Life as the Portland Beavers’ mascot
By Faye Powell
The Portland Upside
July 2009
What’s the most fun at the ballpark? Eating stale popcorn and artery-busting hotdogs? Scrambling for a foul ball in the stands? Following the slo-mo action on the field?
No. It’s watching the wildly entertaining antics of the mascot and, if you’re a kid or a kid-at-heart grown-up like me, there’s nothing like scoring a hug from the goofy creature with the big head and serious overbite.
For the Portland Beavers baseball team, this would be Lucky, a.k.a. Trampus Adams, 36. The Beavers, a Triple-A team now affiliated with the San Diego Padres, dates back to 1903 when they were known as the Portland Browns. For a period in the 1940s, as a result of a winning streak, they were dubbed the “Lucky Beavers,” hence the mascot’s name, Lucky.
Sitting for a chat with Trampus at the Starbucks near PGE Park, I asked him what makes a good mascot.
“You have to love what you’re doing,” he said, “and you have to think of yourself as an athlete. You must have a passion for it. Just like playing any sport, if you don’t love it, you can’t do it. If you’d do it whether you got paid for it or not, then you know it’s good for you.”
This is Trampus’s first year with the Beavers. Previously he was the mascot for the Portland Lumberjacks lacrosse team. He obviously relishes it.
With a huge smile breaking across his face, he said, “I love my job. This is the most fun I’ve ever had. When you’re this cuddly Beaver, you’re like a rock star in the stadium. On school days, I can’t even go into the stands without getting mauled. I actually have to have three body guards around me,”
“When you’re a kid, you want to be famous, and even though as a mascot, you’re not really famous—unless you’re the San Diego Chicken—you feel famous here. People will stop whatever they’re doing to watch you. If Lucky’s sitting next to you, that’s much more exciting than what’s going on on the field.”
It isn’t as easy as it looks. For one thing, it is very demanding on one’s body. You can’t just jump in the suit and dance around. You must develop good routines and it takes a lot of stamina to handle the heat. Trampus makes sure to hydrate thoroughly before he puts on the costume and to re-hydrate often during the game. There are also breathing tricks he’s learned to prevent passing out, such as taking short breaths and removing the head whenever possible.
Being a mascot is theatre. Since he can’t talk with the costume on, Trampus has developed a repertoire of gestures, much like those of a mime, to communicate with his audience. His job involves getting the crowd riled up, tossing tee shirts and goodies into the stands, and sometimes making fun of the other team, all in the name of good sportsmanship, of course. He circulates throughout the stadium, signs autographs, poses for photographs and keeps spirits lively and joyous.
“It took a lot of practice to be able to sign autographs,” he said. “The fingers of the costume are stuck together like this,” he demonstrated by holding his index and middle fingers together and his fourth and fifth fingers together. After he got the job, Trampus learned to write his signature “T” by taping his fingers together.
In addition to enlivening the crowd at games, Trampus visits kids in schools, hospitals and at other public events. For a recent t-ball appearance, he rode from Portland to Beaverton on the back of a Harley.
“It kind of freaked people out, seeing a Beaver riding through the streets on a motorcycle, but hey, ‘Keep Portland Weird,’ as they say. It was a lot of fun. And I got a lot of air.”
Trampus will also participate in an upcoming event involving a whole field full of mascots. Once a year, the Beavers host a Mascot Mania Day where mascots from regional teams, such as the Portland Lumberjacks, Portland Winterhawks, Washington State Cougars and Portland State Vikings, perform at PGE Park. This year’s Mascot Mania will be on Saturday, August 15, Lucky’s birthday.
Trampus is married and the father of a sixteen-year-old daughter. A native Washingtonian, he graduated from Federal Way High School, where he played football, soccer and hockey. After high school he played semi-professional hockey in the Portland area and dreamed of turning pro, but unfortunately that dream did not materialize. Interestingly, his high school counselor predicted he would either be a sports star or an entertainer.
As a mascot Trampus has found a career that combines both his talents and interests.
Besides being in good physical condition and loving the work, he has the outgoing personality for it.
“Believe it or not,” he said, “I’m like that inside or outside the suit. Of course, I get away with messing with people a lot more in the suit; otherwise, I’d probably get arrested.”
