If you’re a member of Stroller Warriors Camp Lejeune or Stroller Warriors Quantico, chances are you’ve met a wonderful little horse named Lou. If you haven’t met Lou in person, you’ve probably seen photos involving a horse head and a human body... That’s Lou! At SW Camp Lejeune he has his own race series and he is featured on the Geraghty Gallop 8K shirts, which maybe you own one?! Lou’s story starts out many years ago but today he has unofficial become the mascot of Stroller Warriors.
Hold on to your horses, I’m about to give you the inside scoop of how he came to be!
Hold on to your horses, I’m about to give you the inside scoop of how he came to be!
Lou travelled to the MCM! The story of Lou begins with Stephanie Geraghty, our Fearless Founder and her husband, Brian. I’m going to let Stephanie tell you the story of Lou in her own words…
“My husband Brian deployed in 2013. When he came home, one of his numerous bags was open just enough for me to see a strange object. I pulled it out. A creepy horse's head?! What in the world?! So I went and found him and said, um, what is this and why did it come home from Africa? He explained that they played a trick on one of the Marines and had put this horse head into the guys' bed, with the sheet pulled up. And the Marine walked into the room with a super weird horse in his bed. Brian thought this was hysterical. I would venture to say craziness like that is an effort for sanity in an otherwise non-normal world during deployments! You all know that too well.
So I chuckled, looked at him a little strangely, and threw the horse head in the closet. I wasn't sure what to do with it. A bunch of Marines creeping around with a horse head seemed a bit odd but I didn't feel right throwing it away either! It almost seemed like a piece of deployment history!
“My husband Brian deployed in 2013. When he came home, one of his numerous bags was open just enough for me to see a strange object. I pulled it out. A creepy horse's head?! What in the world?! So I went and found him and said, um, what is this and why did it come home from Africa? He explained that they played a trick on one of the Marines and had put this horse head into the guys' bed, with the sheet pulled up. And the Marine walked into the room with a super weird horse in his bed. Brian thought this was hysterical. I would venture to say craziness like that is an effort for sanity in an otherwise non-normal world during deployments! You all know that too well.
So I chuckled, looked at him a little strangely, and threw the horse head in the closet. I wasn't sure what to do with it. A bunch of Marines creeping around with a horse head seemed a bit odd but I didn't feel right throwing it away either! It almost seemed like a piece of deployment history!
Lou cheers on half marathon racers Now I should also explain further that I have loved horses since I could remember, asked for a horse for Christmas every year of my childhood. I drew them, read about them, rode them when I could, and loved them. I was legit horse crazy.
Ponies have also been a bit of an ongoing joke with Brian and me for many years now. My younger sister lived with us for a couple years early in our marriage 2006-2007, and we had this little stuffed Shetland pony that we would set around the house stalking her. Yes, you heard that right, we had a creepy beanie baby that would sit in the middle of the hallway and wait for Jen to open her door. We found this wildly amusing. She generally kicked it aside and just glared at us. I also threw Brian a "pony birthday" party when he was 27. We had hats and decorations and everything. My sister and I thought this was pretty hilarious! Brian's turn to glare. LOL. Perhaps we're a weird bunch. I'm okay with that!
Another tidbit that adds to this story....when people tell me they have something for me, or are sending me something, I almost always respond, "Is it a pony?!" Cause I really only want a Shetland pony. Hehehe.
Ponies have also been a bit of an ongoing joke with Brian and me for many years now. My younger sister lived with us for a couple years early in our marriage 2006-2007, and we had this little stuffed Shetland pony that we would set around the house stalking her. Yes, you heard that right, we had a creepy beanie baby that would sit in the middle of the hallway and wait for Jen to open her door. We found this wildly amusing. She generally kicked it aside and just glared at us. I also threw Brian a "pony birthday" party when he was 27. We had hats and decorations and everything. My sister and I thought this was pretty hilarious! Brian's turn to glare. LOL. Perhaps we're a weird bunch. I'm okay with that!
Another tidbit that adds to this story....when people tell me they have something for me, or are sending me something, I almost always respond, "Is it a pony?!" Cause I really only want a Shetland pony. Hehehe.
This joke carried on with our Stroller Warriors Camp Lejeune Coordination team and I believe one conversation we had behind the scenes referenced a horse that I wanted to name Lou. The coordination team has a lot of work to do making a chapter work, but I will admit we have a lot of fun too! Sometimes our discussions meander. That night Lou was secretly born.
Hold on...there's more...I promise I'll get to the point soon.
So one night on the Stroller Warriors Camp Lejeune chapter page, a round of "Late Night with Stroller Warriors" occurred. "Late Night" was deemed an extremely long conversation thread that erupted on the page randomly, usually at night, and generally didn't make much sense and was just hilarious. You know, when kids are in bed and Stroller Warriors are bored and trolling the chapter page to see what their friends are up to! Ha! That particular Late Night thread started off referencing whether or not Amy should approach someone in her neighborhood that had a SW sticker on her car. From there the discussion moved to complete and utter support for Stroller Warriors stalking, debates on what treat to use to bribe the prospective new friend to come to a workout, and then there was also mention of a field of horses nearby and if it'd be okay to go on the land without permission. ?! I might be remembering incorrectly but it was super random. Like I said, late night convos can be quite interesting!!!
