Aly Raisman, a young American gymnast who beat out all-around favorite Jordyn Weibe this past weekend in order to make a play for the gold medal, is getting a lot of attention today; not only because she came out of left field to upset Weibe, but because her parents pretty much stole the show after their entire reaction to her performance was caught on film.
It’s riveting stuff, mostly because of how uncomfortable they look during the entire process; both of them squirm in their seats almost continuously, with Aly’s mom wincing, grimacing, and yelling out close-to-unintelligible cries of encouragement to her daughter. The payoff, however, is at the very end, when Mom gives the classic, “Thank God that’s over” face and mouths what looks to be an expletive under her breath; Dad settles for an enthusiastic Spartan roar with a glance at the cameras.
The moral of the story? The Olympic games are just as hard on the parents as they are on the athletes. Proof below.