’t know what we’re going to do with him.” 

They hope to see Sparky back in his place someday, but an official plan to restore Sparky and set him back up has not been solidified.

Sparky’s return may be unknown, but hopefully all Liberty students can learn something in the meantime – be careful who you high-five while on skates.

Emma Arbuckle is a News Reporter.