“It’s show time!” I hear Mike T over the speaker in Mountain America Stadium.
Smiling and relying on muscle memory to not drop my flag and remember my work for pre-game.
“On a Saturday in Tempe it’s time for some Sun Devil football!” the PA announcer says.
The crowd burst into cheers.
I look and see Sparky crawling under the pitchfork, and I know they have to be drenched in sweat at this point. I’m covered in sweat, all I’m thinking about is my frozen Powerade in the stands.
“I’m also listening to Thunderstruck, and what part of the stomp the bus video that were in so I know when to spring up and when to put the pitchfork in midfield,” a Sparky I spoke to said.
Que Thunderstruck and wait till I hear “…down the field…” in the fight song before I move. The second time around, book it to the tunnel.
As a band kid, I have a general understanding of what each section goes through on game days.
Yet I have no clue how the person who portrays Sparky trains, what they do on game days to prevent a heat stroke or severe dehydration, or even what Sparky does. I get he is ASU’s mascot but what makes him so special?
Sparky has been around since 1951. Many people have worn the maroon and gold and carried the pitchfork with pride.
“He’s one of the oldest collegiate mascots 77 years old,” Sparky said. “I just think that all the people who played him and made this personality for him, have contributed to make something really great.”
Sparky spends his time running around arenas and stadiums entertaining people without talking. Using sign language, body language, and other props.
The Sparky I talked to gets his inspiration from some of his favorite mascots, the Phillie Phanatic and Gritty as well as his favorite comedians. He takes notes of what skits don’t work for other mascots and which ones do and tries to base ideas on what is trending on social media.
During my undergrad, the fall semester was always my most packed semester. Having practice three days a week on top of school and my job was a tough balance. I was able to manage my schedule because I knew when my start and stop times were. Being in color guard I don’t have to worry about basketball, however, Sparky doesn’t get that option. He is at almost every sporting event. From hockey to basketball, baseball, and softball even making community events. The Sparky I talked to said working Make-A-Wish events are his favorite.
There are five Sparkys which allow the character to visit multiple locations in a day and not get tired during games such as football. Practice begins in July and once school starts they host weekly practices working on endurance, skit ideas, and of course push-ups.
In color guard when there is something wrong with our costume or something breaks we can fix it in a matter of minutes. That isn’t always the case for Sparky. If something breaks it can take several months to get it back from the costume supplier, Olympus Mascots.
I’ve been spinning since I was in high school so I have seen my fair share of color guard injuries, from broken noses, black eyes, bruised fingers, and everything in between. The Sparky I talked to has been lucky enough to only sprain his finger and roll a few ankles. His biggest injury is the cuts on his nose he gets from a sharp part on the inside of the mask. He said he’s found himself bleeding multiple times during games. Now he uses moleskin tape to help.
Learning more about Sparky and the work it takes to make him come to life gave me a new apparition for mascots and the work they do. Something that lasted a few seconds during a game sometimes took days to plan. The Sparky I talked to mentioned that being the character introduced him to amazing people and let him experience amazing opportunities, such as the last PAC-12 football championship.
“The worst experience I had was with an ASU student who took off my head during a hockey game. It screwed me up for weeks after and I thought I wouldn’t be able to do it again” Sparky said.
Despite everything positive about being Sparky, he mentioned that there are drawbacks. He mentioned that at times the position is physically and mentally tiring and having awful fan experience can make the job difficult.
“We are people underneath those costumes still,” Sparky said, “Just because we have something covering our face doesn’t mean you can assault us or grab our ass or touch us inappropriately like many people have done.”
