Although funny, cute and sometime even acrobatic, those who make a career of mascoting, like “Dub” and “Bo” of the Kannapolis Intimidators, “Conrad” of the Hickory Crawdads, “Kickeroo” from Richmond, Va., and “Ted E. Tourist” of Asheville, take their job seriously.

The group of mascots attended a training session at L.P. Frans Stadium, home of the Hickory Crawdads, on Monday.

Hosted by Giacalone of Mascot Consulting and the Hickory Crawdads, the camp offered varied techniques to many of the South Atlantic League mascots to help them enhance their characters.

The goal of the camp is to offer a few extra tricks of the trade to current mascots and others who aspire to become professionals.

Giacalone who now performs as “Cosmo,” fell into mascoting during his college days after he stole the costume and head of his school mascot. The crowd, including the college president’s wife, loved his act and said he was doing great until he pulled his head off in the middle of the crowd.

He has since worked with the Charlotte Knights as the original “Homer the Dragon,” and for the Colorado Rockies as “Dinger the Dinosaur.” He has also assisted the Charlotte Hornets during their transition period of changing mascots.

Giacalone asked the mascots who attended the camp what type of mascot they were and the type of mascot they wanted to be, telling them sports are entertainment and “mascoting is a way to fill in the gaps and hopefully add something.”

Individuals who work as mascots lose themselves in the character, he said, adding, “You are a living, breathing cartoon character.”

He told the group to know the costume and never let it hold them back in any way, even though that’s not always the easiest thing to do.

One mascot said, “Try signing an autograph with a claw.”

Everything from the entrance to the walk plays a role in whether or not the performance is a crowd pleaser.

Just because a mascot is funny doesn’t necessarily mean something else won’t go wrong, according to Giacalone, who shared stories of the knees in one of his costumes being ruined, needing two sets of hands every year and even the suit having an awful stench at times.

Some glitches are more extreme than others, according to another mascot who shared the time he and a pro wrestler decided to do a skit together.

The wrestler planned to wing it but accidentally hit him in the face with a baseball bat. He recalled waving at the crowd and somehow making it inside.

“Everybody was like, man that was good — then I took the head off and everybody started screaming.”

The impact of the bat broke every bone in his face, he said.

They all agreed the job is not always “glistening and glamorous,” as phrased by another mascot.

A successful mascot program requires not only a talented performer, but commitment from the organization, including good costume and resources, said Giacalone.

Knowing the audience is another important feature of mascoting, said Giacolone, who joked about popular children’s character “Barney” and his simple, friendly wave.

As for sports with an audience of mostly adults, he said, “You have to be good to entertain men.

“There are some fans who no matter how good you are, they don’t want you around — the key is to recognize it.”

Humphrey Liu, Cosmo’s assistant, said many people misunderstand the mascoting. “They think it’s a simple trick you tack on,” he said. “The more you’re exposed to it, you realize it’s a true art.”

• Reach Denise James at 322-4510, Ext. 257 or djames@hickoryrecord.com.