Bump the Moose to serve as Frost Heaves' mascot
May 31, 2006 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
Vermont Frost Heaves News Release
Cornwall, VT. The ABA Vermont Frost Heaves today introduced the team's mascot - a moose named Bump.
"We weren't going to get very far trying to bring a frost heave to life," said Alexander Wolff, the Sports Illustrated write who is president and general manager of the team. "But a moose is indigenous to the state and an essential character in the driving experience that all Vermonters share. As for the name - well, a bump is what a frost heave is."
"Whether Bump is showing up at county fairs during the summer, entertaining the crowd during timeouts at our games, or partnering with the Fish & Wildlife Department on driver education programs, he'll have a high profile as he helps introduce the ABA's fan-friendly and affordable brand of pro basketball to Vermont," Wolff added.
Bump is a native Vermonter who, like all moose, is drawn to roadsides in the spring to lick road salt. He was struck by a car as a moose pup and, having repaired to a nearby farm to convalesce, fell in love with a cow. After rejoining his family in the woods he continued to search for his bovine soulmate, wandering down Interstate 91, where he stumbled into a University of Massachusetts alumni game. That's where former ABA great Julius (Dr. J) Erving dunked a ball so ferociously that it became embedded in his head. That mishap took him on the throwback spirit of the red, white and blue league. Bump hasn't lost his passion for the game since returning to Vermont - nor has he gotten over that Holstein honey whom he's still looking for.
Bump is one of about 4,700 moose in Vermont - a population almost three times the capacity of the Frost Heaves' home venues, Barre Municipal Auditorium and Burlington's Memorial Auditorium. Some 100 to 200 moose are killed each year in collisions with motorists, so Bump advises:
*Increase your awareness when you see warning signs along highways, but be mindful that moose are liable to appear anywhere *Don't overdrive your headlights at night *If you see a moose ahead, slow down or stop. Don't speed up - they may appear lumbering, but moose have a great first step *Be particularly alert at this time of year, when moose are most active.
Like Champ, the mascot of the Vermont Lake Monsters, Bump is a creation of Jean-Claude Tremblay of Mascouche, Quebec, who company has manufactured hundreds of cuddly creatures over 25 years. Tremblay also created Youppi, who served with distinction as the mascot of the Montreal Expos until the team relocated to Washington. The Montreal Canadians have since bought the rights to Youppi, who has instantly become a source of goodwill and revenue for the NHL team.
Bump's social calendar is filling up quickly, and already includes various field days, county fairs and holiday parades, as well as Champ's Birthday Party at Centennial Field on August 9. For more information, contact Alexander Wolff at 802 989 3518 or alex@vermontfrostheaves.com or Dominic Tremblay at 450 474 0701 or dominic@mascottes.com or visit www.abalive.com.
Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.
American Basketball Association Stories from May 31, 2006
- Bump the Moose to serve as Frost Heaves' mascot - Vermont Frost Heaves
- Cedar Rapids team announces tryout - Cedar Rapids Running Guns
- Frost Heaves to host open tryout - Vermont Frost Heaves
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