PROVO -- Don't bother asking Brett Eden about the identity of Brigham Young University's feline mascot. He won't tell you.
The former cheerleader and BYU marketing intern won't even humor queries about the man behind the mascot's mask.To Eden, it seems, Cosmo is a male cougar who walks upright, wears jerseys and lives on a nearby mountain.
"No, he's not someone dressed up as a cougar," Eden says with a quick wink and sly smile. "And that's what we all say."
Eden is among a select group at the 30,000-student school. He's on a first-name basis with Cosmo -- one of about 30 people who really know the tabby details of the cat's real life.
Along with a handful of administrators, the only people on campus who know the mascot's identity is Team Cosmo, a 13-member corps of behind-the-scenes BYU boosters who dedicate 20 hours a week coordinating Cosmo's appearances.
Eden was one of the founding members of the Team Cosmo, which started this year to raise the mascot's profile and make sure stunts are set up and ready for performances and games.
The genesis of Team Cosmo came from watching mascots from professional athletic teams. Special attention was paid to how the Utah Jazz Bear's "shadows" help him work the crowd.
As any careful Bear watcher would know, the NBA team's mascot doesn't set up his stunts or events by himself. He relies on a cadre of assistants who quickly and quietly work behind the scenes, providing assistance with skits, props and gadgets, helping him get dressed or simply fetching water.
At every sporting event, at every appearance, the assistants are there to help the mascot.
And, in a nutshell, those are the duties of Team Cosmo.
"It's been great to have Team Cosmo from the perspective of the cheer squad," said Nate Felt, the liaison between the marketing directors, the cheerleaders and the mascot.
Felt, a graduate student, wears a headset at each game to receive directions from marketing directors who want the cheerleaders and the mascot at specific spots during games.
"Before, the cheerleaders had to help Cosmo," Felt said, adding that the cheerleaders often had to lead the crowd in cheers and try to help Cosmo with his stunts at the same time.
"At times it was hard on him to wait for the cheerleaders."
Three team members are assigned to help Cosmo at each home game. The mascot appears at football, gymnastic, men's and women's basketball and volleyball events.
He also goes to assemblies at local elementary schools, community centers and promotion events for school sponsors.
One Team Cosmo member is required to follow the feline mascot around during games, carrying a big bag packed full of T-shirts, balls, posters, sling shots, a tennis racquet and bottles of water.
The "shadow" makes sure Cosmo has enough balls and shirts to throw when he's interacting with True Blue crowds.
"It's not bad if you can put up with people yelling 'Give me a ball' at you the entire game," said Aaron McGavock, a chemical engineering student who has taken his turn as Cosmo's helper.
The other two scuttle around the field, preparing the trampolines, mats, unicycles, stilts and other toys Cosmo uses to entertain the crowd during halftimes and time-out breaks.
Duties as Cosmo's out-of-the-limelight partners are alternated among team members.
"We balance it out between different people," said Chad Payne, another member of the team. "Sometimes it depends on who has homework."
BYU student Sarah Doyle had no problem becoming a member of Team Cosmo. Like most of the other members of the exclusive group, she knew some cheerleaders and a few marketing interns who asked if she'd like to join.
"We accepted anyone who wanted to do it," Eden said, adding that a few members are handed such duties as answering e-mail messages sent by students to Cosmo at Cosmo_BYU@hotmail.com.
Just don't ask him the real name on the e-mail account. He won't tell you.