Pep fest at Albert Lea High School are not truly pep fest without one important factor. The Tiger. Levi Kermes, junior, has been dressing up as the school’s mascot since the beginning of this year. A student council member brought it up in conversation and without an audition Kermes got the part.
“It was brought up casually and somehow I got the role”, said Kermes. “I thought it was going to be a onetime thing and now it’s a role I play.”
In the four or five times Kermes has been the tiger he says he enjoyed the homecoming game the most. But in general he enjoys just being in the costume, he says he would enjoy it a whole lot more if the fan inside the suit worked.
“Yeah it’s pretty fun, suits a little hot,” said Kermes. “It’d be nice if the fan worked.”
Kermes has had some interesting malfunctions with the suit. The ear almost fell of during the homecoming parade and one of his tiger paws fell off while walking in the drumline for cross country.
“My feet feel off when we were walking around for cross country so I was walking with one tennis shoe and one tiger foot.”
Despite the wardrobe malfunctions Kermes says he will continue to dress up as the tiger for as many times as needed but probably not next year so he can enjoy the pep fests and homecoming festivities for his senior year.