The parent Olympics: Mom and Dad are the unsung heroes behind Toronto’s top athletes

It all comes down to one moment. That moment when they walk up to the podium, their eyes searching the crowd — searching for that one person who is the proudest of them and has worked the hardest to get them where they are today. Normally, it’s Mom. OK, and Dad. They’ve put in Olympian efforts to see their children succeed. But what does it take?

“They were our first sponsors,” says Roseline Filion, a member of Canada’s pre-eminent diving team (dubbed “the Fab IV”) about her parents and the sacrifices they made to get her to be able to compete in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Sponsors are those who support us financially, physically and mentally, something that all athletes rely on from their families while in training.

Rosie MacLennan, Olympic gold medallist on the trampoline, has always felt that from her mom, Jane.

“She’s been there since day one,” MacLennan says. “She was there when I was scared, wiped off my scraped knees. She was my support, physically and mentally.”

As one of the Canadian athletes working with corporate sponsor Procter & Gamble and their “Thank You, Mom” campaign, she is grateful for the chance to have her mom recognized on this world stage.

Canadian women’s star soccer goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe agrees.

“My mom was always my biggest supporter. She never tried to change what I did on the field, but she supported my dreams and what I wanted to do. She drove me to all of my training and encouraged me and was always the first person to give me a hug after the game.”

In many families, the athlete isn’t the only child in the family, adding extra pressure to the parents.

“I have younger twin sisters, and she had to bring them to the pool with me all the time,” says Meaghan Benfeito, also a Fab IV diver. “She was my taxi.”

Much of the time, the support does come on four wheels.

“My mom was driving non-stop, carpooling. As a kid, you don’t always appreciate that,” says Mark Oldershaw, Olympic canoeing bronze medallist. “But she always encouraged us to be having fun where we wanted to go.”

Brianne Theisen-Eaton, track and field competitor, echoes these sentiments about her own mom.

“She’s always been there to support me both emotionally and financially. I love talking to her on the phone, when I just need to get away from the track,” she says.

Athletes always get highlighted. It’s nice to show the support system behind the scenes because they do just as much and are just as much a part of the story and journey as the athletes are.

Article exclusive to STREETS OF TORONTO