With basketball season well underway, the Blue Blob has been quite busy. In addition to his classes, mascot practices and game days, he will be attending the first annual Steamboat Mascot Stampede from Dec. 11-15 in Steamboat Springs, Colo. The Newswire sat down with the Blob to find out more about the competition.

Xavier Newswire (XN): What exactly will you be doing while at the competition?

The Blue Blob: The weekend begins Thursday evening with a dinner for everyone invited. Sixteen schools across the nation were given an invitation and accepted. Friday morning will begin with mascot boot camp, then a mascot parade and mascot tubing in the snow. Saturday will be a large array of activities to build mascot skills, all of which may potentially turn into a competition. Overall, although we are calling it a competition, it’s just a bunch of activities with very competitive people involved in them. It is essentially “mascot school” with a very select group of top-of-the-charts mascots.

XN: How have you been preparing for the competition?

Blob: I’ve been doing lots of pushups, sit ups and racing D’Artagnan. I’ve started winning the races. Whether D’Artagnan is a little less strong or letting me win, I am not sure. I have also been doing strength building and yoga to calm down and stretch out before I get there.

XN: What kinds of things will they do to help you build your mascot skills?

Blob: There are going to be cardio and strength building activities. There also is boot camp for three hours.

XN: How did you get picked to participate?

Blob: The mascot in charge is actually the original Phillie Phanatic. He got together with some buddies and they are paying for all the mascots to come. If it goes well, they can invite other schools next year. But the Phillie Phanatic and I go to the same hairstylist, and that’s when he invited me.

XN: How are you feeling about the competition?

Blob: I am nervous, but excited. I’m going up against state schools and they get scholarships to go to their schools, but I don’t. I have to work really hard and go to all of my classes in addition to the mascot events, whereas the state school mascots can go for free and focus on their mascot duties.

XN: Is D’Artagnan doing anything to help?

Blob: He has been really supportive. He is trying to share the spotlight since he gets it a lot of the time and he wants to share it with me.

XN: How are you managing training for this with your classes?

Blob: It’s tough. I am working super hard on my degree. It’s a lot of pressure to go to class and to train all the time in addition to the games since the season has picked up. I am trying to stay away from coffee right now. I love Coffee Emporium and am trying to stay away from the Blue
Blob Glacial Latte.

XN: What do you hope to gain from this experience?

Blob: I hope more people will recognize me as more than just the secondary mascot and that I will be good enough to stand alongside D’Artagnan instead of behind him. I love supporting D’Artagnan, but I want to be next to him. Hopefully it will also help me train for the Mascot Broomball, which is in January. I want to be a lot better this year because in the past I have been kind of shaky.