Boone Mascot Tryouts To Be Held This Friday

(above) Boone made numerous television appearances this year

Tryouts to become the lead Boone Mascot performer next year will be held this Friday throughout the day as well at Relay for Life Event (an all night event that raises money for cancer research). The American Cancer Society fund-raising event will be held in Hamilton Gymnasium from 7 PM- 7 AM.

Whomever wins the Tryout will be expected to perform at various DU sporting and fund raising events. Likely the student will travel to a few DU road hockey games, Mascot Boot Camp, WCHA Final 5 and/or NCAA Frozen Four as well as events on campus.

The tryout will be hosted this Friday, no experience is needed, and if you’re interested to contact Scott.Fuson@du.edu or 503.957.5303. The performer will receive guidance, funding and support from DU alumni and graduate students.

The performer will have their expenses paid to the next Dave Raymond Mascot Training Camp to be held somewhere on the East Coast.

Contact: Scott.Fuson@du.edu

Denver Fox 31 To Air Segment On Boone

(above) Boone being interviewed pregame by Fox 31

If you noticed Boone being followed around by a cameraman on Friday, that was Fox 31. He spent five hours collecting footage,filming the "White-Out," interviewing students, alumni and Scott Fuson.

Not sure when its going to be televied but it most likely be in the upcoming week. There is a chance that they might break the footage into two segments. We'll keep you posted when its going to air.

LetsGoDU To Raise Money For DU Pep Band

Last year LetsGoDU raised over $8,000 to help bring Boone back to life at the University of Denver. We designed, built and delivered the mascot in time for the Frozen Four. We sent DU student, Scott Fuson, off to Mascot Boot Camp in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. Finally we unveiled Boone in Washington DC in front of alumni, students, fans and friends at the Lincoln Memorial. This year we are focusing our energy on growing the DU Pep Band.

In the past few years school spirit and pride among students at the University of Denver has grown in leaps and bounds. Nowhere is that spirit and energy more revitalized than in the University of Denver Pep Band. In the past year they've grown from 10 to 30 members and the DU Pep Band is now a vital part of our Basketball and Hockey teams' game night experience. But this growth has brought the need for more spirit gear, more equipment and more instruments.

As the Treasurer of the Pep Band, DU student Joey Leon wants to keep the momentum going. They are currently working to get additional funding. LetsGoDU and an alumni donor are stepping forward with a $500 donation. Our goal is to help raise $10,000 by the summer.

You can help make a difference as well. If you can help out in any way to keep the program growing, they would greatly appreciate it. Send cash or a checks made out to the University of Denver Pep Band. Please mail your tax deductible donation to:

Joey Leon
University of Denver Pep Band
2222 S. High St. #205B
Denver, CO 80210

The Eagle Has Landed - Mascot Arrives In DC

(above) DU student Scott Fuson opens the Pioneer Mascot bag in a DC Hotel

(above) Adjusting the gloves for the first time

(above) How'ya doin'?

(above) Confident and ready for the challenges ahead

In a secret hotel in Washington DC, the Pioneer Mascot arrived in a canvas bag via FedEx at 9 AM. DU student Scott Fuson was on hand to open the bag and inspect the contents.

Boone Mascot Gets Front Page Story In Clarion

(above) DU student Scott Fuson will be making his debut as the new mascot on Thursday at the Frozen Four in Washington, D.C. before he returns home to perform at the women's tennis match and men's lacrosse game at Invesco Field on Saturday

(above) Our Pioneer Mascot is featured in a front page story in the DU Clarion student newspaper today

From: DU Clarion
by Arianna Ranahosseini

Despite the administration's dislike of Denver Boone, a group of 200 alumni, students and fans have raised over $5,000 to create an unofficial Pioneer mascot who will be modeled after DU's former mascot "Denver Boone."

"We kept hoping that the University of Denver would reconsider its decision in the fall to mothball Boone," Damien Goddard, class of 1988 said. "When it became obvious that no amount of letter writing, e-mails or public relations would change the decision, we changed our tactics."

Goddard is still very active in the DU community and also the creator of LetsGoDU.blogspot.com, a blog that follows DU in the news with videos, photos and score updates.

Scott Fuson, a junior and Denver Boone advocate, will be the man in the new mascot outfit, but he hopes the new mascot will spark interest among students.

"Our mascot should reflect the values of a pioneer, and the one of the best reflections of a pioneer was Daniel Boone," Fuson said. "I share the administration's goal of striving for diversity and inclusiveness at DU, but I find it farfetched to try to connect these ideals with the school's mascot."

