Ryley McMahen takes pride in being the ultimate Kohawk
Written by Lauren Dufoe ’24
Ryley McMahen ’21 came to Coe intending only to run cross country. He graduated having started a new club sports team, competed on an intramural sports team, embarked on a four week off-campus study trip and embraced a work-study position that completely redefined his pride in being a Kohawk.
While Ryley liked to run, he realized over time there was more to the college experience at Coe. After competing with the cross country team his first year, he decided to move on and pursue the larger array of opportunities Coe had to offer. Eventually, Ryley found the intramural ultimate Frisbee team, decided to study at the Wilderness Field Station and started the Clay Target Team from the ground up. His favorite activity, though, was one that only a select group of people knew about.
During New-Student Orientation, Ryley had the chance to sign up for student clubs and work-study employment. The plan was to sign up for the set building work-study opportunity in the Theatre Arts Department since he already had some experience in that area. Then, he noticed a bright, fun-loving table on his way out. The Charlie Kohawk table grabbed his attention and was an intriguing possibility he hadn’t considered before. He put his name on the list to see what it entailed.
Little did he know he signed himself up for much more than just embodying Charlie Kohawk from time to time. During his first year, Ryley attended every single home sporting event, either as Charlie Kohawk or his escort. As far as we know, this is a record for a first-year student.
The relationship Ryley had with becoming Charlie exceeded his expectations. He had no idea it would teach him invaluable relationship building tools he would use inside and out of the suit.
At first, the fun of being Charlie was all he needed. The joy of keeping the crowd excited, being a character that made children laugh at local elementary schools or even just being the “pick-me-up” college students needed as they walked by made the time spent as Charlie especially gratifying. But, over time, Ryley began to realize it was the extended effect of the smiles he could create that made being Charlie Kohawk special.
“The times I got to play with kids during football games are the kind of moments I loved the most. It was the deeper interactive part of being Charlie that made it worthwhile,” Ryley said.
The trips to alumni businesses and seeing how Coe impacted their lives, as well as making appearances at events like Cedar Rapids Dance Marathon, RoughRider hockey games and the Especially for You 5k race were what made the Charlie suit feel lighter than usual. Enhancing the connection between current and past Coe students and encouraging others to keep pressing forward made the impact a mascot could make more obvious to Ryley than ever before.
This is why Ryley encourages future Kohawks to, “Sign up! What’s the harm? What if you fall in love with it?”
Because that’s exactly what happened with Ryley. He signed up, gave it a shot and fell in love.
