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Families cheer Olympic competitors

Sage Kotsenburg celebrates his snowboard slopestyle gold medal win. Worried about his parents' safety, he had asked them to stay home. "For his peace of mind, we decided to back off," says his mom, Carol Ann. "It was one of the hardest things I've ever done."

Sage Kotsenburg celebrates his snowboard slopestyle gold medal win. Worried about his parents’ safety, he had asked them to stay home. “For his peace of mind, we decided to back off,” says his mom, Carol Ann. “It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.”  (Jens Buettner / EPA)

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No one makes it to the Olympics without a lifetime of help and sacrifice from family. And for those families, whether to stay or go depends on their athletes’ peace of mind.

Emily Scott

U.S. short-track speedskater Emily Scott is joined at the Winter Olympics by her father, Craig. The 24-year-old says she couldn’t imagine competing in Sochi without her father there: “This has been our dream.”  (Beth Harris / Associated Press)

Kaitlyn Farrington

Halfpipe snowboarding gold medalist Kaitlyn Farrington celebrates her win. It was a comfort to have her mom and dad in the crowd at Sochi, though they made sure to keep their distance. “We want her to experience this on her own,” says her father, Gary. “Away from Mom and Dad.”  (Javier Soriano / AFP/Getty Images)

Matthew Antoine

U.S. skeleton racer Matthew Antoine celebrates in Sochi. Though his family joined him in the Winter Games, he made sure to set ground rules to limit distractions: “I told them to leave me out of the program as much as possible so I can focus on what I need to do.” He went on to win the bronze medal.  (Jens Buettner / EPA)

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