Olympics

Aly Raisman’s parents said their nerves for the Rio Olympics are ‘much worse’

Lynn and Rick Raisman nervously watching Raisman during her uneven bars routine. Screenshot

August 10, 2016

2 minutes to read

Lynn and Rick Raisman are known not only for raising an Olympian, but also for their emotional investment in their daughter.

Aly Raisman’s parents became stars when a video of them anxiously squirming in their seats during their daughter’s bar routine at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London went viral — and their reactions in Rio at the 2016 Games haven’t been any easier to watch.

So far, Raisman has added another gold medal to her collection when the U.S. women’s gymnastics team, self-named the “Final Five,” won in the team all-around final Tuesday with a score of 184.897—more than eight points points clear of silver medalist Russia. Next, she’ll be competing alongside teammate Simone Biles in the women’s individual all-around on Thursday.

Though this isn’t the Needham family’s first time experiencing the nerves around the high-stakes Games, before heading to Rio, Rick said the stress was “definitely worse this time around.”

“It’s just the stage is just bigger than it was four years ago,” he said. “You know like anything else, it’s harder to come back, it’s harder to compete, you know it’s just a lot of pressure. Understanding all of that, it is just a little harder. Hopefully she can do well.”

Lynn added that their emotional reactions while watching Aly perform are so animated because they’ve seen her “put so much into it.”

“When you see someone work that hard at something, you just want the best for them, you know?” she said.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BHuYtJggC1G/?taken-by=alyraisman

Raising an Olympian hasn’t always been easy. Lynn and Rick said it’s been hard watching their daughter struggle through practices and training for Rio.

“She did take a year off and she kind of got a taste of freedom,” Lynn said. “So this time she kind of knew what she was missing, whereas last time she didn’t know any different so I think that was hard for her. And as a parent, it’s hard any time to watch your kid struggle. As much as struggle is important, it’s hard to watch and you want to take that away and make it easier for your kid, but you can’t do that here. There are good days, but there are a lot of bad days, especially the closer you get to the Olympics.”

And because of that, Lynn and Rick said they knew they were going to be back on the edge of their seats in Rio, no matter how composed they may try to be.

Raisman told USA Today she thinks all the attention her parents has been getting is “so funny.”

“I can’t believe [the video is] literally everywhere,” Raisman said. “People are texting me more about my parents than about me.”

As for how Lynn and Rick feel about the cameras being turned back in their direction?

“It was funny and kind of crazy [last time],”Rick said. “But I probably don’t care as much as Lynn does.”

You can watch Raisman (and her parents) on Thursday, August 11, at 3 p.m. as she competes in the women’s individual all around. She’ll compete in the women’s floor event on Tuesday, August 16, at 1:47 p.m.