Hold on...there's more...I promise I'll get to the point soon.
So one night on the Stroller Warriors Camp Lejeune chapter page, a round of "Late Night with Stroller Warriors" occurred. "Late Night" was deemed an extremely long conversation thread that erupted on the page randomly, usually at night, and generally didn't make much sense and was just hilarious. You know, when kids are in bed and Stroller Warriors are bored and trolling the chapter page to see what their friends are up to! Ha! That particular Late Night thread started off referencing whether or not Amy should approach someone in her neighborhood that had a SW sticker on her car. From there the discussion moved to complete and utter support for Stroller Warriors stalking, debates on what treat to use to bribe the prospective new friend to come to a workout, and then there was also mention of a field of horses nearby and if it'd be okay to go on the land without permission. ?! I might be remembering incorrectly but it was super random. Like I said, late night convos can be quite interesting!!!
The first time Lou met the Stroller Warriors of Camp Lejeune Deana jumped into the conversation and gave the horse a name...Lou. Everyone thought the discussion thread was pretty hilarious and I remember logging in later and seeing a million notifications and thinking what in the world happened? Late Night with Stroller Warriors happened. And Lou happened!
We had the Gift of BOB coming up shortly after and we decided to arrange a surprise guest to present the shiny new BOB strollers to their excited recipients. I pulled Toni H aside at the workout, handed her a t-shirt and the Marines' creepy prankster horse head, and said, put it on and be ready to trot on stage when I call you. She looked at me like I had lost my mind but being the amazing friend and volunteer she is, she obliged. I will never forget her literally galloping up to the microphone, waving at her adoring fans, and the leadership team laughing so hard we were practically in tears. There were also a good portion of the members at the workout that didn't quite know the whole story and surely they thought, what in the world is happening. That just added to the allure of Lou. You're just never quite sure what he's all about until you meet him, see him in action, and then you get it.
We had the Gift of BOB coming up shortly after and we decided to arrange a surprise guest to present the shiny new BOB strollers to their excited recipients. I pulled Toni H aside at the workout, handed her a t-shirt and the Marines' creepy prankster horse head, and said, put it on and be ready to trot on stage when I call you. She looked at me like I had lost my mind but being the amazing friend and volunteer she is, she obliged. I will never forget her literally galloping up to the microphone, waving at her adoring fans, and the leadership team laughing so hard we were practically in tears. There were also a good portion of the members at the workout that didn't quite know the whole story and surely they thought, what in the world is happening. That just added to the allure of Lou. You're just never quite sure what he's all about until you meet him, see him in action, and then you get it.
Stephanie gives Lou a hug
Ever since that Gift of BOB, Lou pops up at SWCL events with one goal in mind...to bring a smile!!!!!!!! He cheers, he claps, he waves, he leaps, he high-fives, he butt slaps, he holds motivational signs, he hugs, he stalks, he gets into weird predicaments, he creeps (yes, he's a bit creepy in all his antics)...and he ALWAYS brings happiness. He's been worn by Stroller Warriors, spouses, and children, more than we can count, traveled a lot of miles, and he never fails his mission. Our volunteers have all been faithful about making sure Lou pops up when you need him most. He rests in the SW warehouse but is always ready to respond to a call!
I hope you love Lou as much as we all do! I miss him. Or, perhaps I miss all my friends who embody the fun that he is. Yeah...I bet that is it.”
I hope you love Lou as much as we all do! I miss him. Or, perhaps I miss all my friends who embody the fun that he is. Yeah...I bet that is it.”
Lou cheers in the C25K graduates! Stroller Warriors Quantico had a yard sale a few months ago to raise money for the club. Imagine my surprise when I spotted Lou hiding in the piles. I have no idea where he came from but I knew I had to bring him to our upcoming C25K graduation race. I knew he need to come home so he could help the Stroller Warriors of Quantico continue our mission of bringing happiness and support to military families in EVERY way we can. As Stephanie says, “Sometimes you can change the world with a smile. I can guarantee that anyone who has come across Lou has not forgotten that happy moment.” So of course, he came home with me and has been gracing Stroller Warriors Quantico with his presence ever since!
So now you know the story of Lou and how he came to be the unofficial mascot of Stroller Warriors. If you see him around, be sure to tell him hi and give him a high five! Or as they say in Japan... a high touch!
Happy Running!
Your CEO,
Kelly
So now you know the story of Lou and how he came to be the unofficial mascot of Stroller Warriors. If you see him around, be sure to tell him hi and give him a high five! Or as they say in Japan... a high touch!
Happy Running!
Your CEO,
Kelly
Lou high-fives adoring fans
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