Cosmo on the sidelines against Boise State. (Ari Davis)
Over a dozen students showcased their athleticism and talent Friday afternoon at Cosmo tryouts in the Smith Field-house.
Preliminary tryouts were held in April but a second round of tryouts were held to find freshman who wouldn't have had the opportunity last spring. Dave Eberhard is in charge of the Cosmos and the dunk team and expects a high level of athleticism, talent and charisma from his guys.
'I need freshman in order to make this program continue,' Eberhard said. 'To get a guy who's good enough to step in Cosmo...you need a couple years.'
Students were put through intensive cardio and various skills tests to find out who were the best tumblers, dancers and in the best shape. Acrobatics and athleticism are important but ultimately it's crowd interaction that matters.
'It's definitely people that can gain a crowd and get them behind you and get them to do stuff without saying a word,' Eberhard said.
A student does a flip during Cosmo tryouts. (Natalie Bothwell)
At least one student trying out had experience getting a crowd involved. Tyler Rostedt is a 25-year-old freshman from Australia who was a mascot for their NBA equivalent.
'Before I even came here I wanted to be Cosmo,' Rostedt said. 'That's going to be me.'
Zak Potts poll vaulted for BYU his freshman year before his mission and is in incredibly good shape. But even he was out of breath and surprised at the level of athleticism and endurance expected.
'It's way more intense than I thought it would be,' Potts said. 'I thought I was going to come here do a few flips and leave.'
Lots of students expressed surprise at how physically demanding tryouts are. But it's expected when you have to go hours in a poorly ventilated mascot outfit that makes it hard to catch a breath.