{"id":221152,"date":"2023-05-23T21:57:49","date_gmt":"2023-05-24T01:57:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/?p=221152"},"modified":"2023-05-25T11:09:30","modified_gmt":"2023-05-25T15:09:30","slug":"birds-of-a-feather","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/2023\/05\/23\/birds-of-a-feather\/","title":{"rendered":"Birds of a Feather"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yellow feet were again a B-I-G fashion statement at Montclair State University\u2019s Commencement exercises as three members of the Class of 2023 revealed their top-secret identities as the school\u2019s mascot.<\/p>\n

Rocky reveals, a Montclair tradition, bookended the three Commencement ceremonies, with Dena Montez revealing her identity to the crowd at the morning processional and Kyle Kennedy and Andria Reber revealing theirs in the evening. A fourth Rocky Team member, Chaz Campbell, revealed their identity as Rocky\u2019s cousin Ricky, via Instagram.<\/p>\n

The four graduates are part of a tight-knit club. Team Rocky<\/a>, which was formed in 2015<\/a>, has had only 32 different Rockys, including this year\u2019s graduating class, according to Team Rocky Advisor Hannah Wiese \u201913, who also serves as student communications manager for Student Development and Campus Life and advisor for three other student groups, Hawk Squad, Red Hawk Life and Red Hawks of Montclair State. She says some Rockys \u201cperform for years while others just a semester or two.\u201d Other Team Rocky graduates this year include handlers Cam Wade, Deion Woods and Brittany Bascone.
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Chaz Campbell, one of the longest-serving Team Rocky members, reveals their identity as Ricky. (Photo by Dena Montez)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>

\nOne of the longest-serving Team Rocky members, Campbell didn\u2019t don any Rocky or Ricky feet because they are in the middle of packing for a move to Virginia Beach, where they landed a job as a news producer for WAVY TV 10.\n

\u201cI don’t want to accidentally misplace two big bird talon slippers during the move,\u201d Campbell says, instead choosing to \u201cdo the first ever \u2018Ricky reveal\u2019 on social media\u201d a week before Commencement.<\/p>\n

At 5 feet 3 inches, Campbell says they didn\u2019t meet the height requirement to be Rocky but relished playing his cousin. \u201cRicky has a cult following at Montclair because of how unlike Rocky he is,\u201d Campbell says. \u201cRocky is the kind of creature that you want to give a hug and take a photo with; Ricky you want to get as far away from as possible. Ricky’s the antithesis of what a mascot should be, and that’s what I love the most about him.\u201d
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\nDonning the Ricky suit was much like having \u201ca soft fabric bucket over your head,\u201d Campbell says. The Ricky suit is more child- than adult-sized, \u201cso the eyes are located in the beak.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Rocky makes an average of 100 appearances per semester, Ricky usually leaves the nest primarily in October, just in time for Halloween, \u201cso naturally, hijinks ensue,\u201d Campbell says.<\/p>\n

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As a graduating senior, Dena Montez can finally reveal she\u2019s Rocky. She also served Team Rocky as a handler, Ricky and Roxy. (Photo by Vanessa Fingerlin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As another long-serving Team Rocky member, Montez served as a handler, Ricky, Roxy and Rocky in that order beginning her sophomore year. She played to their different personalities.<\/p>\n

\u201cRicky has always been kind of like the creepy, weird cousin, and so, you kind of just have to go out of your comfort zone and be your wildest self and make people laugh,\u201d says Montez, who is graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication. \u201cRoxy, she’s very feminine. Everybody just loves her. She’s very much like your fun little sister. And Rocky is just the big man on campus. His job is to make everybody smile, and that’s exactly what he does.\u201d<\/p>\n

She fell into \u201cRockying\u201d after another team member had a car accident and couldn\u2019t make it to a scheduled appearance. At 5 foot 5 inches, Montez says she was a little short for the Rocky suit but her energy level earned her the opportunity. Ideally, students should be between 5\u20198\u201d and 5\u201911\u201d to wear the Rocky suit, as it provides a better fit and visibility.<\/p>\n