On Thursday, Fuson will unveil the Pioneer in front of the Lincoln Memorial during the Frozen Four and then return to Denver to make his first appearances on Saturday.

The mascot will be attending the women's tennis match against Northern Colorado at the Stapleton Tennis Pavilion at 9 a.m. and the men's lacrosse game against Notre Dame at Invesco Field at 1:30 p.m.

The idea of a new mascot began developing three months ago when a young alumnus proposed the idea to the active alumni group.

"I was very skeptical that we could raise the money, but we floated the idea on LetsGoDU Blog and the checks started flowing in," Goddard said.

Not only will Fuson appear at varsity sporting events, but the Pioneer mascot will also be at May Days, club sporting events and other campus events to get the students excited.

But the Pioneer mascot hasn't been given an official name or sanction yet.

"It could be named Boone," Fuson said. "People funding this entire program didn't want to be too quick to name it something that the students didn't support. We want to leave that up to the student body."

Another name in the mix includes Pioneer Pete, the original DU mascot.

Two weeks ago, Fuson attended the Raymond Entertainment Group's Mascot Boot Camp in Kutztown, Pa. Run by Dave Raymond, the original Phillie Phanatic. The camp taught Fuson how to create the character and brand the mascot for DU student body.

Fuson learned about nonverbal communication, interacting with the crowd and fans, improvisation, physical fitness, costume care and costume and site safety.

Although alumni have raised a large sum of donations, they are still around $2,500 shy of covering the expenses.

"We're doing this to unite the alumni, students and supporters of the university," Goddard said.

"If anyone thinks they can come up with a better symbol of a 'Pioneer,' we challenge them to design and produce a better mascot. If it's better than ours, no one will be happier than me."

According to Goddard, alumni have heard that the Pioneer mascot will not have a problem performing at events.

For Fuson and the alumni, the fight to bring back Boone isn't over, it's just beginning.

CNN Televises DU Student At Mascot Boot Camp

(above) DU student Scott Fuson was seen in a CNN Newscast today attending Mascot Boot Camp over the weekend

WFMZ photojournalist Zachary Dewever headed to Kutztown University to see exactly what mascots go through before performing at sporting events. The newscast covered Dave Raymond's Mascot Boot Camp last weekend.

The story was rebroadcast on CNN Headline News this morning.

DU's own Scott Fuson received a little facetime during the telecast. He's the blond guy with the grey sweatshirt and was Lighthouse Pete the Pirate in character.

Scott Fuson Completes Mascot Boot Camp

(above) DU student Scott Fuson and the original Phillie Phanatic, Dave Raymond, at Mascot Boot Camp this weekend

Last Thursday, DU student Scott Fuson "escaped" Denver hours before a snowstorm swept through the city. After connecting in Cleveland, Scott arrived in Allentown, Pennsylvania and caught a taxi to Kutztown State University to begin Mascot Boot Camp. The Camp is under the direction of Dave Raymond, the original "Phillie Phanatic," the mascot of the Philadelphia Phiilies major league baseball team.

Scott was selected by an alumni group to become the unofficial Pioneer Mascot and wear a newly designed Pioneer costume. Many DU alums feel its time the university embraced the Pioneer nickname and built a tradition of school spirit and camaraderie around the history of the school and the region.

For the last 10 years the University of Denver has been represented by Ruckus the Red-Tailed Hawk and DU alums grew weary of answering questions about why a school nicknamed the Pioneers would have a hawk as a mascot & logo.

At the Camp this weekend, Scott, along with a dozen other mascot performers, learned the fundamentals of becoming a mascot, including costume care, basic performance skills, working the crowd, the creative process, and the importance of performance fitness.

Mr. Raymond was aware of the situation with DU's "identity crisis" and worked with Scott to begin creating a character and brand image that will be popular with DU students, fans, children and alumni. Scott is going to work with DU's students to create a biography and personality profile of a "Denver Pioneer" and what that encompasses.

Sunday night Scott returned to Denver having completed his training. He wants to thank all the alums who donated to the Pioneer Mascot Fund, giving him the opportunity to attend the camp and bring our Pioneer Mascot to life.

In less than two weeks we expect to take delivery of the mascot costume in Washington D.C. and participate in activities related to the Frozen Four Hockey Championships. Then if everything is in order, Scott will fly back to Denver in time to introduce the mascot at the DU-Notre Dame lacrosse game at Invesco Field on Saturday, April 11th.

DU Student Wraps Up Mascot Boot Camp Today

DU Student Scott Fuson has been attending Dave Raymonds Mascot Boot Camp in Kutztown, Pennsylvania this weekend. The trip, camp fees and expenses were entirely funded by alumni and fan donations raised by LetsGoDU.

