This year NCAA athletes say R.I.P to all those boring, bare-boned Halloween costumes. Instead, they are tapping into their creative reserves and striving for originality.

Everyone from kind and inspiring leaders to demonic high school dictators will saunter around the locker rooms and Tulane’s campus this coming Halloween as the players prepare for the upcoming weekend festivities.  

The childhood dream of becoming a professional athlete lingers in the minds of most NCAA athletes. This Halloween, redshirt freshman guard Riley Conroy will physically emulate the struggle of rising above the competition by portraying owner, player and coach Jackie Moon of the fictional basketball team the Tropics from the movie “Semi-Pro.” Hopefully the luck that the Tropics possessed when defeating the Spurs will remain with Conroy and the basketball team even after he stows away his alternate Halloween persona.

The cross country team needs to channel Speed Racer if they hope to make it back in time for the night’s festivities. If they are able to participate, freshman runner Sarah Marvin plans on strutting around Broadway Street in a sparkly blue alien costume putting E.T. to shame. 

A little less out of this world and more like out of this century, a group of seniors on the swim team take the time machine back to 1976. The group will take on the persona of the malicious seniors from the movie “Dazed and Confused” who haze the new freshmen all summer long. Hopefully, they plan to only represent these intimidating seniors in appearance.

For those who scare easily at the thought of seniors or some spooky skeletons, seek out the most positive Knope anyone has ever met. Track and field’s very own redshirt sophomore Daliadiz Ortiz has dug the legendary local litigator Leslie Knope from the television series “Parks and Recreation” from her grave of cancellation for her brief revival campaign tour. As Ms. Knope tours Tulane, make sure to get those autographs while she remains with the living.

An early apology goes out to all of the monotonous mummies, general ghosts and colorless cowgirls because the Tulane NCAA athletes will steal the show this Halloween in a truly imaginative fashion.