  This was an e-mail that my Uncle sent to my dad. I thought it was so well said. Seeing my parents today at the Olympics was so special for me. They have been through all of the hard times with me, always by my side and always supporting me. No one who is in this Olympic Games could be where they are right now without support like I get from my parents. I know there are a lot of young synchro parents reading these journals I write and I thought it might be nice for you to hear a perspective on a journey like this.
And mom and dad, I love you! Cres, watching the Opening Ceremonies last night, I was thinking, what a righteous payoff for a great Dad. Felt so proud of you. All those thousands of trips to Santa Clara in tough traffic. All the smokey nights in the Bingo Parlor raising money for other parent's kids to compete in Europe, or someplace.
Lauren's the star of the show, but last night I was thinking about you. The hundreds of times you had to interrupt what seemed so important at the moment to deliver this little twelve year old to practice, who probably didn't feel like going that day anyway. We've all admired you for years. What a story. Small waif with oversized eyes and smile and no end of sticktoitiveness, with parents willing to back her to the end no matter what, arrives at the Olympics and now having grown into the eyes and smile, marches onto this world stage wearing red, white and blue--a tall, bronze, American goddess oozing confidence and grace obtained somewhere along this long long road you've all traveled together.
And none of it would have happened without you and Paula. I know you guys just did what parents are supposed to do, and others of us have done similar duty--but millions of others wouldn't have had what it took. They would have looked at each other on the hundredth practice day, facing a crammed Bayshore Freeway and said, "Let's try soccer, it's so much closer. " So, in a way, last night was a celebration of Olympic calibre parents and you guys got the gold. 
