Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
When Aly Raisman finished her floor routine on Tuesday, the world knew Team USA had won gold in Women's gymnastics. Viewers watched her weep with joy and saw all the girls (aka the Fab 5) hug and cheer. Once the final scores were tallied and flashed across the board, however, cameras turned to the girls' parents -- yelping, crying, beaming.
This morning, those proud parents of Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Jordyn Wieber, McKayla Maroney And Kyla Ross appeared on the "Today" show to talk about the moment of victory and to offer advice to parents of potential future Olympians.
Natalie Hawkins, Gabby Douglas’s mom, said that the victory makes her think about struggles her daughter and the other girls have overcome. "To be able to be here with them and celebrate in this moment in time is amazing,” she said.
Jordyn Wieber's mom, Rita, emphasized how inspired the group of parents is by the team as a whole. "They’ve worked so hard. I am truly proud of all of them,” she said.
When Savannah Guthrie pointed out how Lynn and Rick Raisman, Aly's parents were "more restrained" last night than they were during their daughter's uneven bar routine two days earlier, Rick admitted that he "kind of learned [his] lesson the first night not to go too crazy."
Finally, Mike, McKayla Maroney’s father, offered advice to parents whose kids might aspire to go for gold some day too. "Let them live their dream," he said. "It has to be theirs, because if they want it bad enough they’re going to be able to achieve it, and just give them all the tools that can give them that opportunity to have the success that their dream is all about," he added.
The Fab 5 more than appreciate their parents' support. In an earlier interview, Gabby Douglas told Savannah Guthrie that all of the moms and dads have "done so much for us, and I just want to thank them and we love them.”
Related
Before You Go
