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Date: 10/19/2022
WEST SPRINGFIELD – Jim Syner doesn’t play hockey for the Springfield Thunderbirds, but he does play a key role on and off the ice.
The West Springfield resident is the primary performer of Boomer, the team’s mascot. As Boomer, he’s a highly visible presence in the Springfield area for the Thunderbirds. As Boomer, Syner has made more than 1,000 community visits and nearly 370 home game appearances at the MassMutual Center during the past six years.
Syner said the best part of his job is bringing joy to kids.
“It’s all about the seeing the smiles on their faces. When I go to an event, even if it’s not hockey-related, if I can make a kid’s day, it might be the greatest thing that happened to him or her that day,” he said.
“One of the things that makes me most happy,” he added, “is the T-Birds’ involvement in the community. I get as much joy out of being in front of a class of 20 to 30 kids as I do skating in front of 6,000 fans.”
He’s no stranger to this role, having performed as Screech, the team mascot for the Springfield Falcons, in the team’s final seasons before the T-Birds took Springfield’s AHL reins in 2016.
Syner got into the Screech mascot suit for the first time when he was working as the Falcons’ team photographer. The team’s media relations person asked him to do a public appearance at the last minute.
“It was a rally at a West Springfield school. I had a blast,” recalled Syner. “It was a great time – I had so much fun.”
Public appearances as Screech increased, with Syner eventually taking over the role permanently. When the Falcons left town and the Thunderbirds arrived, Syner was invited to perform the role of Boomer. He said T-Birds management has always been very supportive of him.
“This the best management and ownership group I’ve worked for,” said Syner.
On game nights, he arrives several hours before the puck drops to get into his Boomer suit, put on his skates, and get his ATV ready.
“When I go out for my pre-game introduction, I drive out in an ATV and start spinning around. It’s pretty cool,” he said.
When the players take the ice, Syner moves into the stands, constantly circulating through each section, going up and down stairs to get to fans.
“Basically, I just go around fist bumping – I’m a big fist bump guy. I’ve gotten away from doing high fives. It’s just more efficient – I can fist bump more people than I can high five. And it’s also more sanitary.”
He also signs lots of autographs and poses for “lots and lots” of selfies. The top requests Syner gets from fans are photographs and selfies.
Unlike many other hockey teams’ mascots, he actually skates on the ice – he returns to the rink for intermissions – and stays until the end of the game.
“I started a tradition of staying until the final whistle,” Syner said. “At the end, I stand under Section 26 so people who don’t catch me during the game can find me for photos.”
A big part of his role as a mascot is entertaining fans. Over the years, Syner has developed several routines at games: “I do a little funny thing when I go up the 61 stairs to the upper levels – I stop halfway and pretend I’m out of breath. People get a big kick out of it.”
Another routine is sitting in an empty chair next to somebody. He crosses Boomer’s legs, puts his head back, and pretends to be taking a little break while watching the game.
“The fans crack up,” said Syner.
He’s learned a lot of tricks about being a mascot by going to other teams’ games and watching their mascots – including the Red Sox’ Wally the Green Monster and the New England Patriots’ Pat Patriot.
“I’ve learned little bits from different people about what works, what makes people laugh, and how to get a smile,” he said.
Since Boomer can’t talk, Syner communicates to fans in other ways:
“Everything is simple – hand gestures and expressions. My hands are always moving. If I see a regular fan, I’ll point at the person and they’ll point back or give me a thumbs-up.”
During his time as Screech and Boomer, Syner estimates he has performed in front of more than 2 million hockey fans at home games. He added that as the team mascot, he’s been on the ice more times than many players.
“Players come and go, but I’ve been consistent as the mascot. Some mascot programs put different people in the suit – sometimes every game and sometimes every year,” explained Syner.
In recognition of Syner’s dedication to community involvement, the Thunderbirds presented him with their IOA/American Specialty AHL Person of the Year award last spring. It traditionally acknowledges a player for his outstanding contributions to his local community. Last season it was expanded to allow teams to recognize other individuals who played an important, and perhaps unexpected, role in supporting their organization or the local community.
“Jim’s passion and support of his hometown community are evident every time you see Boomer at an event bringing smiles to faces of fans, both young and old,” said Thunderbirds President Nathan Costa.
Inside the bird
While being Boomer may look easy, it’s a challenging job. For one thing, Syner’s vision from inside the suit is limited.
“I basically have tunnel vision,” he said. “I have to be careful walking with the suit’s big feet – especially going up and down stairs.”
It’s a physically demanding job, too, so he has to stay in shape.
“I do a lot of brisk walking and riding my bike during the summer. You got to stay in decent shape,” added Syner, who is in his 60s. During community events – especially in summer heat – it can be hot in the suit, even though it’s made of mesh and designed to breathe.
Before Syner took on the roles of Screech and Boomer, he began his mascot career with some local organizations and sports teams. Among them: Stanley the Squirrel for the Westfield Starfires baseball team, the Cat in the Hat for the Dr. Seuss Museum, and Fezzie the bear for the Melha Shriners.
When he’s not performing as Boomer, Syner operates a photography studio and does screen printing for a sports store. Syner, who also mentors aspiring mascots, said he’s done more than 4,000 appearances as a mascot, and he still enjoys it.
He said a lot of people stop being mascots because they can’t do it physically or they’re no longer excited about doing it.
“When that happens, you can fake it a little bit for a day. or you can fake an appearance if you aren’t feeling well, but you can’t fake a whole career of being a mascot. You’ve got to be into it. For me, it’s fun and satisfying – it’s a cool job.”