University of Denver Spring 2025

Top to bottom row; left to right Tom and Tyler Green-Parrott (photos by Brittany Evans, Martin Gonzales Uribe); Lauren and Morgan Snyder (photo by Jim Darling); Maddison Reidenbach and fan (photo by Tyler Schank/Clarkson Creative Photography); a young fan (photo by Jim Darling); and Maddison and teammates (photo by Alysa Rubin/Clarkson Creative Photography).

The fans: ‘We want people going crazy’

continue to come to the program,” he says. “Everything we do is just continuing the culture that the program has already built and elevating it.” As season ticket holders and DU gymnastics super fans, 12-year-old Morgan Snyder and her younger sister, 9-year old Lauren Snyder, can be found in the stands at Magness Arena, chanting and moving along with the crowd. “My favorite gymnast is CC (Cecilia Cooley). She is friendly and supportive,” Morgan says. “She was my camp coach, and when I see her, she always waves and says hi.” Both young gymnasts themselves, Lauren and Morgan enjoy the opportunity to see athletes perform at elite levels on the floor or beam, inspiring them to practice and perform new skills. As a gymnast, Mundell says, the enthusiasm that fans like the Snyder sisters provide creates a motivating feedback loop—their hard work and effort is cheered by the fans, and that support further fuels their hard work and effort. When she was a little girl, Mundell says, being a DU gymnast was a dream. Growing up in Parker, Colorado,

The 1996 Summer Olympics was a defining moment for Tom Green-Parrott, then an impressionable 9-year-old Coloradan. Watching the “Magnificent 7” win the first-ever team gold medal for the U.S., he fell in love with the sport— and his DU fandom blossomed. Nearly 30 years later, Tom and his husband Taylor Green-Parrott volunteer as the team’s official “hype men,” bringing energy and excitement to home crowds at Magness Arena and on the road. “The mission and the goal have always been to make the gymnastics meets feel like a football game or a hockey event,” Tom says. “Meets are not how they were when we were younger. It’s not golf clapping. We want people going crazy, and it helps the gymnasts do better when there’s a loud crowd.” When the couple purchased season tickets in 2019, the team had a record-breaking season and made it to nationals in Fort Worth, Texas. Seated alongside DU parents and alums and next to Louisiana State University fans, they realized that DU had fewer cheers than the other teams. With their backgrounds in collegiate cheerleading, the duo took it upon themselves to lead cheers, drawing the attention of Kutcher-Rinehart and the team. They were the official “hype men” from then on. “Building crowd traditions is really important in earning long-time interest,” Tom says. “When you’re a little kid and you learn those chants, you want to come back your whole life and then you teach them to your kid.” Fan attendance has grown exponentially since Kutcher Rinehart arrived in 1999, and now the thousands of spectators view meets—especially the floor competition— as a party. “Tom gave everyone permission to be like, ‘Wow, we can be loud,’” Kutcher-Rinehart says. “I do think that absolutely leads to a home arena advantage.” In addition, Tom—who works in the music industry—helps the student-athletes choose their floor competition music for the season. “I think it’s so important that the girls love their music because it shows when they’re on the floor; it helps elevate their performance, which brings everybody else into the energy, too,” he says. Those who attend DU meets may recognize the whistles strategically placed by Tom, which he uses to start “Let’s go DU” chants during each athlete’s floor routine. “The culture that Melissa has created is the reason that athletes

the Ritchie Center was like a second home to her, and she remembers the magical feeling she had when she attended meets. Now, as she wraps up her time here, she loves recreating that feeling for the fans—through her performance, an autograph, a wave or even just a smile.

“I thi n k th a t p ar t of the m a g i c com e s f r om c r e a ti n g thi s ill us i o n of a wo nd e r l and fo r a ll the f an s and the little g i r l s.”

“Now that I’m almost on the other side of

it, I think that part of the magic comes from creating this illusion of a wonderland for all the fans and the little girls,” she says. “I think that’s one of the most special parts of being on this team—this special group of people, that was here long before me and will continue long after me, too.”

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UNIVERSITY OF DENVER MAGAZINE | SPRING 2025