While she wasn\u2019t fond of comments about how Rocky had shrunk, Montez said she had fun playing all of the Red Hawk mascot family members and didn\u2019t mind being drenched in sweat, which often comes with the job. \u201cEven that was rewarding because it means I did a great job,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was fun, so it was worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The highlight of being on Team Rocky, Montez says, \u201cis just the number of smiles it puts on people’s faces. I know when I visited the school, Rocky was a really big reason I came here because of how welcoming he and his team made me feel.\u201d<\/p>\n

A telltale sign that she hosted Rocky on the Street<\/a><\/em> on the Red Hawk Life channel on YouTube this season, Montez\u2019s graduation cap bears her catchphrase: \u201cWhat’s going on, Montclair?\u201d<\/p>\n

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As Rocky\u2019s handler, Kyle Kennedy helps Dena Montez get into the golf cart that serves as the Rocky mobile. (Photo by John J. LaRosa)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kennedy joined Team Rocky his senior year and most recently served as the graduate coordinator for the Office of Student Communications. That job requires coordinating all of Rocky\u2019s appearances, running weekly Team Rocky meetings and the unenviable task of laundering the mascot suits. Using the industrial washers and dryers at the Student Recreation Center makes the job easy, Kennedy says, \u201cBut then what happens is like the foam gets all mushed together, and it takes a good four or five hours to get all the suits ready, and then you have to brush them. So, cleaning days sometimes take all day.\u201d
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\nKennedy, who did a five-year program and is graduating with a Master of Arts in English, says he was happy to be Rocky his senior year. Commencement provides an opportunity for a big reveal. \u201cI’m really excited to reveal myself,\u201d he said before the big day, \u201cI\u2019m wearing his feet.\u201d\n

Revealing Rocky\u2019s identity before graduation is a big no-no, Kennedy says, and can lead to expulsion from Team Rocky. \u201cRocky’s identity is a secret at all times, except at graduation. It\u2019s something that we take very seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maintaining that secret is part of a handler\u2019s responsibilities. Handlers not only help Rocky navigate campus and other venues, they \u201cspeak bird,\u201d which allows them to interpret for Rocky and they serve as security so that no one tries to unmask him and reveal their true identity.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Kyle Kennedy poses with Rocky at his convocation in 2022, a year before revealing his secret identity. He served as the team\u2019s graduate coordinator this year. (Photo by Hannah Wiese)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

The graduating seniors wrapped their service grateful for the experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI loved it,\u201d says Kennedy. \u201cI’m so happy I did it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Campbell agrees: \u201cI love Team Rocky, the whole community aspect of it.\u201d Team headquarters gives members a safe space to study, talk and be together in community. \u201cPebbles is also one of the things that helped me get through my senior year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Getting to serve their final year with Pebbles the Pupscot, who just completed her first semester on Team Rocky, was an added bonus. Campbell, who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism with a minor in Public Health, had a stressful semester, particularly after an overnight internship, followed by an 8 a.m. data-heavy epidemiology class and was always pleased to see the pupscot. \u201cPebbles is adorable.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Dena Montez as Rocky takes Pebbles for a walk on campus. (Photo by John J. LaRosa)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Montez, who has a dog at home, says having a dog at campus has been nice. \u201cShe\u2019s very fun. She’s become like my little puppy, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing on Team Rocky was the biggest highlight of my college experience and made me the leader that I am,\u201d says Montez. \u201cI definitely don’t think I would be the student leader that I am if it weren’t for the opportunities that team Rocky has given me. I’m very thankful for being part of that team, and it will forever have a special place in my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Graduating senior Dena Montez shows off her decorated cap, a nod to hosting Rocky on the Street on the Red Hawk Life channel on YouTube. (Photo by Kera McAndrew)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

Story by Staff Writer Sylvia Martinez<\/a>.<\/p>\n