See the man with the giant blondish Mohawk? He's tapping two white, Blazer-logo, ThunderStix together near the center of this cropped photo. Between him and the television camera in the Blazers' jersey is Blazer Bruce, full name Bruce Jeremiah, who dances up a storm at home games, often during a 4th quarter time out when the crowd gets louder and louder, living up to our reputation as the best 6th man in the league. Everyone around Bruce looking up is watching the Jumbotron where, during the blasting of the music, he appears on screen and instigates even louder hollering--we fans love him! I noticed his seat mate on the night of January 29, 2013, while we played the Dallas Mavericks. We won at the buzzer, thanks to a basket by LaMarcus Aldridge!
About Blazer Bruce, from The Oregonian: Look better/feel better: New Year's motivation from Blazer Bruce Jeremiah
By Nick Budnick, Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Celebrity and necessity played equal parts in 71-year-old Bruce Jeremiah's loss of 32 pounds. Three years ago, the loyal Portland Trail Blazer fan was pictured on the Rose Garden Jumbotron screen, enthusiastically dancing during a timeout. Since then, among local fans, he's become well known as Blazer Bruce: the sturdy white-haired fellow who likes to show off his moves at every home game, and who's even joined the Blazer dancers to perform on court.
At the start of his onscreen exploits, he checked in at 265 pounds and a 46-inch waist. Diets in the past had never lasted. But frequent dancing made him lose weight to give a break to his bad right knee, and being up on the screen every other game was motivational, too: "You don't want to look like a fat guy all the time."
The longtime owner of a recreational vehicle rental business on Southeast 82nd Avenue, he gave up his bottle-a-day habit of drinking good wine and has developed new eating habits: fewer carbs, no sweets and lots of fruit. Now, even at fine restaurants, "I don't have the appetite I had before," he says.
When the NBA lockout cut into his onscreen dance workouts, Jeremiah stepped up the gym visits he started two years ago; now he goes five times a week to do aerobics, weight lifting and Zumba dance classes. The workouts pay off in other ways, too: He took a bad spill the other day and came out of it unharmed. "It's helped big time," he says.
As the delayed NBA season begins, Jeremiah is ready, at 233 pounds and a 42-inch waist. "I want to lose 20 more."
4 comments:
He's 71? Dang. Good for him.
Those ThunderStix would give me a mega ultra headache.
Great shot. You capture the energy of the crowd.
There is always one at every game. Good for him.
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