Anthony (AJ) Scilla has performed under the Flash suit for the past four years.

As surprising as it may be, when Scilla started the job he had no interest in sports.

“I’ve never watched sports,” Scilla said. “Just didn’t care about it.”

His perspective by the end of his time at Flash, though. As a senior studying public relations, he said he stumbled upon his passion for sports through mascotting – something he did as a joke to begin with during his freshman year, 2021.

“First day of college, I met Joshua Aponte,” Scilla said. “We were just kind of breaking the ice. He was telling me about his high school experience and that he was the mascot at his high school, Twinsburg … During that conversation, I just kind of joked around, like, ‘Hey, if you do it here, I’ll do it here.’”

The pair reached out to the athletics marketing director at the time and got connected to Andrew Boyer, who was the primary flash performer. They tagged along for a Flash test drive, and for Scilla, it stuck.

“I just kind of lied my way in because I’d told Josh I would do it,” he said.

Since the first day he put on the character costume, Scilla has worked 262 documented events. 

He said he fell in love with the position and the people he worked with, still considering Boyer his best friend to this day.

“For four years, I had to keep it a secret,” he continued. “Up until my senior reveal, I could keep track on my fingers how many friends I had told about it. Outside of the people I worked with and my family, really no one knew. I was just always making BS excuses as to why I couldn’t go to football games or basketball games, why I’m always working or just running around.”

Scott Peace, former associate assistant director for marketing and fan engagement with Kent State Athletics during most of Scilla’s time as Flash, said Scilla became an integral part of the ins and outs of the athletics department.

“In addition to serving as Flash, AJ took a larger and larger role within the day-to-day operations of the marketing office and game operations,” Peace said. “AJ has a real curiosity about this field and was constantly coming up with new ideas to try and back our fan experience better. AJ became our go-to student employee and was someone I often leaned on as a sounding board.”

On top of mascotting, carrying out intern responsibilities in the office and assisting in running sporting events, Scilla ran Flash’s Instagram, growing it to more than 2,000 followers than it started with.

“I stayed in the position because it was great for my resume,” Scilla said. “I loved doing it. I loved being the embodiment of Kent State and just taking that energy with me every time I put the head on.”

Scilla said he learned through mascotting that he did not need to be a player at sporting events to make an impact on the experience attendees had.

“Everyone gets excited when they see Flash, except for the occasional kid crying, and that’s going to happen, but everyone is just very excited to see this big, goofy bird come plowing in,” he said. “Even multiple athletes have secret handshakes with Flash. It doesn’t just enhance the fan experience, it enhances how the players are feeling, how they’re doing.”

As Flash has been around for nearly forty years, Scilla kept his magic alive by maintaining Flash as a character, not a person.

“I’ve often described a mascot as the physical embodiment of a university’s brand,” Peace said. “Flash adds spirit, excitement and the ability for fans of all ages to interact with Kent State. AJ did just that while in the suit.”

When asked how many people currently serve as Flash, Scilla declined to answer, saying, “Only one. It’s just Flash.”

“I had the pleasure of seeing AJ perform as Flash probably over 100 times,” Peace said. “He took the role very seriously, kept Flash’s playful spirit alive and well and always went the extra mile to make a fan’s day.”

Scilla said mascotting was the best choice he could have made coming into college. It gave him a network, both professional and personal growth, and overall a great experience.

On the night he revealed his identity, during the Nov. 19 football senior night, Scilla said it was a four-year buildup.

“My mom walked out alongside me, and it was just super special because she realized how much work had gone into that moment,” he said. “And I had realized just how much love and support I had in that stadium from members of the spirit teams, from the band, from fans, from my own family, from so many of my colleagues.”

Scilla encourages other students to try out being Flash as his time in the role comes to an end.

“Flash brings everything to the game,” he said. “He brings energy, he brings passion, he is driven and he is the biggest fan in the stands. He brings the university spirit alive.”

All photos courtesy of AJ Scilla.