BATON ROUGE — Getting into the Halloween spirit, the LSU athletics department held its 14th-annual Halloween BOOzar, a trick-or-treat event for children of the Baton Rouge community, Tuesday night at the Carl Maddox Fieldhouse.
The event featured student-athletes from every LSU athletic team handing out candy, signing autographs, taking pictures and playing sport-specific games with kids. Some athletes and coaches were also in costume, including women’s basketball head coach Van Chancellor, who donned an Elvis costume.
The tennis and volleyball teams played their respective sports with the costumed kids on mini courts, while the basketball teams held shooting clinics around goals. The golf team hosted a putt-putt green and the soccer team tested kids’ shooting ability on mini goals.
Perhaps the biggest production of the evening was the gymnastics squad’s balance beam and trampoline. The children were able to start out walking the balance beam before jumping on a trampoline onto a huge mat.
“It was awesome being able to see kids do gymnastics,” senior gymnast Susan Jackson said. “A lot of kids never get the opportunity to do gymnastics, so being able to see them enjoy walking on the beam and then jumping and flipping on the trampoline was really cool.”
Other teams such as track and field, swimming and diving, football, softball, baseball and spirit squads signed autographs, took pictures and handed out candy.
“I really enjoyed interacting with the kids at this event,” baseball player Micah Gibbs said. “It’s a safe environment where kids can come out and enjoy the Halloween festivities. They also meet the players they see on TV and look up to.”
The event also raised several bins of canned goods for the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank as part of the annual CHAMPS Thanksgiving food drive.
The Halloween BOOzar is another opportunity for LSU student-athletes to serve and interact with the community.
“I look forward to this event every year,” Jackson said. “I’m thankful to have the opportunity to give back, especially to kids that kind of look up to us.”
“It was awesome seeing kids in their costumes,” Gibbs said. “It’s definitely a humbling experience seeing a kid dress up like an LSU baseball player or something like that. Plus just the opportunity to be involved with the community is always a lot of fun.”