More than 170 athletes and their parents filled the seats at Studio Movie Grill in Plano on Tuesday morning to watch Team USA compete for gold in the 2024 Paris Olympics Women's Gymnastics Team Final.
Parents from World Olympic Gymnastics Academy, WOGA, set up a watch party for their young athletes to cheer on not only Team USA, but support Hezly Rivera, who trains at WOGA Plano.
"It is just so cool to be beside an Olympian during my training. It’s like, awesome," said Andi Austin, 9, who practices at WOGA.
“It’s really cool. They’re very proud. They get to see her every day at the gym, so to see her on TV puts things into perspective for our girls," said George Austin, Andi's mother. They realize it now: That’s Hezly. Like, we share beams with her, we share bars. It’s really special for them.”
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Rivera, 16, made her debut at the games on Sunday. She helped the team make it to the finals but did not perform during the finals competition.
Many watched as Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, and Jade Carey worked to 'redeem' the gold medal after the Tokyo Olympics.
"I think we're all looking forward to seeing Simone make her comeback," said Austin.
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"I want to see USA get gold. I want to see Simone do amazing after the last Olympics with the twisties. Just like she called it the 'redemption tour,' I want her to have redemption," said Fredricka Dorroh, whose daughter also attends WOGA."
She said she's excited for the life lessons her daughter and the other girls can learn.
"Get to see that even if you have a tough time, you can come back, not to let a tough time get you down," said Dorroh.
“I want to go to the Olympics when I’m older, so yes, and I want to be a really good gymnast," said Zaila Dorroh, 10.
The young athlete also looks up to Rivera, whom she has seen practice next to her.
"It’s really motivational because it’s nice to see older gymnasts there, and it pushes us to do harder skills," said Zaila. "It makes me think that everything is possible, and I know this could be me in the future.”
“There will be times that she’s on beam training and I’ll see Hezly right next to her and thinking, ‘How cool is that?’ to have Olympic aspirations and to train next to an Olympian. I don’t think you can beat that," said Dorroh about her daughter's training.
“There’s so much messaging for my daughter that shows her that could be her one day," said Dorroh. "It just feels tangible. Not only does she see Olympians in her gym, but she sees girls on the screen who look like her, and I love all the role models.”
The two movie theaters hosting the girls erupted in cheers when Team USA clinched gold, cementing inspiration for the next generation.
"It was so fun at the end just chanting 'USA, USA!' The kids were all so inspired, and it was encouraging to see it all," said Dorroh.
"It was really cool to see them win because one day I will be able to win, too," said Anaiah Sang, another young athlete.
