IN-GAME PHYSIOLOGIC RESPONSES OF A DIVISION I COLLEGIATE MASCOT COMPARED TO VARSITY SOCCER ATHLETES

Abstract

The physiologic responses collegiate athletes experience during practice/competition are reasonably well understood; however, an important yet understudied group who also exerts substantial effort during sporting events are team mascots. Mascots typically wear heavy suits/uniforms that create an environment not conducive to effective temperature regulation, thus putting the wearer under high physiologic stress. Although physiologic responses experienced by collegiate athletes and mascots during athletic competitions have been studied previously, it is unknown how these responses compare with one another. PURPOSE: To compare in-game heart rate (HR) responses and accelerometer data of a collegiate mascot with those of collegiate soccer athletes. METHODS: A physiological tracking system was used to evaluate HR and movement from three groups: a mascot while “in suit” [N=7 (1 female)] during a football game, and players in the first half of a varsity men’s (N=9) and women’s (N=9)] soccer game, separately. All games were played under similar ambient conditions (avg 21°C, 60% rh, 5 mph wind). Prior to the study, individuals’ HRmax values were determined during graded treadmill tests performed to volitional exhaustion or an on-field intermittent recovery test. Variables analyzed were time ”in suit”/on the field, distance traveled (meters/min), and percent of time in pre-established HR zones [HRzone1 (50-59%HRmax), HRzone2 (60-69%HRmax), HRzone3 (70-79%HRmax), HRzone4 (80-90%HRmax), and HRzone5 (>90%HRmax)]. Differences between groups were evaluated via a one-way ANOVA. RESULTS: There were no differences between groups for time spent “in suit”/on the field (~47 min); however there was a significant difference between groups for distance traveled (p<0.001), with the mascot traveling less distance (35±6 m/min) than the soccer players (men, 115±25 m/min, women, 107±4 m/min). All three groups spent over 90% of time “in-suit”/on the field in HRzones 3, 4 or 5, and 75% of time in HRzone 4 or 5. There were no significant differences between groups for time spent in various HRzones. CONCLUSION: The mascot suit environment created a physiological strain on the wearer similar to that of a varsity collegiate soccer athlete, despite much less movement performed per session.