A balmy night, happy families, funny football and high school friends made the 13th annual Mascot Bowl an undisputed success. The annual event was held at Skyridge High School but both high schools’ student-bodies came out en masse to support this charitable event.
Kids could get signatures of all the mascots and see the Jazz dancers and Jazz stunt team up close and personal. Jazz Bear and Little Jazz Bear were on hand along with mascots from several professional sports teams. BYU’s Cosmo was a particular fan favorite. There were food vendors surrounding the stadium and inflatable toys for young children to enjoy. A hot air balloon from the Bank of American Fork added a spectacular backdrop to the game between the mascots and 8th grade football teams. The mascots won the friendly competition, 26-24.
The Mascot Bowl was first conceived by Becky White and the Jazz Bear. White, a Lehi High School sports marketing teacher, and the Jazz Bear first decided to collaborate on the event to raise money for deserving elementary age students who may not have Christmas gifts. The Lehi Fire Department became a partner as well. The event has raised enough money to provide a shopping day for hundreds of children. Students from the high school accompany the youngsters in a holiday shopping spree that delights all involved. Syd White, former student at Lehi High School said, “Jazz Bear shopping day was the highlight of her Christmas holiday.”
One of the touching sights of the night was seeing students from both high schools embrace as they ran into each other. Cheerleaders from both schools cheered together and friends from both schools sat together in the stands. It was heartwarming for many to see the high school division melt away in a warm fall night of unity and fun.
