Emily Brodbeck grew up idolizing Texas Tech’s iconic mascot the masked rider. Some of her fondest memories from childhood involve watching the horse and its rider make the run down the football field during the games. And this year, she finally got to hold the reins when she became the 58th masked rider.
Prior to this school year, Brodbeck had worked alongside the Masked Rider as an assistant and then a stage manager. “But actually getting to be the person in the saddle has been an amazing experience,” she says.
But this year has been unlike any other in the program’s history. Not only has the pandemic eliminated all in-person events, it also halted tryouts for the next rider. In Stephanie Rhode’s 17 years of directing the program, she’s never experienced anything like it.
The Masked Rider program has been an official Texas Tech mascot since 1954, when Joe Kirk Fulton saddled up for the first time. However, the tradition spans back into the 1930s, when the rider was called the "Ghost Rider." Over the decades, it's become a presitigious position, highlighting Tech's "cream of the crop," according to Rhode. In her time, she explains that they’ve never had to adapt the program or tryouts in anyway. And since the duties of the Masked Rider rely heavily on in-person events and football games, she’s not sure when they’ll get back to normal. “We’re just in a holding pattern right now,” she says.
Before the university had closed, candidates for next year’s rider had been narrowed down to three. They had started the tryout process back in January. It’s a grueling three-month process involving a written test, driving test, riding test and more. When they’ve narrowed down the candidates, the final step is to be interviewed by a panel of 25 people. All this to make sure that they’ve found the best of the best to represent the university.
“It’s such an important mascot to the university,” Rhode says. “It’s such an identifier to Texas Tech. we really take our time and really make sure that we got the right person in there.”
And this spirit program isn’t the only one having to adapt. On the day of our interview, Rhode was finishing up phone interviews with candidates for next year’s cheer squad. Since they can’t hold in-person tryouts, they’ve been shuffling through the hundreds of video submissions and getting to know their potential cheerleaders over the phone—not ideal for Rhode. “This year has just been really different,” she says. “I hope we don’t have to do it ever again.”
While every part of daily life seems affected by the coronavirus, one member of the Texas Tech family is unfazed: Fearless Champion. “He’s loving it right now, he’s getting to hang out and just be a horse,” Brodbeck says. Although in-person events have been cancelled, she remains the primary caregiver for the beloved horse. These day-to-day duties make being the Masked Rider both extremely time consuming and fulfilling.
According to Rhode, riders grow extremely attached to Fearless Champion. Saying goodbye to him is probably the hardest part of handing the reins over to the next Masked Rider. So, for Brodbeck, and extension of her duties may not be the worst thing.
