April 17, 2002

By Linda Hamilton
Deseret News

SALT LAKE CITY - At the final Utah men's home basketball game, an ESPN telecast, Ute mascot "Swoop," the red-tailed hawk, couldn't fly. Or rather, couldn't dunk. He missed. The crowd booed. The public address announcer fired him and called for a replacement.

In raced this 5-foot-nuthin' "Baby Swoop," wearing a baggy costume designed for a 6-footer. Baby Swoop went into the stands and began "playing" with the crowd, then prepared to dunk the ball on the court off a mini-tramp. Baby Swoop missed the first but made the second dunk. Everyone went wild. "I hung on the rim," Baby Swoop said proudly.

In the stands, Ute gymnasts Theresa Kulikowski and Kylee Wagner suddenly realized something. " 'Oh my gosh, that's Melissa out there,' " said Baby Swoop, a k a Melissa Vituj. "They could just tell by my actions and how I was playing around, they figured out that it was me."

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