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SALT LAKE CITY — When Cosmo the Cougar’s friends ask him if he’ll be going to the football game, he simply tells them he won’t be able to attend. He’ll then slip away for the next six hours, put on a bodysuit and become BYU’s mascot.

Though the hardest part of being a mascot might appear to be executing masterful stunts in a bulky suit or exciting a crowd of nearly 60,000 people, according to Cosmo, the most difficult aspect is retaining the secret identity of the mascot.

“As soon as I put the suit on, I’m not that person anymore— (I’m) Cosmo. We’ve created this character… I like it better that people don’t know, it’s more special that way to me,” he said.

And mascots across the state seem to agree. According to Jamie Plott, Spirit Coordinator at the University of Utah, students under the suit don’t want to be humanized. As soon as the costume is on, they’re Swoop, the red-tailed hawk.

“They take great pride in keeping the personality over the years. This is Swoop’s personality… and that’s really part of it and it’s really cultural… it’s more about the mascot than the person,” Plott said.

For students who take on the role of the mascot, the personality they portray is crucial. Each mascot has its own persona, and coaches and spirit coordinators look for the ability to bring the character to life when they hold auditions for the position.

Though each university in Utah has its own process, auditions for the mascot role generally consist of an athletic and gymnastics tryout as well as fan interaction and engagement.

“Candidates are put through a rather rigorous tryout process which consists of prepared material as well as improv, crowd interaction and game-like scenarios,” said Nicole Troumbley, Spirit Squad Director at Utah State University. “Their tryouts are judged and scored by a panel of previous mascots, community members and university representatives. (The) highest score after tryouts is offered the position.”

According to a lot of spirit coordinators, the mascot must also be able to connect well with children, and coaches watch intently for this skill during tryouts and training.

“Probably the people who look at our mascots the most are little kids, although that’s not our target audience,” said Kameron Dearing, Director of Marketing and Promotions at UVU. “But in gaining fan engagement, it’s the little kids that love... Willy the Wolverine. He goes to elementary schools, he goes to parades, he goes to a million things and it’s usually the kids that want him.”

At BYU, a mascot candidate may even be selected and trained for one or two years before performing at big events. For Cosmo and his team, there are a lot of opportunities to practice since the mascot attends nearly 500 events a year.

In addition to events, quite a few of the mascots also spend extra hours in the gym or with the cheer squad practicing routines and stunts. Cosmo himself spends, by his own estimate, about 20 hours a week at events or practicing, though it can depend on the schedule of the week.

“(They need) structure and understanding of the game. It’s not just going out and having fun, there’s a lot of structure,” said David Eberhard, BYU’s Marketing Coordinator and mascot coach. “It’s all part of the training. Once they understand that and they’ve shadowed Cosmo for a long time and once they start to feel and understand the flow, then it’s a lot easier.”

According to Eberhard, it’s also vital for mascots to understand the risks that come with the suit. Eberhard, who used to be an NBA mascot himself, emphasized the dangers of overheating, citing two mascot deaths in the past year due to complications that arose from being in the suit too long.

“I try to get my guys to only be out there for 10 to 15 minutes before I let them come in and recoup in their breathing,” Eberhard said. “(I) make sure their head doesn’t get too hot. A lot of kids never receive that training… I get them to take as many breaks as they need and I’ll never tell them, ‘Oh, you need to get back out there!’ ”

The suit is hot and heavy, the head can impede vision and the stunts required of the mascots can be extremely taxing, but Cosmo said that it’s sometimes not as hard as it looks… until after the fact.

“What I’ve found is that, usually when you’re in the suit nothing hurts. Nothing’s impossible,” Cosmo said.” It’s almost like it’s a superpower because you don’t realize how tired or exhausted or sore you are until you’re done.”

Though the students who wear the suit are generally compensated through full or partial scholarships, being a mascot is more a labor of love than a job.

Many, including Cosmo, love to spend time with children suffering from terminal illness, especially since it gives the child’s family a moment in time where they can stop worrying and watch their child be happy and excited.

“Working with those kids and making them smile for a moment... can have the family forget about the pressures and the uncertainty,” Cosmo said. “They’re just happy to see their kid playing with Cosmo and it’s a special moment in time you can only create if you’re the mascot.”

Liesl is a student at Brigham Young University and currently works as a news writing intern for KSL.com. You can email her at lieslnielsen@gmail.com.

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