So what were you doing the second week in August? I'm guessing most people were busy hitting the beach, picking up stuff for school -- or maybe you were riding the Metro smashed up against a lady who could start at left tackle for the Redskins.
Alright, that was probably just me. But whatever you were doing, chances are it didn't involve sparring with Sebastian the Ibis or acting out the chest-waxing scene from "The 40-Year Old Virgin" with Penn State's Nittany Lion. As strange as it sounds, that's exactly what a few brave Wahoos did earlier this month. It all went down at U.Va.'s summer school for human bobble heads: mascot camp.
Now I realize this is a sports column, and although it's tempting to weigh in on Christian Olsen or the genius that is Joe Gibbs, let's pause for a second before football gets into full swing and take a look at training camp for a different type of athlete. These are the guys that navigate a packed football stadium by peeking through a couple of mesh eye holes. They're the ones that aren't allowed to stand still for more than five seconds. They also routinely get screamed at by terrified toddlers. Sound good? Let's head to school.
On Sept. 9, Cavman will make his debut at Scott Stadium in front of thousands of delirious fans and a bank of national TV cameras. For the five students splitting time in the suit, that will not be the moment to screw up. That's why, just as summer temperatures were reaching their highest, it was time to drive down to Charlottesville for a week of walking lessons, dancing and lectures on everything from holding babies (read: don't) to signing autographs and using props.
Each summer, the Universal Cheerleaders Association sponsors camps for college teams across the country. The events usually draw hundreds of cheerleaders - as well as their fuzzy counterparts. All in all, seven NCAA D-I schools sent mascots to the Charlottesville UCA camp Aug. 8 to 12. This year, teams from Syracuse, Villanova, Colgate, Delaware, Penn State and Miami shipped their oversized animal suits into town for a little quality practice time -
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