Greeting everybody!

Here we are, the hockey season is underway! My vacation is now officially over as I started working October 12 in Roanoke, Virginia. The first game of the Roanoke Express, of the ECHL, was October 14 and I had to practice my opening show for 2 days. Why? Because for the first game, I was hanging from the ceiling of the Civic Center and I slowly went down to the ice like in the famous Mission Impossible scene with Tom Cruise. It was quite a surprise for the fans!

That brings the subject of injury risk and danger that I have to live with everyday in my job. First, let me say that to do those jumps and stunts, you have to be properly trained. In my training to become a mascot, I took stunt classes since I needed to know how to jump and properly fall. That training allowed me to avoid lots of injuries, to diminish my fear of heights and to learn how to properly concentrate to make quality jumps and stunts.

I must also say that in my line of job, minor and major injuries are not uncommon. I feel lucky because since the beginning of my career, I’ve never had any major injury, only cuts, dislocations and bruises. For me, it’s part of the territory to have to deal with various minor injuries. For example, when I slide down stairs in a hockey or baseball stadium, I have to expect bruises to my arms and ribs. As my father used to say when I was a kid: "Son, that’s part of the game!".

One has to be in top shape and be aware of lots of details when working as a mascot. In my case, the worst injury I ever had was in 1990 or 1991 with the Laval Titans of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. I made a 10-foot jump and missed the glass when I fell. The result: my right arm and shoulder absorbed the fall. I had a dislocated shoulder and bruises all over my arm. After a few days, my arm was multicolored. A few times, I had to get shots to numb an injury for a game.

So, as you can see, it can be a hard job at times. Interestingly enough, though, when we work in the costume, we forget about our injuries amd the muscles get warmer so we don’t really feel the pain. Also, the smiles and joy around me help me forget about the pain. As I said, it’s part of the game and when you like what you do, you can’t complain.

Getting back to opening games, in any sport, the first game of a season is a major event. It’s a special evening for everybody. The fans have been anticipating the new season for months and hope to have the best time for that given year. It’s kind of interesting for me to see that. I can’t forget the Montreal Expos opening game in which I was in front of over 50,000 fans. Even in baseball or hockey minor leagues, the opening ceremonies and shows are interesting. Arriving from the ceiling, in a limo, in an ATV, within the Zamboni, in parachute, in a bus, in a snowball, on the back of an elephant, in a firetruck, in a police car, in a freezer and whatever other possible way. As I said, all those shows are different and mascots all have original ideas. When I am part of a season opener, I usually get involved in the planning and preparation of the ceremony and show.

Obviously, funny things are bound to happen! One time, I was supposed to appear in an old car from the early ‘60s. Almost my age! The concept was that I was supposed to get out of the car from the left door after hearing a big explosion and seeing lots of smoke coming from the inside and under the car. So, I was waiting inside the car which was in the middle of the ice and I heard the explosion and saw all the smoke coming out. As planned, I shook the car from within and was on my way to open the door to get out.

What was not planned is that the door was locked! I could not see the handle or anything else for that matter because of the smoke in the car, I couldn’t talk to anyone to get help. In that type of job, you have to think and react quickly at times! So, I decided to get out through an open window. Before doing so, I decided to hit the door with my feet to shake the car as if I was stuck inside. To my surprise, and to the surprise of the fans, I hit the door so hard that it flew off the car and landed on the ice! So, I finally got out of the car from the door opening... without the door! The staff and I laughed at the whole incident since it didn’t really go as planned. So, as I said, sometimes, we have to use our imagination and instinct and act quickly!

Also, as you know, opening ceremonies for hockey games are usually done with the lights off to add some ambiance. It then becomes difficult for the public announcer to properly see his sheets with the events plan. Once, I was supposed to be presented to the crowd after two other mascots but the announcers made a mistake, missed two lines, and never presented me. The result: I ended up in the lockerroom without having been presented to the crowd. It was kind of funny for me but the organization that planned the whole ceremony didn’t think it was really funny. The announcer felt badly about that and offered his apologies after the game. During such special events, people are usually excited and also nervous.

I hope that you appreciate my articles – if you have questions, comments or want to know more about the mascot job, don’t hesitate to email me. Also, within the next few weeks, the Jumping Jack Website (www.promascot.com) will feature new pictures and new Jumping Jack merchandise... just in time for Christmas!

See you later!