LB Behind the Scenes: Inside the Suit — Life as LB’s Rocky the Roadrunner

Photo courtesy of Rocky the Roadrunner

Behind the feathers and foam is a performer who builds personality without speaking a word.

To most students at Linn-Benton Community College, Rocky the Roadrunner is simply a familiar part of campus life, appearing at games, events, and celebrations across the community. Behind the costume, however, mascot performance involves far more than waving, dancing, or hyping up a crowd. It is a full-body language of improvisation, timing, endurance, and reading a room without ever saying a single word.

The student behind Rocky did not exactly plan to end up in a mascot suit. Their first real experience came from a search for something meaningful, a spark that emerged through a Special Olympics Oregon event.

What makes Rocky work is not a script or routine but a kind of controlled chaos inspired by cartoon logic, where every prank, interaction, or joke is built in real time and often backfires in some way.

Photo courtesy of Rocky.

Over time, the role became more than entertainment. It became a way of learning how to connect with people without speech, how to build confidence through repetition, and how a single moment in a costume can open doors to a much larger network of performers, teams, and unexpected opportunities.

The performer spoke about their experience, their approach to performance, and the unexpected path that led them into mascot work.

To preserve anonymity, identifying details have been generalized.

Q: How many years have you been performing as a mascot?
A: I first started in February 2024, but I did not really begin doing it regularly right away. If you count consistent involvement, it has been about two years.

Q: Your first mascot experience was performing as Chilbert for Special Olympics Oregon. How did that opportunity first come about, and what was it like stepping into a mascot role for the first time?
A: At the time, I was coming out of a really difficult period in my life and trying to figure out what direction I wanted to go in. I felt like I had not really found something I was passionate about yet. I did not play sports or anything like that. I just wanted to do something.

I remember staying up late at night looking up things to do in Oregon, and one of the things that came up was a Special Olympics event in Portland.

I looked through their volunteer opportunities and saw they had a mascot position listed. It said the position was full, but it also showed zero participants. I messaged the event organizer to ask if they needed a performer, and they said yes. About a month later, I finally got to do it.

I remember putting on the suit and being so afraid of what people would think when I stepped out of the changing tent. I honestly felt like I was about to throw up. But the second people saw me and their faces lit up, it was like a switch flipped. All the anxiety and sickness I felt at that moment disappeared. It felt like waking up from a good night's rest.

Q: What stands out most when you think back to your very first time performing in costume?

Photo courtesy of Rocky.

A: After the first event, I asked if they had any other mascot opportunities, because I already knew I wanted to do it again. They had one more event on Mount Hood, but after that there was nothing else planned for the season. 

That was the point where I realized I did not want to do this for just one month a year. I wanted to actually pursue it, either as a hobby or potentially as a future job.

That was when I really started researching mascot performance and looking for more opportunities. Around May, I reached out to LBCC, because they were the only organization that actually responded to me when I reached out about mascotting.

Q: How did you go from your first mascot experience to performing as Rocky at LBCC?
A: I reached out to a lot of different places, including high schools and Oregon State University. Even when I was not specifically asking about performing and was just trying to learn or get involved, LBCC was the only place that got back to me.

At first, I did not think I was meant to become the main performer for Rocky. They were just looking for someone to help with a graduation event, because they did not have anyone available.

But after I did that event, I ended up doing a few things that stood out, such as interacting with people in ways they were not used to seeing from the mascot. After that, I was asked to come back and perform at the Corvallis Knights game as well.

Photo courtesy of SLC.

Q: Rocky has become a recognizable part of campus life. How do you approach creating a personality for a mascot that never technically speaks?
A: I look to a lot of old Looney Tunes cartoons and things like that. I try to go around and cause little bits of chaos, like taking something from someone or setting up a situation. 

It always has to backfire in some way.

So I might tap someone on the left shoulder and run to the right, but then I end up tripping and falling. It is kind of a Wile E. Coyote situation, where I am constantly setting things up, but I end up getting caught in my own traps.

Q: Do you practice those motions, or is it all in your head when you’re in costume?
A: Both, actually. I keep a massive archive of photos and videos of myself in mascot roles, whether it is Rocky or other characters. I use them as reference and as a portfolio, whether I need to show them to employers or just review my own performance.

It has helped me figure out things like how to make eye contact in costume. In the Rocky suit, the head tilts upward, so you have to look toward people's stomachs to make it feel like eye contact. That is something I would not have understood if I did not have that kind of visual reference.

Q: You mentioned how networking works in an industry where you’re not allowed to speak. What

Photo courtesy of SLC.

does that actually look like?
A: A lot of it comes down to being in the right place at the right time. I was at events just because something small led me there, even something as simple as noticing a schedule and asking about it.

One example came early in my mascot career when my grandmother actually pointed out the Corvallis Knights schedule. 

