Meet the crew behind the Zoo

Over 1000 University of Pittsburgh students can call themselves members of the legendary “Oakland Zoo,” a nationally recognized student section for NCAA men’s and women’s basketball.

But how many of the students in attendance know who’s in charge? The crew behind the Zoo is there to help improve student experience at basketball games. “Zoo Leaders” are the men and women fighting to make your time in the Zoo special, rowdy, and memorable. Let’s meet them, shall we?

From left to right: Katey Barner, Charlie Hansen, Eric Floyd, Nicky LePore, Ryan Foley

The Tab: Can you tell me, in your own words, what the purpose of your position is?

Eric: The purpose of my position is to lead the student section. That means in both the game day and behind the scenes standpoints. We work closely with marketing to decide what we want to do before the games, how we want to market  the games. Then, I work with the rest of the [Zoo] team to decide what to do in game, what chants we want to do, what we write on the whiteboards.

Ryan: I think the purpose of my position is to foster school spirit among students. The reason the Zoo is so special is because it allows students to come together and all cheer for one common goal.

Why did you apply to be a Zoo Leader?

Nicky: [Basketball] is the one place my heart was. Growing up for sure, but coming in… the community… you feel like you’re a part of something important.

Katey: PITT basketball is actually why I came here. On my visit, I came here and sat at the very top. It was my first PITT basketball game ever. Seeing the Zoo was so cool. I went home and it was all I could talk about.

How were you chosen? What was the process like?

Nicky: Starting freshman year, my friends and I would always try and get there as early as possible. We were usually one of the first groups in line. I would say last year was probably the biggest shift, Ryan and I started making the (dirt) sheets. Neither one of us were on the leadership team. That was something that the athletic department and the leaders took notice of.

How has the Zoo improved under your leadership?

Charlie: I think that something not necessarily me, but as a team collectively, I think that something we have done really well this year is try to reach out to people on all the different platforms: forms of social media, we try to reach out a lot in person. Still, I think a lot of what we do with Athletics, partnering with the Marketing Department, has helped a lot because it let’s us have access to graphics, which gets people excited.

Have you been a lifelong PITT basketball fan?

Nicky: I grew up in Pittsburgh watching the team and wanting to be part of the Zoo. I remember [at the Oakland game freshman year] stepping back and looking around and being like ‘This is that I wanted growing up.’

Do you go to every game?

Ryan: I have never missed a game since coming to Pitt, except over breaks.

What is your go-to game outfit?

Eric: My go-to game day outfit is a Zoo shirt, of any year. I wear my [light blue] shorts and my athletic sneakers… and a ‘Sixth-Man’ headband I received at the Syracuse game freshman year. It used to be white, but now it is yellow.

Katey: I wear my Zoo shirt and the same pair of leggings and the same pair of sneakers every game. I like to keep it the same.

How do you rally the fans when the team is losing?

Ryan: No matter what the Zoo always has the team’s back. Students take to heart that we are the 6th man, and really feel that we make a difference on the court. When the team struggles, you can see the disappointment on students’ faces. As leaders we just always try to keep the energy level up, and never give up. Our goal is to make the Pete the toughest place to play in the country.

What is your favorite Zoo memory?

Charlie: The Syracuse Blackout last year. The year before, we were in the second row right at half-court and Tyler Ennis, the Syracuse Point-Guard, hit a shot from half court, essentially right in front of our faces. I sat down and was in disbelief. The Blackout game last year, against Syracuse, was awesome because it was exciting and we finally had redemption. It was a hyped up game from the beginning and we slept over, and that is fun to begin with.

What is your favorite cheer?

Eric: The ‘LEFT-RIGHT’ is probably my favorite. The ‘LEFT-RIGHT’ happens when someone fouls out. Once they foul out, we count their steps until they get to their seat on the bench, then we yell ‘SIT DOWN!’

Katey: I think ‘Let’s go PITT’ is probably my favorite.

Do you have any last minute comments you wish to tell our readers about the ending of the season, and potentially, your role as Oakland Zoo Leader?

Eric: Man, I love this place. That game [Duke] was special and I’m happy we got to go out on that one. (…) We have to win the two on the road, then it looks pretty good on the tournament end. Hail to PITT!

Nicky: It’s absolutely surreal that Sunday (Duke) is my last game. It has been the best four years. I’m not ready to leave this place at all. You make so many friends doing it. You want to be a part of something when you come to a university this big and I think the Zoo definitely gives kids that. I’m like, tearing up thinking about it!

Katey: We’re getting really excited because the team is turning around a little bit. I think as long as we can get the fans pumped up again, we can turn around our season and hopefully be in the tournament and do really well. (Does the Zoo help the team win?) Definitely, and we’ve gotten that feedback from the players.

Charlie: I’m a peer advisor in the PITT freshman engineering program. As I’ve told anybody that wants to know about PITT, I know that the Zoo is my favorite experience i’ve had at this university. I appreciate my education here and the research experience that I’ve had in chemical engineering, but I think that I’ve done enough things in the Zoo that I’m never going to forget my time here.

Ryan: It is a very bittersweet moment graduating. I feel as I have left my mark on the Zoo, and now it is time for someone else leave their mark. It is a storybook ending. What a way to go out [beating #15 Duke]. I will never forget it for the rest of my life.