The Scoop on being a Mascot

Have you ever wanted to be a mascot? It looks like fun. It looks like a lot of work. It looks like it would be hot wearing those costumes. Is it all fun and games? Can anybody be a mascot?
Cedar Valley Athlete Magazine recently spoke with “Westy”, Waterloo West High School’s mascot; “T.C” (The Cat), University of Northern Iowa’s mascot; and “Buck”, the Waterloo Bucks mascot. Yes, they all have real names, but most don’t want to divulge who they really are underneath those heads. Buck says “Buck” should remain anonymous. T.C. says his (or her) identity is kept secret “only because it’s no fun to be a mascot if everyone knows it’s you. Then they know it’s a guy in a suit and the whole point of what we do is to create the character of T.C., not (me) as T.C.”