The first rule of being a mascot is to not talk about being a mascot.
In fact, don’t talk at all. Just let those fuzzy grizzly bear arms and legs do the communicating.
Also, drink water, but not too much. It may be hot enough in that bear suit to melt marshmallows, but the most recognizable character in town could have trouble slipping away unnoticed for a bathroom break.
Hug kids, kiss women’s hands, high-five the guys and sign autographs with paw prints. Do the funky chicken, and shake what your momma bear gave ya.
But never, ever break the unwritten, long-honored code of mascots by revealing yourself to the crowd.
The Herald agreed to go along with that code for this interview.
Even as he prepares to retire, the man who brought life and luster to Silvertips mascot Lincoln respects the sporting tradition of mascot mystique.
The 32-year-old Duvall man still prefers to be known only as Lincoln – No. 72, if you please. After a record-breaking inaugural season packed with experiences, he wants to retire so he can simply be “a fan.”
By summer’s end, he will slip quietly out of his bear suit and into a seat at the Everett Events Center, where he’ll continue to cheer his team on, only this time as a human.
At this time last year, he who would be Lincoln was preparing to be the bear.
To get ready for the heat of the bear suit, he went hiking in two pairs of sweats, sweaters and a knit cap.
He wears glasses, but got contacts for his furry alter ego – the opposite of Clark Kent.
He was a first-time mascot, but ice-skating wasn’t a problem. He and his wife, both teachers, have played hockey for years.
He practiced what would become Lincoln’s trademark swagger, and infused his own vivaciousness into the bear’s wordless but effervescent personality.
“People want to be silly and have a good time,” he said. “Often, grumpy folks might not want to interact, but they’ll usually smile.”
Then came opening night. The arena was packed with curious locals, and the announcer called him to the ice.
“I run down the carpet with my skates and hit the ice going full blast,” he said. “The crowd roars. It’s an electric sensation.”
He chugged 1.5 liters of water a game during the short breaks he spent in a locker room he shared with the neon-orange chuck-a-pucks and the inflatable human-sized hamster balls.
For $75 a game, he circled the arena delivering prizes, meeting and greeting, and seeing through Lincoln’s mesh-covered mouth only a tunnel of what was actually going on around him.
“No sudden movements,” his wife joked. “Or he’d invariably take out a little kid.”
Lincoln’s a busy bear without much time for watching hockey games. If the man beneath the fuzzy head wanted to watch a game, he’d follow the Silvertips to Seattle, Portland, Ore., or Vancouver, B.C.
“The most strange phenomenon for me is seeing people when I’m not in the outfit and trying to remember that they have no idea who I am,” he said. “There’s people I see every game that I’ll see at an away game. I want to say hello to them, but I realize they just have no clue.”
Hometown honey
One of the greatest parts of his year as Lincoln was watching Everett become a hockey town.
“When you look at the first night ever and then the last game … both were capacity crowds, but people were there for different reasons,” he said.
“That first night, people were there to see what was happening. At the end, it was a bunch of people who wanted to support their local team.”
He and Lincoln work as a team, but it is Lincoln who gets all the fan mail. On Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, two little girls even sent him a homemade jar of honey.
Everett’s hockey craze, complete with its championship team and signature bear, changed a lot of things. Carson Reykdal said it changed his life.
The 9-year-old had never seen a hockey game before, but because of the new team he’s learning how to play. He was on the ice at the community rink this week when Lincoln sauntered past. Carson spotted the bear and, like a ship to a harbor, coasted to the side to pound on the glass.
“Lincoln! It’s Lincoln!” he yelled. The other kids on the rink quickly skated up behind him.
Lincoln pounded back, then held his bear arms wide to show he was ecstatic to see them.
“He’s such a good mascot. He’s a really nice bear from the Cascade Mountains,” said Carson, 9, in his green jersey. “I was inspired by the Silvertips.”
Lincoln visited with the boys, and before leaving patted their heads with his fuzzy paws.
Once the costume is on, there is no off switch. At a game this season, Lincoln stumbled on some stairs and tripped onto the arm of a chair, cracking some ribs.
But if Lincoln feels any sort of unpleasantness, he keeps it as much of a secret as his true identity.
“I popped up, made fun of myself and kept going,” he said.
Though he’s decided not to keep continue as a mascot, he promised to help the Silvertips find and train a new Lincoln.
“I really feel privileged that the organization took a chance on me and that I was able to establish at least a beginning of what the role of the mascot was for the Silvertips,” he said. “Lincoln is a link between players and fans, and an ambassador for the team.”
Reporter Jennifer Warnick: 425-339-3429 or jwarnick@heraldnet.com.
Wanna be the bear?
Are you good at ice skating, entertaining crowds and children, and using nonverbal communication?
Are you able to work in a hot, confining costume topped with a giant bear’s head?
The Everett Silvertips hockey club is looking for a new on-ice mascot for the 2004-05 season.
To be the bear, you need to be available for all 36 Silvertips regular season home games, playoff games and special events from September through May.
Send a cover letter, resume and audition videotape to Everett Silvertips, Attn: Mascot Auditions, 2000 Hewitt Ave. Suite 100, Everett, WA 98201.
Audition tapes should include an introduction, demonstration of ice-skating and other special skills and, if possible, footage of previous mascot performances.
For more information, contact Matt Russell at 425-252-5100.
Wanna be the bear?
Are you good at ice skating, entertaining crowds and children, using non-verbal communication?
Are you able to work in a hot, confined costume topped with a giant bear head?
The Everett Silvertips hockey club is looking for a new on-ice mascot for the 2004-05 season.
To be the bear, you need to be available for all 36 Silvertips regular season home games, playoff games and special events September through May.
Please send a cover letter, resume and audition videotape to: The Everett Silvertips, Attn: Mascot Auditions, 2000 Hewitt Ave. Suite 100, Everett 98201.
Audition tapes should include an introduction, demonstration of ice-skating and other special skills and, if possible, footage of previous mascot performances.
For more information, contact Matt Russell at 425-252-5100.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
