St. Charles East grad Reyes finds his niche as a cheerleader at Kansas
When the University of Kansas begins play in the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Friday night against either North Carolina Central or UC-Davis in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Zach Reyes will have one of the best spots in the BOK Center to watch the action.
Reyes, a 2015 St. Charles East High School graduate, is a member of the Jayhawks' cheerleading squad. At St. Charles East, Reyes was heavily involved in sports, having played football and lacrosse while also participating in wrestling and track and field.
Despite his athletic background, Reyes never figured he would become a collegiate cheerleader upon his arrival in Lawrence as an incoming freshman in the fall of 2015.
"Not in a million years," he said.
Reyes' introduction to cheerleading came on somewhat of a whim during his first week on campus.
Immediately after attending Hawk Fest, an event that provides new students an opportunity to learn about the many student organizations available, Reyes took a short walk to Memorial Stadium - the football home of the Jayhawks.
"They have something called 'Traditions Night,' where you watch the band play, learn the school fight songs and see the cheerleaders and dance squads perform," said Reyes. "As I was walking out of the stadium, I saw a couple cheerleaders and asked what it was about.
"Two weeks later, I was introduced to the coach and learned more about it. They gave me a brief tryout, went over a few stunts and asked if I wanted to join."
Last April, Reyes attended formal cheerleading tryouts for the 2016-17 season.
"Even after being on the team for a year, it was so nerve-wracking," he admitted. "It was a three-day tryout and we had to perform in front of a big crowd."
For the second consecutive year, Reyes made the 36-member cheerleading team - divided evenly with 18 females and 18 males.
While the cheerleaders perform at many of the Jayhawks' athletic events, including football, women's basketball, women's volleyball, rowing, and track and field, the prime-time happening at Kansas is reserved for men's basketball games.
The nationally ranked Jayhawks play their home games at renowned Phog Allen Fieldhouse.
One of the historically significant and prestigious buildings on campus, the 16,300-seat Allen Fieldhouse has served as the Jayhawks' home since 1955.
The list of Kansas basketball legends to play at Allen Fieldhouse includes Wilt Chamberlain, Jo Jo White, Danny Manning, Paul Pierce, Drew Gooden, Nick Collison and Lynette Woodard.
"It is one of the craziest arenas ever," said Reyes. "The feeling is indescribable to be on the court performing in front of a packed house."
One would expect basketball to be big at an arena with the address of 1651 Naismith Drive - considering that Dr. James Naismith invented the sport, established KU's program and served as the first Jayhawks basketball coach from 1889-1907.
Before every game, the cheerleaders help lead the legendary "Rock Chalk, Jayhawk, KU" chant before a frenzied crowd.
"It's a chant they've been doing for more than 100 years (since 1889)," said Reyes. "It's a very cool thing to be a part of. All eyes are on you."
Last month, Allen Fieldhouse set a new Guinness World Record as the loudest indoor arena after a decibel reading of 130.4 for a Kansas basketball game against West Virginia.
"It is unbelievably loud in that place," said Reyes, a sophomore majoring in marketing and finance. "It's so fun. There can't be any better seats to watch the game."
At 6-foot-tall and 300 pounds, Reyes performs a variety of lifts of his female partner - including an amazing 1-handed lift.
"I'm a pretty big guy," he said. "The lifts came pretty natural to me at first although it felt like I was using muscles I had never used before."
The cheerleaders practice on non-game Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30-6:45 a.m. and 6:30-9:30 p.m.
"It takes a lot of dedication and time management," said Reyes.
Last September, Reyes traveled to New York City and appeared on Fox News' Fox & Friends' College Colors Day.
Reyes admits that his friends teased him at first upon hearing he is a male cheerleader but they are all very supportive.
"Being a cheerleader is so highly respected at KU," he said. "I have a friend who is interested in trying out for the team at the University of Iowa. The coolest part has been all of the people I've met - connections to last a lifetime.
"My parents have come out and watched us perform at football and basketball games. They love it."
Reyes' ultimate goal is to cheer on the Jayhawks next month in Glendale, Ariz.
"I'd love to get Final Four exposure," he said.
Rock Chalk.
Craig Brueske can be reached at csb4k@hotmail.com.