Clutch Archives - The Blonde Side

Clutch is more than a furry cheerleader with hilarious non-verbal antics parading around the Toyota Center. Having shadowed the Houston Rockets mascots at a recent game, I’m not sure anyone is more excited to see the NBA back in action than Clutch himself.

With the Rockets riding a seven-game winning streak going into Wednesday night’s home game against the Milwaukee Bucks, there’s more reason to be excited than many people probably thought as well.

During those tumultuous NBA Lockout talks, people were concerned about the players. Then came growing concern for the dance teams, the athletic trainers, the customer service staff and the food vendors. Those part-time folks that relied on that extra income to pay bills became another concern.

With sweat dripping down his face, Boudwin (who can now talk because he’s not near any of the fans) huffs and puffs, “Man, I missed this.”

But did anyone stop to think about the mascots who are just as much a part of basketball as David Stern himself?

Clutch (or Robert Boudwin, the excited human inside) is a full-time front office employee with the Houston Rockets, as is his “Mascot Coordinator” Dominic Davila, who wears “Rocketman” on the back of his silver suit — the silver suit that accompanies Clutch almost anywhere inside and outside the Toyota Center.

A day in the life of an NBA mascot:

– Clutch and crew arrive to the Toyota Center at least two hours before the game. (For the sold-out crowd on opening night, they got there four hours early to rehearse the season’s new skits. The skit Clutch was most pumped about was set to the tune of Aerosmith’s “Back in the Saddle.”)

Remember, Clutch is a full-time Rockets employee, so on game days, he walks from his upstairs office down to his personal dressing room on floor level which makes for an extremely long day.

– About an hour before tipoff, Clutch hops on his Segway, zips around the concourse high-fiving vivacious fans and then heads outside to the Budweiser Lift-Off pregame concert for photo-ops and a dance party. After a few minutes of pictures, he hops on stage, grabs a microphone, does a jig or two and then his “handlers” forcefully encourage him to get back on his ride and head up to the Memorial Hermann Sky Court, because they too have a game clock to abide by.

– Clutch heads back into the Toyota Center with his crew guiding him the entire way. “Clutch, duck your head,” they yell as he gets into a private service elevator. “Clutch, turn left and look down,” they call out so he’ll notice the little kid below him trying desperately for a high-five.

Boudwin’s crew serves as his eyes and ears while he’s suited up — not to mention his voice. The most important rule as a mascot — NO TALKING WHILE IN THE SUIT.

Clutch relies on his nonverbals (ferociously waving, shaking his midsection, jumping up and down) to show fans his excitement and feelings. But when it’s needed (and I assure you, it is), Dominic, his coordinator for the past 11 years, speaks for him.

“Sorry kids, Clutch has to keep going,” or “Watch out guys, Clutch is coming through,” he yells to keep Clutch on his already tight schedule. Somehow Clutch still manages to find time to get in the face of an opposing team’s fan while Rockets fans laugh and capture it all on their iPhones.

– Pulling up to the sky court, there is already a line of fans of all ages, eagerly waiting. For the next 15 minutes, Clutch’s big furry hand autographs mini-sized posters and stops long enough for fans to take a photo. (Note: his handlers have to hand the poster to the fans, because Clutch’s hands are too big and clumsy to grab that flimsy piece of glossy paper.)

– Clutch makes his graceful exit (literally oblivious to all the fans trying to pull him from all directions for their own family photo) and heads down to his personal dressing room, which sits directly across from the Rockets team locker room. Finally, he gets to take his head off.

With sweat dripping down his face, Boudwin (who can now talk because he’s not near any of the fans) huffs and puffs, “Man, I missed this.” While in his room, he chugs two bottles of water, and changes the sopping wet Dri-Fit shirt he wears under his costume (he sweats through at least seven each game).

Because of how hot it gets in the suit, Clutch is supposed to take a break (with water and sans bear head) every 15 minutes. Sometimes he gets so into the crowd, he forgets how long he’s been out there and his team has to literally drag him behind the black curtains on the side of the court.

