Outgoing Masked Rider reflects after taking on role during challenging times Reins passed to new Masked Rider By KCBD Staff | April 23, 2021 at 10:54 PM CDT - Updated April 23 at 10:55 PM LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Only five dozen people have donned the cape, hat, and mask to represent Texas Tech as the iconic Masked Rider. Cameron Hekkert, a native of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, is the only one to do so during a global pandemic. This was all unknown thirteen months ago, when the audition process faced an unexpected hiatus. âTryouts started in February of 2020, and then mid-March was when we were supposed to go through the second phase of tryouts. That was when everything was put on hold, and then the middle of August was when it was officially, publicly announced,â Hekkert said.