The music business has its groupies and the Twitter scene calls out to followers, but the biggest fans of Dartmouth sports are most commonly called devoted parents and there is no shortage of loyal athletes' parents making extraordinary efforts to attend as many of their children's Big Green sporting events as possible.
Mary Alice Rippe, mother of Dartmouth swimmer Carolyn Rippe '10, attended and helped out at her daughter's meets throughout her childhood in Texas and still comes to her daughter's meets, despite the distance.
"[Carolyn] has been active in [swimming] from a very young age," she said. "In club swimming or high school swimming, the parents were so involved in helping run the meets that it is part of family life."
Marian Wymore and her husband were at first only planning to make the trip from Los Angeles for a few Dartmouth football games to watch their son, Garrett Wymore '13, but continued attending after being introduced to the Dartmouth Football Family an organization arranged by parents to promote Big Green spirit. This past season, Marian Wymore traveled to eight out of 10 games and her husband came to seven.
"In each city we would go out to dinner with a big group of people and have tailgating before games," she said. "You only see your kid for a very short amount of time, so the rest of the weekend you can hang out with the people from the Football Family. It made it more fun to come out."
Pat Lahey '12, a member of the football team from North Andover, Mass., said that his parents use games as an opportunity to reunite his extended family.
"I have had upwards of thirty people at games," he said. "It's a really big family party, and it's something I look forward to during the week."
For most of these athletes, sports are a central part of their family life. Lahey's family went to nine out of the football team's 10 games this past season.
"My mom is one of seven and three of her brothers played college football," he said. "[Football] is really big in my family, and it's been a part of my life for as long as I can remember."
Wymore said football became a priority for his family when his parents, particularly his mother, realized how important the sport was to him.
"My mom used to not like football much," he said. "But when she realized I cared so much about [it], she tried really hard to get into football so she could have something to do with me."
Some of the parents also come up to games simply because they like the spirited environment.
"It's just fun to go out and cheer for a group of hardworking kids," Mary Alice Rippe said. "I really do appreciate their efforts, and it's fun. The kids have a good time on the team and they support each other."
For others, like football player Jeremy Rick '13, a Washington native, participation in athletics runs in the family. His father was an assistant coach for his high school team, while his uncle was also on the sidelines, volunteering as the team's photographer.
"[My dad] never missed a game [in high school], and he decided this year he wasn't going to start missing games just because I was so far away," he said. "When my dad decided to do this, my uncle decided to, too."
For Rick and many other Dartmouth athletes, a parent's visit means a lot more than just the extra support from the stands.
Lahey said after every game, he looks forward to his father grilling his favorite steaks from home for him.
"My dad actually started this tailgate in high school," he said. "He would pull up in the end zone, bust out a grill and grill up food just to have a good time and meet new people."
Wymore also appreciates the emotional support he receives from his parents after games.
"Football is such a big part of my week, and I feel like they share it with me," he said. "Whenever it seems like it's getting tough, they're there and they understand and they're looking out for me."
The athletes also expressed some trepidation about their parents' continual presence in their college lives, however.
Wymore, for example, said his mother often goes to the fraternity Gamma Delta Chi on the nights after games.
"Sometimes it gets weird when they're in the [fraternities]," he said. "Then, I think I need a little space."
Still, most athletes and parents agreed that the parental presence on campus has improved their family relationships.
"[Carolyn's] really far away from home and as fun as it is to chat on the phone or exchange a quick e-mail, there is nothing like being there in person to see her compete or just to see her with the team," Mary Alice Rippe said. "I know how much she loves Dartmouth and her friends, and it's fun to be a part of that for a day or two."
By attending Dartmouth sporting events, these Big Green parents are able to maintain a consistent presence in their son or daughter's life.
"[My parents] know the school and they understand it a lot more," Wymore said. "I don't feel like there's this disconnect between us. They know I've moved on to another part of my life but, at the same time, they feel like they are really into it and that they still have that connection there."
The Ricks agreed that travel to Dartmouth sporting events allows for increased interaction with their son.
"[Jeremy] loves it, and I see more of him now than when he lived at home," Jon Rick quipped.
Of course, being a devoted parent is not without its embarrassing moments, and these parents shared some of their more salient memories from games.
Marian Wymore put the Class of 2013 to shame when she rushed the field with fellow football parents at the Homecoming game.
"This kid just came up to us and told us to get ready to storm the field, and a bunch of us mothers were sitting together," she said. "So, we all went on the field."
Lahey's parents and extended family decided to go all out for the Dartmouth versus Harvard football game, Lahey said.
"My mom went out of her way to get T-shirts made with my number of the back," he said. "It was great at halftime to see kind of a nation of people with my name on the back of their shirts."
Mary Alice Rippe recalled a slightly awkward moment when she made a trip to the Ivy League Championships the swimming and diving team's biggest meet of the season.
"Down here, Texas fans are pretty vocal and they make a lot of noise, and we're just used to being loud, so when we went to our first [Ivy League Championships] we brought noisemakers with us," she said. "We used them once and the meet official came out and said no artificial noisemakers were allowed."
While some of these parents must endure almost a full day of traveling, most said it was well worth it just to see their son or daughter for a few hours.
"We like watching football, we like watching him play football, we like travel and we like hanging out with all those other parents," Marian Wymore said. "It was kind of a fun thing for us to do after he moved out."
For Jon Rick, travelling to Dartmouth proved worthwhile when he was able to be there for his son during a family tragedy.
"We were able after the game to sit down and talk to him, and we were able to walk him through that and I didn't have to do that over the telephone," he said. "The support we had with the Dartmouth family was a great experience I can't put that into words."
Once the season is over, the day-to-day experience changes for these athletes, Jeremy Rick said.
"[My dad's] really outgoing, so all my friends know him really well," he said. "Even the coaches talk about how weird it is that he's not around anymore."
For Lahey, the transition from being in-season to out-of-season greatly impacts his life at Dartmouth.
"Over winter break, [my parents] really wanted me to be around more because they said that they were actually sending me to college this time," Lahey said.
Above all, both parents and students appreciate each other's presence on campus and at games, and the tradition of robust parent attendance at Big Green sporting events is one that will no doubt continue for future generations of athletes.
"I love the football, but I really love the environment," Jon Rick said. "Dartmouth is so intoxicating and I just love to be a part of it."