Scott reports that the camp has been a huge success and that he has benefitted tremendously from the experience. We will have a full report on Scott's experience on Monday.

Scott was selected to wear the Pioneer Mascot Costume being designed in Toronto, Canada. The costume is expected to be delivered to Washington, D.C. in time for the Frozen Four Semi-Finals and will be flown to Denver for the DU-Notre Dame lacrosse game on April 11th at Invesco Field.

The Eagle Has Landed At Mascot Boot Camp

(above) Will Dave Raymond's Mascot Boot Camp be able to transform DU student Scott Fuson into a "Pioneer Mascot" this weekend

The eagle has landed or perhaps we should say the red tailed-hawk replacement has landed safely in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. DU student Scott Fuson was able to get out of Denver yesterday and make his connecting flight to Allentown without a hitch.

Today he begins Mascot Boot Camp under the tutelage of former Phillie Phanatic Dave Raymond. On the first day of camp the students don't wear costumes, but go through various drills to express degrees of emotion without using words or facial expressions.

They also learn character walks, dancing and miming on Day 1.

Scott has been selected to wear the unofficial Pioneer Mascot costume for the next year. The mascot is being purchased with alumni donations and upon delivery will be donated to the students at the University of Denver.

DU Student To Attend "Mascot Boot Camp"

DU student Scott Fuson will attend the Raymond Entertainment Group's Mascot Boot Camp at Kutztown State University in Pennsylvania on March 25-27. Plane tickets, ground transportation, hotel and camp fees are being funded by our alumni donors and hockey fans.

The purpose of the camp is to turn our Pioneer Mascot into a "character." Bart Simpson, Kermit, Mickey Mouse, Carrot Top, Pillsbury Dough Boy or Tony the Tiger are iconic characters that hold enormous value with their fans, customers and organizations.

The camp is run by Dave Raymond who was the original Phillie Phantic, a "pioneer" in the sports mascot industry.

Raymond stepped into the Phillie Phanatic costume as a Phillies intern in 1978. The team paid him $25 a game to perform and, without fanfare or introduction, entertain the notorious Philadelphia fans. Philadelphia fans are so jaded they once threw snowballs at a young man wearing a Santa suit at an Eagles game in 1968.

The Phillie Phanatic became a Philadelphia icon, won over the hardened fanbase and is one of the country's most recognized mascots. Raymond spent 16 years silently bringing the costume to life.

Almost by accident, the Phillie Phanatic, like the San Diego Chicken starting in 1974, helped sports marketers realize that a mascot could be more than a diversion during lulls in a game, but an attraction in itself. Most colleges and professional teams have since adopted costumed mascots to patrol the stands and make community appearances.

Scott Fuson Named 2009 Pioneer Mascot

"I realize this thing is a lot bigger than the person. It's not about the person behind the mask, it's about the rich history and tradition at the University of Denver and more specifically with pre-Ruckus mascots. I would be honored if I could take part in bringing back this great tradition. Thanks again for selecting me as the new school mascot, I can't tell you how excited I am."

Scott Fuson DU '10

The alumni donors are proud to announce that University of Denver student Scott Fuson has been selected to become the Unofficial 2009 Pioneer Mascot.

Scott is a Junior at DU and is a Pioneer in every sense of the word. He studied abroad in Seville, Spain last year and has been a DU hockey season ticket holder. He plays basketball, can ice skate and is great with kids.

Scott will be attending the Raymond Mascot Boot Camp from March 27-29 at Kutztown State University in Pennsylvania. The camp is run by one of the most famous mascots in sports Dave Raymond, who developed the Philly Phanatic 30 years ago. The seminars will guide Scott into developing a brand character for our Mascot.

After Scott returns to DU he will hold a clinic for interested DU students on what he learned at the camp and help us identify and groom future mascots.

Two weeks after the camp, Scott will fly to Washington D.C. to unveil our mascot at the Lincoln Memorial on April 9th. DU Alum Harold Beier (DU '47) will serve as Honorary Marshall for the event.

After the ceremony, Scott will be driven to the Verizon Center in Washington to meet and greet fans from all over the college hockey universe. The Frozen Four Semifinals will be Scott's first opportunity to interact with fans in a college hockey environment.

If DU does not make the Frozen Four, Scott will fly back to Denver on Friday and introduce the mascot at the DU Women's Tennis match against Northern Colorado on April 11th and then attend DU's Men's Lacrosse game against Notre Dame at Invesco Field at 1:30 PM.

All this would not be possible without our alumni donors. We can't thank you enough.