Super senior balances school, work and Jay

By By Joshua Hafner

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Coming on the heels of an incredible athletic season, it’s not hard to find someone on campus with school spirit. But for Tyler Danforth, an engineering major and resident assistant at Oliver Hall, school spirit goes beyond following games and waving the wheat. Even the residents on his floor have taken notice.

“If someone told that man to wear something formal, I think he might show up in a KU shirt and some gym shorts,” said Justin Petty, an Olathe freshman who lives across the hall from Danforth.

However, the crimson and blue attire Danforth wears during the week to classes somehow pales in comparison to the wardrobe he dons on the weekend. While many KU fans gather in Memorial Stadium for football games, Danforth is on the field, bringing Big Jay to life.

Danforth, a fifth-year senior, has been involved in the KU Spirit Squad since last fall, when he sought out the position and successfully advanced through tryouts.

He said he acted not only as a mascot, but also as a guard and escort for Baby Jay. Additionally, Danforth is the Official Spirit Squad Motivator.

“Well, I gave myself that title,” he jokingly admitted.

Anyone who has seen Big Jay gallop and groove through four quarters might assume it’s all fun and games. But maintaining stamina, Danforth insists, is a constant challenge.

The Big Jay suit weighs close to 50 pounds and the temperature is 30 degrees hotter inside the suit than out. In order to prepare physically for the role, members of the Spirit Squad routinely participate in morning workouts.

“We do mostly running and abs, and we push some weights on the ground,” Danforth said. “I throw up. But we work out with the dancers, so it’s worth going at seven in the morning.”

In devoting his time to the Spirit Squad over the past year, Danforth says he’s been afforded many fond memories, including a trip to Florida to lead fans in cheering the Jayhawks on to the Orange Bowl championship.

“I got a free trip to the Orange Bowl,” he said. “I got to do pep rallies. I got into a dance-off with the Orange Bowl mascot. I even caught an orange that James McClinton threw. It was a line drive. One of the tuba girls got knocked out. It was a great experience.”

Yet while it’s Big Jay’s job to get everyone at the game excited, Danforth insists that the fans play just as much of a role in Big Jay’s task as the Spirit Squad does.

He described the interplay of energy between the squad and fans, something he said he hoped poured over into the team’s performance.

“The crowd tells us what’s going on. It’s kind of like a lagging computer game,” he said. “We hear the crowd cheering and then we start cheering. The fans can help in a game when it comes to getting a team motivated. Even though I’m not playing the football game, when the fans get pumped you still get pumped.”

— — Edited by Scott R. Toland

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