She showed it to me and said the Corvallis Knights were supposed to be playing at Linn-Benton Community College. I asked if Rocky was supposed to be there, and it turned into me getting connected to that event. It was the first time the Corvallis Knights had played at Linn-Benton in about 20 years, and it was a pretty significant game for them.

At that event, I met the Corvallis Knights' mascot performer, who invited me to a mascot night about a month later. That event put me in front of a crowd of around 5,000 people and gave me the chance to meet the performers behind the Oregon Duck, Benny the Beaver, the Oregon Tech Owl, and several others from around the state.

It was kind of a domino effect. 

One small thing led to another, which led to another, and before long I had made connections across the mascot community. A lot of it happens organically rather than through anything formal or structured.

Photo courtesy of Rocky.

Q: Many people think there’s only one mascot performer per team. How do mascot crews actually work behind the scenes?
A: Typically, if there is one main performer, there are usually understudies, sometimes even multiple layers, depending on the organization. There is a primary performer and backups who can step in when needed.

At some schools or colleges, there is a small team assigned to one mascot so events can be shared. That way, one person is not doing every appearance, which is especially helpful if you are balancing school at the same time. 

There is a support crew behind the scenes handling logistics, bringing the suit, escorting the performer, and taking pictures. Even if there is only one person in costume, there is a full team making it happen, often five to 20 people, depending on the program.

Q: What do you wish more people understood about the work, preparation, and physical demands involved?
A: First, people do not always realize how expensive the suits are. Most professional mascot suits can cost tens of thousands of dollars because they are custom-made. Even lower-end or older suits are still a major investment compared to what people assume.

On the physical and mental side, anyone can put the suit on, but it takes real consistency and dedication to get good at it. A lot of it comes down to showing up, being reliable, and actually caring about the performance.

I have heard from professional performers and people who are hiring that they would rather call someone who shows up on time and is genuinely interested in the job, even if they have never done it before, than someone who is a seasoned veteran but is just in it for the money and does not really care about the work. It really comes down to how much you actually care about the performance and the character.

Photo courtesy of Rocky.

Q: Looking back at your journey from high school to working with multiple organizations, what has mascotting taught you about confidence, performance, and connecting with people?
A: Probably confidence. Definitely confidence. 

Social interactions are not as scary as people think they are, but you do not really understand that until you are in a job where you have to talk to people all the time. Even with social anxiety, you still have to do it.

One thing I use is basically forcing myself not to overthink. If I am about to do something I might find embarrassing or start second-guessing, I just do it immediately instead of sitting with it. 

I do not give myself time to talk myself out of it.

That applies to the suit too. If I get the urge to do something exaggerated, like if the other team scores and I feel like dropping to the ground and rolling around in frustration, I just do it. I do not spend time thinking about whether it is funny or not; I just act right away.

Q: Is there a code or etiquette that mascots follow when interacting with each other on the field in costume?
A: On the field, the main thing is to interact as much as possible. It is a lot like Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote-style of improv.

You are constantly building little scenes with each other in real time.

Something as simple as challenging another mascot to rock-paper-scissors or trying to cheat and still losing, is actually part of the fun. The idea is to stay in that back-and-forth and respond to whatever the other mascot is doing.

Photo courtesy of Rocky.

Q: What advice would you give someone interested in becoming a mascot performer?
A: Honestly, I do not think people talk enough about how to actually get started. The easiest way is to find an organization with a mascot and just ask. Say something like, “I have been trying to find opportunities like this for a while. Is there any chance you could put my name down if you ever need someone to perform?”

A lot of it is just getting your name out there. 

If people know who you are, have your contact information, and see that you are genuinely interested, they will reach out when they need someone. Organizations with mascots often just need reliable help. Once you get that first chance, use it to build connections and keep showing up.

Q: Are there any dream mascot opportunities or organizations you would love to work with someday?
A: Probably the NBA or NFL if I were to work as a professional mascot. It is a very physically demanding job, so it is not something I could see myself doing forever, but I would definitely consider relocating for a team with a good mascot program.

If that does not work out, I would love to teach the next generation of mascot performers at a university or similar program. Long term, I see myself moving into sports management, which is the current path I am interested in pursing.

Meet Rocky the Roadrunner

Species: Roadrunner

Age: Timeless
Hometown: Philomath, Oregon
Years in Feathers: 2
Current Occupation: Professional campus chaos coordinator
Favorite Cars: C5 and C6 Corvettes
Secret Talent: Communicating without saying a word
Career Goal: Sports management — with a few more mascot adventures first
Known Associates: LBCC Roadrunners, Salem Marion Berries and Hillsboro Hops
Favorite Audience: Anyone willing to play along with the bit

Interested in becoming a mascot yourself?

Reach out to LBCC's Student Leadership Council at 

getinvolved@linnbenton.edu.

For more information go to linnbenton.edu/current-students/slc/index.php

or scan the QR code.

Photo courtesy of Rocky.