– Behind the curtain, Clutch is once again gasping for air. His arms are tired from holding up the bulky and awkwardly shaped 8’ x 4’ x 4’ box sign, which weighs exactly 40 pounds (the largest in sports) over his head multiple times while simultaneously leading the crowd in chants. Again, he changes his sweat-laden shirt right there in the confines of the hallway.

Meanwhile Mini-Clutch (also sweating and panting) hands a pink Starburst to his coordinator, who instinctively knew to unwrap it for him because his bear hands made it impossible. The pair heads back out to flirt with the Rockets Power Dancers.

– Back in his dressing room, Clutch and crew review their pre-printed schedule of events and appearances. As he gets ready for a seat visit to a fan in section 125, he’s checking his can of Silly String to make sure it’s got plenty of ammo. The whole crew heads over to the seats and for a solid 55 seconds, Clutch douses the diehard Rockets fan in pink and blue Silly String.

Meanwhile Mini-Clutch is on the concourse taking photos. A nearby woman asks Clutch to hold her baby for a photo (surprisingly the tiny baby doesn’t even cry) and Clutch nonchalantly walks away with the baby.

When Clutch finally returns the baby, fans are lined up waiting for their own photos to immediately upload to Facebook.

– During this whole charade, Clutch’s bulky arms accidentally spill a fan’s popcorn. Because of the major lack of peripheral visibility from the costume head, Clutch has no idea. Back in the dressing room one of the coordinators tells Clutch (who at this point has morphed back into Robert) that she looked displeased.

“Please take two hats, two T-shirts and a new box of popcorn to her and give her a big fat I’m sorry,” Boudwin says genuinely.

– A few minutes later, another timeout is called and Clutch is once again snapping his red Rockets uniform over his furry arms, putting his head on, and heading back out on the court. My all-time favorite Clutch move is when he strips off his jersey directly in the line of view of San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker who is trying to sink two free throws.

Clutch is left wearing nothing but his ginormous shoes (size 22 BB for double bear) and then once again scurries behind the curtain (while Dominic literally picks up the pieces).

Just from the play-by-play listed above, you can see Clutch is a busy man. Um, bear.

If you’ve ever wondered why he doesn’t stay in one place too long, it’s because fans will bombard him and he’ll never make it to another section or back on the court for his scheduled skits. Plus, fans will miss out on the improv nonsense.

Mascots have rules too. Here are just a few:

– Signs behind the basket during opposing team free throws cannot be larger than 17” x 11”.

– Mascots may not walk directly adjacent to the court (courtside) during play

– Mascots may not target or ridicule a specific player from an opposing team

– The use of pyrotechnic is prohibited once the game has begun and can only be used pregame with prior written league permission

After following Clutch around for an entire game, I’m not sure who gets more of a run in — the Rockets starting five or the bear and his crew.

Introducing the Clutch Crew:

Robert Boudwin — Clutch, in his 17th season.

Dominic Davila — Full time assistant/sidekick/manager/agent/bodyguard/secretary/translator/right arm (as quoted by Clutch)

Michael Gonzales — Clutch Crew on game nights

Michael Trussel — Clutch Crew on game nights

Brandon (Tuff) Schoenberg — Mini-Clutch

This article was featured on Culture Map, Houston’s Daily Digital Magazine in the sport’s section.

Even from a Houston sports non-traditionalist like myself, I have to admit Clutch is one of the best mascots in the NBA. Hands down. Possibly even in all of sports. Yes, I said it.

If there were such a thing as mascot camp, Clutch would surely be the leader, right? Right.

In it’s second year of mascot camp, the Rockets are still the only NBA team to put on such a camp. While other kids are busy frolicking at music camp or fat camp, twenty of the most energetic middle school, high school and even a few college kids are hanging out with Clutch to learn how to be the best. Without saying a word.

