The story behind the leo: Stanford’s Angry Tree leo is ‘campy’
Every week this season, Gymnastics Now will be highlighting one NCAA team’s competition leotard and sharing the story behind the design and creation of the garment.
Don’t mess with the Cardinal
Stanford University stole the leo show this past weekend in their “Angry Tree” GK Elite leotards, which were designed by assistant coach Hallie Mossett.
“I had a very fun time designing this leotard,” Mossett said. “When I came to Stanford in August of 2022, I instantly noticed the team’s personality and loved the balance of intensity, quirkiness, and passion for the sport. Immediately, I wanted that to be embodied in a competition leotard. When designing leotards as well as choreographing floor routines for the team, I like to incorporate a bit of camp and my personal style into each work of art. I am really excited for the NCAA to see the new leotards that we have in store for this season. This is only the beginning.”
While Mossett pulled the final competition design together, the front of the Angry Tree training leo was designed before Mossett joined the staff. Then she got to work before sending one of their athletes to test out the design at the 2023 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships.
Fifth-year Chloe Widner wore the training leo to NCAAs where everyone went crazy over it, so the school decided to turn it into a gorgeous, adorable, and rather intimidating leo.
“This is one of my favorite leos we’ve ever had! I think the angry tree perfectly encapsulates [the] personality of the team,” Widner said. “The character embodies our fighting attitude that we have as a team while still bringing a touch of fun and quirkiness. Debuting it at nationals last year was fun because we didn’t know that people would love it as much as we did. When we got an overwhelmingly positive reaction to it, we knew we had to turn it into a [competition] leo!”
Last year, the team’s manager Brenden Koo helped Mossett sketch and brainstorm ideas for the competition version, which features bejeweled detailing around the Angry Tree design, balancing out the intense with a sparkling touch that hints at the team’s spirit.
According to Maddie Gotreaux, Stanford’s Associate Director of Communications, the intense design is a tribute to the team’s passion and training. That intensity continues on the back of the leo with an open back and a bejeweled “Fear the Tree” statement strap to tie it all together. Gotreaux agreed that the leo is right on brand with their team.
“A bit campy, but fits the brand of Stanford Gymnastics,” Gotreaux said when describing the unique and fun design. “Campy, maybe a little quirky.”
Campy, quirky, intense, and absolutely fabulous is what this leo is giving (and more), and if it’s any indication of what we can expect in their future leo designs, we are on the edge of our seats in anticipation.
