A constant at hockey games since 2015, DU Whiteboard has quickly established its presence both on campus and off. It is easily one of the most recognizable features of a DU game. Started in 2015 by graduate Dustin Weilbach, the Whiteboard has grown to almost 800 followers on Twitter and has expanded to four or five rows of people.

DU Whiteboard emerged in 2015 and is now considered a “pseudo-student organization  – not affiliated with the university,” according to senior Dylan Smith. Students send suggestions of messages to both DU’s team and the opposing team on the Whiteboard to the DU Whiteboard Twitter. From there, Smith and the other people who run DU Whiteboard will censure or edit certain suggestions to maintain the integrity of the Whiteboard, and then post the suggestions they feel are the best ones.

Smith has been with DU Whiteboard since the beginning and is one of the founders of the Whiteboard as we know it. After approaching Weilbach, Smith became a part of the team that would take the Whiteboard from DU’s rinkside to the 2017 NCAA Frozen Four, where it took off.

Following their appearance rinkside at the 2017 Frozen Four, made possible by a generous alumni donor, Smith discovered several schools immediately made their own versions of the DU Whiteboard. A quick Twitter search shows that there are several Whiteboard imitations, including one at the University of Notre Dame. However, none of the Whiteboard imitations are as prolific or as popular as DU Whiteboard.

This year, Smith and sophomores Duke Mahr and Annabel Husack are gearing up to take the reins of the Whiteboard and have big plans moving forward. It is their hope that DU Whiteboard will expand beyond its current status as a staple at hockey games and become a staple at all DU sporting events. Smith explains, “We want people to come up to us who like going to lacrosse games, who like going to soccer games, who are willing to represent the Whiteboard and what it stands for at those games.”

Husack adds that “our goal is to get the student section as rowdy as possible so that our team knows how much we support them!”

For students wondering exactly how to get involved with DU Whiteboard, Mahr encourages them to reach out and contact them. He says, “Anyone who’s in the stands with us is a part of DU Whiteboard.” Smith adds, “We want to have a lot of people in the core because the more people we can have, the more ideas and unique options we’ll have as an organization.”

Smith encourages students to “tweet, tell us, sit next to us at games, talk to us.”

It is clear that Smith believes the Whiteboard is ready to make the next jump, and with the dedication that Mahr, Husack and Smith bring to the Whiteboard, it is hard to not believe them. Following DU’s exhibition match with Alberta, Mahr notes that “we had an incredible turnout for an exhibition game…and I am hopeful that we will get to have one of the best years in terms of attendance and all-around camaraderie.”

You can follow the DU Whiteboard on Twitter and Instagram at @DU_Whiteboard and like their Facebook page, DU Whiteboard.