Letter From Quint: Excited To Be A Sky Carp City

Introducing the Beloit Sky Carp!

I’m excited to see the new name of Beloit’s Major League-affiliated baseball team announced today. The name was submitted by and chosen by fans late last year, and I’m so excited for the wait to be over and the name to be announced.

Now, you might be hearing the name and thinking…so, what’s a Sky Carp? I know that was my first reaction when I saw it on the list of names submitted by local fans. However, when I heard the story behind the name, I immediately began hoping it would be the name that won the fan vote, and I’m glad it was.

A Sky Carp is a goose that does not migrate in the winter. It’s a goose that loves its hometown so much that it never leaves, not even when it starts to get cold and snowy. I love that idea. That’s what we’re all trying to create here, a city so great that no one wants to leave!

In my book, Building a Vibrant Community, I describe the fact that small and mid-size cities have been seeing a brain-drain over the years…people leaving for bigger cities and not coming home. This is bad for communities for many reasons.

Two of my children and six of my grandchildren live in Rock County. When Beloit’s baseball team was included on the preliminary list of teams that would be eliminated, I was approached and asked if I could help Beloit’s team. I said yes. I didn’t say yes because I had a need to own another Minor League team. Over the last 20 years that I have been involved in baseball, I’ve received multiple similar calls asking for my help and I’ve always said I was not interested. But, this time, knowing that my children would not have the opportunity to enjoy Minor League games with my grandchildren if Beloit’s team was eliminated, I said yes.

I want this to be a Sky Carp city, one so great that no one wants to leave, for my grandchildren and for yours. When I was researching for my book, I found that cities thrive that provide people with career opportunities and a vibrant downtown, and having a beautiful baseball stadium in downtown Beloit would help in both those aspects. If you’re interested in a free copy of my book, please write me at [email protected].

I’m also very excited that Sky Carp was the winning name because geese are such a great example of leadership and teamwork. Geese fly in a V formation. This helps save energy due to the draft created by the formation. Geese rotate leading the formation when they get tired. Geese honk to encourage each other to stay together. When one goose tires and lands, at least two others will land with it until it recovers and help it return to the flock. All are great examples of leadership, teamwork, and loyalty. It’s that same type of leadership and teamwork that helps a baseball team win games and helps a community grow.

I love the name and what it represents, and I also really enjoy some of the details of the logos. The goose carries a wrench, modeled after one produced at Fairbanks Morse, in two of our logos. That wrench represents the history of iron work in the State Line area and the work still being done to continue building a city no one wants to leave. One of the logos wears aviator goggles like those worn by Beloit’s Bessica Raiche, honoring the rich diversity in our community and the female leaders that helped build it. Out of all of the logos, my favorite is the B For Beloit. The construction of ABC Supply Stadium and the work to maintain an affiliated team was done for much more than baseball. It was done to promote the Beloit area, so my personal favorite hat is the one that has the B to represent Beloit.

I liked all the names that fans submitted and voted for, and greatly appreciate all the community members who took the time to provide their ideas, feedback, and votes. I’m also grateful to all the team employees who’ve worked so hard over the past year to turn the fans’ ideas into logos, shirts, hats, and uniforms. It was team employees who promoted the orange color featured in our logos to emphasize the hardy outdoor spirit of our community. In fact, Major League Baseball now officially refers to this color as “Beloit Hunter Orange”.

I’ve been repeatedly asked “What happens to Snappy the Turtle when the new name gets announced”? As I shared from day one, this is not the end of Snappy. He has put lots of time and energy into Beloit for many years solo and he’s excited for the arrival of a friend when the Sky Carp mascot arrives in 2022. He likes the fact it is not a one-mascot show anymore, and like many workers today, he’s looking forward to a more flexible schedule and work-life balance. He is very excited to wear his Sky Carp jersey and remain a fixture in the community and at the stadium.

Just think, two years ago, today’s announcement seemed impossible. Getting a new stadium was just a dream. Beloit was on the list of 40+ cities that was going to lose their Major League affiliation. Most counted Beloit down and out. But, those people did not know Beloit’s tenacity.

Faced with elimination, citizens across the community, led by Diane Hendricks, Dennis Conerton and many others, stepped up. Now, not only does Beloit have a beautiful multi-use downtown stadium, but no taxpayer dollars were used to construct it. This is so rare. To keep their teams, cities all over America are spending millions in tax dollars to renovate or build new stadiums. I’m so grateful for the people who made ABC Supply Stadium a reality and that were willing to give so much to this community. I’m also so grateful for all of the great local labor talent that built the stadium.

What if there was a city that great, no one wanted to leave, not even the geese? What if there was a city so vibrant that young people wanted to stay and others were flocking to live here? What if there was a city with so much opportunity that we got to watch our grandchildren grow up, choose to stay, and begin their careers right at home?

There is such a city. It’s called Beloit, h­ome of the Sky Carp.

-Quint