Aly Raisman Has A Great Support System

Remember the hilarious video of those parents cringing and squirming while watching their daughter compete at the 2012 London Olympics? Yeah, those were Aly Raisman's parents. Raisman, the Olympic gymnast who was captain of the 2012 national team and was a gold and bronze medalist, is competing again this year in Rio, and that means her mom and dad are going along for the ride, too — and are probably going to be just as adorably freaked out as last time. "We're still so nervous when we watch [gymnastics]," Raisman's mother, Lynn, told NBC Olympics in a recent video as part of the Gold Medal Moments series. So if you think you get nervous when you watch gymnasts launch their bodies through the air and try to land perfectly, imagine being an Olympian's mother or father. Those reactions seem a little more justified, don't they?

Despite the stress over their daughter's competition displayed in that now-viral video, the Raismans, Lynn and Rick, are nothing if not supportive of Aly, and the squirming is all out of love. In an interview with NBC, Aly discussed the hardships of being an Olympic athlete and the integral part that her parents play in helping her succeed. "Even now, if I have a bad day, my mom says, 'If you want to stop now it's OK, it's 100% up to you,'" Aly said. "Obviously that's not an option, but I feel like back in December, it was such a hard time because you're so close and yet it feels so far from the Olympics." I'm sure the weight has been taken off a little since then, with Rio coming up so soon, but it's clear that Aly's parents have been critical in helping her remove some of the pressure of being a competitive gymnast.

When it comes to the turmoil of becoming an Olympic athlete, the physical and mental strains are the biggest and most difficult parts to master. But raising an Olympic athlete is difficult, too. "Time is such a precious commodity, and the impact on family time was tough," Lynn told the New York Post of Aly's gymnastics. "There were birthdays, holidays and family gatherings [Aly] missed because she had to go to the gym. Even just regularly missing daily family dinners was hard." But the strenuous sacrifices were all worth it, apparently. Now heading into her second Olympic games, Raisman and her parents are bound for more triumph, more stress, more support, and definitely more anxious squirming.