Rugby team players volunteered for the eighth consecutive year with Pyro Pete, a large, inflatable mascot of the Hotter ’N Hell as part of their community service Aug. 24.
“It’s important for the team to be involved with the community and to be service oriented,” Coach Rod Puentes said.
Matt Davis, graduate in education, came back to help former teammates.
“We’ve been volunteering here for almost two decades now,” Davis said. Before Pyro Pete was in existence in 2005, players folded shirts, set up the course and helped with registration.
Captain Simba Musarurwa, senior in computer science, said, “It’s a way to get our rugby team out and to help with the community.”
The rugby team took out and set up the inflatable Pyro Pete after a year of storage at the starting line, cheering on and encouraging the cyclists. After the race had begun and all of the cyclists had made their way on their routes, the team took down Pyro Pete and moved him to the rest stop of Hell’s Gate in Burkburnett. Hell’s Gate, the 67-mile mark, is the decision point. Bikers who haven’t made it to Hell’s Gate within five hours take a shorter route, helping cyclists to ensure a safe and timely arrival back to the finish line.
While setting up Pyro Pete at Hell’s Gate, the team waited for the cyclists passing through, handed out bottled water, provided security, and jumped up and down to encourage the bikers who were 67 miles into the race. And after the last biker came through, the rugby team deflated Pyro Pete for another year. Or two.