The improv sessions and tips shared at mascot camp were so invaluable, furry and scaly animals from all over Texas and beyond came out. Even Oklahoma native, Sam “The Husky” Davis who is only a junior high student at Sequoyah but is so good at mascotting, he’s the Edmond North High School mascot. (Note – I’m not even sure if mascot can be turned into a verb, such as mascotting, but after witnessing this camp, I’m a proponent for it.) At only thirteen-years old, Sam has been a mascot for four years and is well on his way to anonymous stardom.

Robert Boudwin, or “Clutch the Bear” (which we shall use interchangeably from here on out) has been a mascot for over twenty years and is going into his 17th season as Clutch. Seventeen seasons in a sport is tough. For anyone. Think about it. Not many athletes last that long. Definitely not many front office staff either. And if you don’t think Clutch is an athlete or part of the Houston Rockets front office, you surely are mistaken.

Having witnessed just a 15-minute performance for the campers in an air-conditioned conference room inside the Toyota Center, I can personally vouch that Robert sweats more than Kobe, Shaq and the head of Sam Cassell combined.

If you think he’s not part of the front office, then you’re crazier than one of these animated mascots. At over 9-feet tall, Clutch is a living, breathing billboard and an extension of the Rocketball brand. As Robert pointed out during camp, the ball is in play for 48 minutes, but fans are in their seats for over two and a half hours. That’s 150 minutes chockfull of Clutch antics of dancing, cakes-in-face, stripping down to his skivvies and whatever else the loveable, huggable mammal conjures up.

Even schools like University of Houston – Downtown see the value in Clutch’s camp sending their Gator, Donte Lewis, to learn from Clutch. “They want me to learn to be more interactive, like Clutch,” Donte said. Blake Bjostad and Jake Hansen made the 500-mile roundtrip trek from Allen, TX with their teacher to learn from Clutch. Jake and Blake were the only inflatable mascots (“Big Boy” the Eagle) at camp wowing the group with their signature headstand. Last year, aspiring mascot Ryan came out sans costume to learn the peculiarities of mascotting. After gaining skill and confidence from camp, Ryan happily returned this year as the Cy-Fair Bobcat with costume in hand.

My favorite part of mascot camp was watching the mascoters dress up in their own costumes and take cues from Clutch on the sideline. He’d yell prompts like, “show me elated, you’re on fire, confident” for the mascots to act out.

Here are a few noteworthy performances:
Clutch’s cue: Show me dead.
Sarah Alcoser (aka “Kitty the Bulldog” from John H. Reagan)’s reaction: turns mascot head around
Clutch’s cue (to a female mascot): You’re the man!
Female mascot’s reaction: grabs crotch area
Clutch’s cue: Show me you have to go to the bathroom. Number 1. But don’t grab yourself.
Four mascot’s reactions: not a thing
Clutch’s cue: You just got a phone call. It’s your mother.
Mascot: hangs up phone.

I promised Clutch I wouldn’t reveal all his trade secrets, but here are some key components to being a successful, well-rounded mascot I learned at camp:

– Learn the difference between creepy and aggressive (I can imagine this is a key differentiator to being successful at your gig).

– Find a good balance of your skits and innuendos as a mascot. It’s difficult to make the masses (adults and kids alike) laugh at one skit, but think more like Homer Simpson, not Peter Griffin.

– Don’t wave like a normal person, wave like a cartoon character with your entire body. The costumes absorb motion so every move you make should be exaggerated. If Clutch goes to shake his tail feather, you won’t see anything with that robust costume, so he grabs his hips or his backside for fans to see.

– Like Big Brother, someone is always watching the mascot. With over 18,000 seats in the Toyota Center, Clutch ensures even his break time is part of the game.

– Never let the audience see you partially dressed in costume. “Think of yourself like Superman. You’re either all Clark Kent or all Superman. Never a partial variation of either,” Clutch explains.

– Don’t make refs the butt of your joke. Ever. (Especially not the overplayed Three Blind Mice piece.)

– My personal favorite – “If your character has a tail, make sure that’s all it’s used for.”

That’s a wrap on mascot camp. As Clutch would say, “Good work. Everyone can take their heads off now.”

This article was featured on Culture Map, Houston’s Daily Digital Magazine in the sport’s section.

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