Clutch performances
More than 60 contestants grin and bear it at auditions for Rockets mascot
Justin Roe arrived Saturday in a suit and red-and-silver tie, ready to make a strong impression as he interviewed for his dream job as a chubby bear mascot.
More than 60 applicants auditioned Saturday at the Toyota Center to become the new Clutch, who’s the face of the Houston Rockets almost as much as star guard James Harden. A mix of locals and professional mascots from all over the country showed up to interview and, if they made it to the final 10 or so, perform in the Clutch costume.
This is the first open audition for the Rockets mascot gig because the original, Robert Boudwin, retired after 21 years in July.
Roe, 23, flew in from Colorado. He’s a backup mascot for a major league baseball team who first fell in love with mascot work while acting as Pistol Pete, the cowboy mascot for University of Wyoming.
“Clutch is one of the icons in the mascot world,” Roe said. “It’s kind of like the white whale. When a job like this opens up, I’d be crazy not to try.”
Full-time mascots for professional teams typically earn close to $50,000 a year, but the biggest stars like the Philly Phanatic, Mr. Met and maybe even Clutch draw six figures.
“You get paid a pretty penny to be a bear,” said Natalie Alvarado, the Rockets entertainment director, although the Rockets aren’t disclosing specifics.
While many interviewed Saturday in Rockets T-shirts and shorts, Roe and several others took a more polished approach with professional attire and headshot photos.
“It’s a funny business, but I take it seriously,” he said. “It’s as professional as being a doctor or lawyer.”
The Rockets could make a job offer for Clutch as soon as this week, Alvarado said.
Boudwin just added twin daughters to his family, and opted to spend more time at home. Alvarado said the retirement left the team scrambling to find a replacement for the important gig. An Oct. 9 exhibition game is in Shanghai so a valid passport
would be, well, clutch. However, Alvarado emphasized finding the best person is more important.
“People are going to come to games with binoculars and watch Clutch’s every move, so we have to pick a really great person,” she said.
The job is all-encompassing with home basketball games, countless visits to schools and charity events, as well as all planning, skit-writing and administrative duties. The athletic mime must entertain 18,000 fans without showing his or her face, all while dancing and mak- ing acrobatic pratfalls in a sweat cauldron of a costume.
“They deserve all the credit,” Alvarado said. “It’s nasty under there. Some of those costumes can stink.”
The goal is to essentially keep Clutch the cute and cuddly, but a witty and mischievous character he’s always been. While Boudwin was athletic — even doing trampoline dunks in the burly costume — there’s a desire to add a little more acrobatics to the job, Alvarado said.
Even at 45 years old, Houston’s Gerald Graham thinks he’s up for the job. After all, he can still do back flips. Graham works as an actor and previously did mascot stints at Texas Southern University and Eastern New Mexico University.
“It’s very, very tough. A lot of people think they can do it, but they can’t,” Graham said. “If you’re not in shape, this job can really tear you down. But I love putting smiles on people’s faces. I love kids.”
One of the more colorful characters to audition was Jacob Calle, who got his mascot start as Chuck E. Cheese in Clear Lake. He went viral during Hurricane Ike walking on Galveston beach in a bear costume, and he’s per- formed stunts with scorpions on “American’s Got Talent.” He currently has a part-time gig as the “Air Bear” mascot for the U.S. Air Guitar competitions.
“Clutch is the Holy Grail of mascots. I love it,” Calle said. “It’s not just waving to people in a suit. You’re doing dangerous stunts where you can be paralyzed.”
And Calle lives just down the street from the Toyota Center.
“This is an opportunity like Neverland — to be an adult and never grow up,” he said.