Being a college mascot isn't easy, and that's true right from the start. Just getting the job means going through a pretty rigorous process, and according to the University of Arizona's Wilma the Wildcat, her experience started with tryouts that lasted for an entire week of interviews and applications and culminated in donning the mascot suit for just seven minutes. In that seven minutes, applicants were expected to show just what they would bring to the games — and seven minutes, the anonymous Wilma said, wasn't that long to work the crowd.
Different universities have different tryout protocols, but they're all serious stuff. Anyone wanting to be Jackson University's mascot not only has to sign up ahead of time and provide proof of their GPA, but they also have to submit a $25 audition fee and be prepared for several days of clinics, skits, improv, and cheer routines.
And it makes sense: Not only does a mascot have to be able to dance, jump, and wiggle their way down the sidelines, but they have to do it all wearing a massive costume. And that's just the beginning. After he retired from being the University of Arizona's Wilbur the Wildcat in 2013, Forrest Gmitro talked about how fit applicants needed to be: "Sure, I might not be all that muscular-looking, but when you have to do over 250 one-arm pushups at a football game — well, come and talk to me."
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