Lehman High’s Alicia Naspretto has worn the Louie the Lobo costume for four years now and aspires to continue her mascoting career after high school.
by KIM HILSENBECK
After wearing the big Louie the Lobo head for the past four years, Alicia Naspretto is dreaming big.
The 17-year-old senior at Lehman High School plans to try out to be a college mascot at institutions like the University of Alabama and Baylor University, among others.
After college, she doesn’t want to work for a major sports team. She has one goal: to be Mickey Mouse at Disney World. She’s visited the famous theme park four times.
“I love it there!” Alicia said in a recent phone interview.
She certainly has a good start on her mascot resume. To start with, Alicia says Mickey must be between 5-foot-3 and 5-foot-4 based on the Disney applications she reviewed.
“I’m the perfect height to be Mickey Mouse,” Alicia said. “I’m 5-feet-3 1/2 inches.”
More importantly, she’s familiar with dressing up in a heavy costume and entertaining crowds of people. Starting as a freshman, Alicia has played the Lobo mascot every year since.
At football games, Alicia says she dances every time she hears the band play. She enjoys getting the crowd excited and making people laugh.
The past two years, Alicia took Louie on the road to mascot competitions.
Last year, she placed fifth. This year, second, choreographing her routine to a Broadway-themed song mix including tunes from “Grease,” “Hairspray” and “Footloose.”
For Alicia, it’s not just about football games and competitions. She frequently performs at local elementary schools. On the day of the interview, she was preparing to attend a family dance at Science Hall. On the first day of school this year, she welcomed kids and families at Fuentes Elementary.
Her favorite thing about being Louie, Alicia said, is it helped her come out of her shell.
“When I first started, I was really shy,” Alicia said. “Now, I get to be crazy in the suit. I make up dance moves and if I fall, everyone just thinks it’s funny because I’m Louie.”
This young woman is more than just a mascot. Alicia was elected class president each of the past three years.
“I like being a leader,” Alicia said. “But I don’t think I would go into politics.”
Besides, she really can’t go into politics – who else is going to wear that big Mickey Mouse head?