_____
So, you think being a sports mascot may be your calling? Wanna-be mascots should check out MascotNet at www.mascot.net to find everything you need to know about health and fitness, tryouts, costumes, and much more. There is also a Mascot Hall of Fame for die-hard mascot fans. Check it out at www.mascothalloffame.com
Faye Powell has master’s degrees in library science and anthropology and writes both fiction and nonfiction. She may be reached via phaysee1@gmail.com
No. It’s watching the wildly entertaining antics of the mascot and, if you’re a kid or a kid-at-heart grown-up like me, there’s nothing like scoring a hug from the goofy creature with the big head and serious overbite.
For the Portland Beavers baseball team, this would be Lucky, a.k.a. Trampus Adams, 36. The Beavers, a Triple-A team now affiliated with the San Diego Padres, dates back to 1903 when they were known as the Portland Browns. For a period in the 1940s, as a result of a winning streak, they were dubbed the “Lucky Beavers,” hence the mascot’s name, Lucky.
Sitting for a chat with Trampus at the Starbucks near PGE Park, I asked him what makes a good mascot.
“You have to love what you’re doing,” he said, “and you have to think of yourself as an athlete. You must have a passion for it. Just like playing any sport, if you don’t love it, you can’t do it. If you’d do it whether you got paid for it or not, then you know it’s good for you.”
This is Trampus’s first year with the Beavers. Previously he was the mascot for the Portland Lumberjacks lacrosse team. He obviously relishes it.
With a huge smile breaking across his face, he said, “I love my job. This is the most fun I’ve ever had. When you’re this cuddly Beaver, you’re like a rock star in the stadium. On school days, I can’t even go into the stands without getting mauled. I actually have to have three body guards around me,”
“When you’re a kid, you want to be famous, and even though as a mascot, you’re not really famous—unless you’re the San Diego Chicken—you feel famous here. People will stop whatever they’re doing to watch you. If Lucky’s sitting next to you, that’s much more exciting than what’s going on on the field.”
It isn’t as easy as it looks. For one thing, it is very demanding on one’s body. You can’t just jump in the suit and dance around. You must develop good routines and it takes a lot of stamina to handle the heat. Trampus makes sure to hydrate thoroughly before he puts on the costume and to re-hydrate often during the game. There are also breathing tricks he’s learned to prevent passing out, such as taking short breaths and removing the head whenever possible.
Being a mascot is theatre. Since he can’t talk with the costume on, Trampus has developed a repertoire of gestures, much like those of a mime, to communicate with his audience. His job involves getting the crowd riled up, tossing tee shirts and goodies into the stands, and sometimes making fun of the other team, all in the name of good sportsmanship, of course. He circulates throughout the stadium, signs autographs, poses for photographs and keeps spirits lively and joyous.
“It took a lot of practice to be able to sign autographs,” he said. “The fingers of the costume are stuck together like this,” he demonstrated by holding his index and middle fingers together and his fourth and fifth fingers together. After he got the job, Trampus learned to write his signature “T” by taping his fingers together.
In addition to enlivening the crowd at games, Trampus visits kids in schools, hospitals and at other public events. For a recent t-ball appearance, he rode from Portland to Beaverton on the back of a Harley.
“It kind of freaked people out, seeing a Beaver riding through the streets on a motorcycle, but hey, ‘Keep Portland Weird,’ as they say. It was a lot of fun. And I got a lot of air.”
Trampus will also participate in an upcoming event involving a whole field full of mascots. Once a year, the Beavers host a Mascot Mania Day where mascots from regional teams, such as the Portland Lumberjacks, Portland Winterhawks, Washington State Cougars and Portland State Vikings, perform at PGE Park. This year’s Mascot Mania will be on Saturday, August 15, Lucky’s birthday.
Trampus is married and the father of a sixteen-year-old daughter. A native Washingtonian, he graduated from Federal Way High School, where he played football, soccer and hockey. After high school he played semi-professional hockey in the Portland area and dreamed of turning pro, but unfortunately that dream did not materialize. Interestingly, his high school counselor predicted he would either be a sports star or an entertainer.
As a mascot Trampus has found a career that combines both his talents and interests.
Besides being in good physical condition and loving the work, he has the outgoing personality for it.
“Believe it or not,” he said, “I’m like that inside or outside the suit. Of course, I get away with messing with people a lot more in the suit; otherwise, I’d probably get arrested.”
_____
So, you think being a sports mascot may be your calling? Wanna-be mascots should check out MascotNet at www.mascot.net to find everything you need to know about health and fitness, tryouts, costumes, and much more. There is also a Mascot Hall of Fame for die-hard mascot fans. Check it out at www.mascothalloffame.com
Faye Powell has master’s degrees in library science and anthropology and writes both fiction and nonfiction. She may be reached via phaysee1@gmail.com
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