Greetings to all!
Time flies and I just realized that this is my 15th article for HockeyZone!
I hope that you enjoy reading about the world of mascots.
In this article, I’ll talk about my experience with the fans.
Usually, people have their own routine at work. It’s the same for me except that I
do it for different people in different cities.
For example, with the Montréal Expos, Fernand Barrette is the
person in charge of the press box. He’s been there since the beginning of the
franchise. He greets people in the press box – he could talk for hours about the
different interesting people he meets. He’s like a father for the people working for
the team.
When I was with the Expos, I had to visit people who were there for each game. I made
some friends doing this. There was a woman who was always in the same seat and was scoring
the game on her program. I also remember a Jewish man with his hat who was always in
section 109.
During the past 5 years as Jumping Jack, I often visit the same teams and fans:
Roanoke:
There’s a little 2-year-old girl who loves Jumping Jack. She sits on my lap
everytime I work there! There’s also the first Jumping Jack Junior! It’s been 4
years that I see this little boy and his father in section 8. He’s very nice and
polite. What can I say about the people in section 12! There are 4 or 5 adults who are
there at every game cheering for their team. With a chalk and blackboard, I can
communicate with them! It`s fun to interact with them! Section 9 is where I slide down the
stairs on my stomach! After their screams, I run and slide down the stairs! That’s a
ritual at each game.
Salem:
This is where I probably have my oldest fan. The woman, who is 85 or 86, is often there
with her daughter. Everytime I give her a hug and she tells me that she loves me.
She’s a really nice lady. What about Ian! He’s probably 4 now. It’s been 2
years now that he runs and jumps into Mugsy’s arms when I am nearby. He’s
lovable and very respectful. There are also two couples that I visit during each game. One
is near the Avalanche dugout while the other is close to the visiting team dugout with
their baseball gloves. Again, they are really nice to me. Unfortunately, we lost a great
fan during the winter. A handicapped man who was great to me and the whole baseball staff
– he always had candies for us. It’s sad to know that he is gone. I can’t
mention everybody I know in Salem – everybody is very supportive of Mugsy the mascot!
I must mention the two brothers who used to live in Roanoke and who moved to Tulsa two
years ago. They were always in the last row of section 10 with their parents during
Roanoke hockey games. At each game, it was important to stop there to hug them.
Unfortunately, their father had to relocate for his job. We exchanged pictures and
addresses. Last year, in October or November, I worked a hockey game in Tulsa and to my
surprise, they were there with their Roanoke Express jerseys and Jumping Jack posters! It
was really fantastic!
There are many other people that I meet regularly all over the USA in the different
areas I visit. South Carolina, Wilmington, Louisiana, Lafayette, Monroe, Dayton, Augusta ,
Mississippi are all areas that I visit each year, and I often meet the same fans who are
always their to cheer for their team.
That’s how I realized that mascots do play an important role for some people. It
makes me like my work even more and forget about little injuries. When I see people smile,
coming to hug me and telling me that I should come back more often, it does touch me and
make me feel great.
To all those people who read my articles, I want to thank you for your support.
A former football player once said during an interview, when asked about his success in
business with his 144 Wendy’s restaurants: "Success comes easily to you if you
have a real passion for what you do."
That reminded me of my father, who passed away 7 years ago. He used to say that no
matter what I would do in life, I should give everything I can, be honest and respect
people around me. I must say that all that is true; one must have passion and love for
what he/she does to succeed.
Talk to you soon!
