Olympic Mom Blogs: Lynn Raisman talks tears and cheers

Straight from the Olympic games in London, Lynn Raisman, mother of Team U.S.A. gymnast, Aly Raisman talks about the rollercoaster of emotions she and other parents and families members experienced during competition day.

We arrived in London early the morning of the 28th. Soon after we got to the hotel, we met up with some of the other families. As a group we went over to one of the USA houses for food and fun.

It's a nice distraction to spend time with the other parents. The athlete's siblings really enjoyed spending time together too. After a long day of no sleep we finally returned to the hotel, where we all passed out.

We woke up this morning, grabbed breakfast and headed to the venue, again traveling with our extended family and other USA gymnastics families. It was very emotional for all of us when we approached the arena. Kiana Ross and I choked up and embraced, "Our daughters are at the Olympics!"

When we got our seats, we were taken back by how close we were, only 3 rows from the floor. Our emotions during the meet were a mix of pride, joy, anxiety, and tears.

After beam Aly was in third place, only .3 behind 2nd. To advance to AA she needed to be in 2nd place. When they flashed her floor score and she moved into 1st place, we were all so overcome with love and pride! To be able to share the moment with our family (aunts, uncles, niece and nephew) was such a blessing. So much joy tonight.