“So proud of you.” These four words yet with such deep meanings. Last year, that’s how Katherine Dunne displayed her emotions for her daughter after the latter dropped a 9.900 while leading off in the floor routine in the Podium Challenge. That’s what every mother does for her kids, right? Celebrating achievement without wasting time! Olivia Dunne has that place with her. But among the millions of roles of a mother, there is one for sure: to support her kids in every delightful walk of life. Does Olivia get that? 

Absolutely. Remember Katherine’s re-sharing of the LSU Tigers’ tall NQS (Net Qualifying Score) in her Instagram story last year to give a shout out to Olivia and her colleagues in the LSU gymnastics? The mommy force has always been there for Livvy, watching over her daughter. This season, a similar scene has made it to the public. But this was not about gymnastics. Rather, Katherine took a stand for her daughter in a different field, but at the right time. 

Olivia Dunne finds her mother beside her to help while feeling distressed 

On March 2, Katherine Dunne shared a carousel of pictures using her Instagram handle. With the caption “First Mardi Gras did not disappoint 💜💚💛,” her posts displayed the moments the Dunne family had in the 2025 Krewe of Endymion parade on the streets of New Orleans. The posts featured Olivia Dunne playing the Grand Marshal role in the parade, highlighting the core theme of the celebration.

Remember, if her emerald green mermaid gown suited the moment, her waving at the fans from the open-roofed bus was the genuine form of the role of Grand Marshal. Altogether, Livvy tried to pull off things with confidence in her debut in the celebrated role. Fortunately, she was accompanied by her family all the while, including her elder sister Julz, who wore an emerald violet dress, and her parents, who dressed in costumes according to the theme. But here we are missing something—a key part that comes with only Kat’s role. 

The explanation of it might take us into something deep, though. Actually, while guiding the parade from the open-roof vehicle, Livvy threw necklaces of beads toward the fans waiting on the sidewalks. Later, she uploaded the clip of it on her TikTok handle. The fans, in the meantime, reacted to the post, showing their love for the gymnast and the social media star. But in the flood of positive reactions, a few negative comments also found its way in. One such remained, “Tell paul to teach u throwing the sahpe was awful ngl.” Livvy didn’t lose her calm seeing the criticism of her throwing prow. She responded to the comment, penning, “My arm is hanging today ngl.” However, there was no reply from that fan judging Livvy’s situation. But don’t put pressure on yourself. Livvy earned her support from her mother, who called the entire event ‘not disappointing.’ Would the gymnastics All-American need a further certificate? No, absolutely not. However, in the past as well, Katherine Dunne has stood firm for her daughter for the role she plays.

Katherine Dunne rightly judges her daughter’s work 

Perhaps Olivia Dunne is the first college gymnast to land the Grand Marshal’s role in the Mardi Gras celebration. She had the opportunity to guide one of the biggest parades in the alleys of New Orleans. Surely, such a chance will highlight Olivia’s engagement with college gymnastics. Her introduction to the key role might bring eyes to the sport in the future. In fact, for the last several years, Livvy’s target has been the same, bringing more eyes to women’s college gymnastics. She was helped in this job by her fame on social media. Her mother believes in that way only. 

This year, while talking to The Salt Lake Tribune, Katherine said, “When Olivia started social media, she always wanted to try to bring more eyeballs to the sport of college gymnastics. It’s really gratifying for her to see the appetite for it grow and the audience grow more and more each year.” According to her, her daughter is doing the right job at the right moment.

“I think it’s an important moment for women’s gymnastics,” Katherine said. Why, any particular reason? “I think coming off of an Olympic year, there’s extra enthusiasm for the sport, and I think it will continue to give it the recognition that these women deserve,” the proud mother concluded her statement. And look where Livvy is! She has been missing gymnastics matches for LSU Gymnastics. Yet she has been in the headlines and her sport as well.