Do You IQ ?  

 Q & A: Boomer     

He runs, flies through the air, has a really cool skateboard and does the best slam dunks in Indiana. Who is this large, happy creature with sweet skills? He’s Boomer, the Indiana Pacers’ mascot.  The feline came to visit Sycamore Sam and the ISU basketball team in November and gave iQ Magazine the opportunity to ask the blue and gold furball some very pressing questions.

(Although, he was frequently distracted by his tail . . . and if you’re interested, blue and gold hairballs are surprisingly shiny.)

iQ: Boomer, when is your birthday?

Boomer:  I was born in the fall of 1991.

iQ: Just how old does that make you then?

B:  I’m 13 years old!

iQ:  What kind of animal are you?

B:  I’m a panther.

iQ: Did you go to mascot school?

B:  Sure.  It’s called Mascots ‘R’ Us.

iQ: What about college? 

B:  I have a master’s degree in “catology” and bachelor’s in “feline.”

iQ:  How did you get your job?

B:  My parents dropped me off at a local cat daycare.  From there, I just took my talents and pounced around, and a local scout saw me and said, “Hey, you know, the Pacers are looking for a mascot, and I saw your talents, and the job is yours if you want to take it.”

iQ:  What do you do when you’re not at work? 

B:  I drink lots of milk and eat catnip!

iQ:  Do you have any mascot friends? 

B:  My friends would probably be Blaze from the Portland Trailblazers, Rocky from the Denver Nuggets and Clutch from Houston Rockets.

iQ: Do you have a girlfriend, Boomer?

B:  Yeah!

iQ:  What is your favorite TV show?

B:  I’m a big fan of “Tom and Jerry.”

iQ: Do you have a favorite song?

B:  My two favorite songs are “Black Cat” by Janet Jackson and “Cat Scratch Fever”  by Ted Nugent.

iQ: What kind of dunks can you do?

B: You name it, I can do it!

iQ: What is a normal day like for you?

B: Get up, drink a bowl of milk, do about four pull-ups, ten jumping jacks, a couple back flips then go into the office and scare a couple of people, have lunch then work out a little more then go to bed.

iQ: Have you been anywhere other than Indiana?

B: Yeah, I’ve traveled all over the world.  I’ve been to Aruba, Australia, Cancun, Disneyland, France, Germany, Mexico City and Portugal.

iQ: Have you ever met anyone famous?

B: Yeah, I’ve met lots of famous people.  I’ve met Muhammad Ali, Marshall Faulk, George Foreman, Jon Bon Jovi, Rob Lowe, Peyton Manning, John Mellencamp and Justin Timberlake.

iQ: Do you have any advice for people?

B: Be true to yourself!