Aly Raisman - The Caregiver

GYMNAST - OLYMPIAN - CAPTAIN, TEAM USA

ARCHETYPE: THE CAREGIVER

Day 73/135

Athletic Accomplishments

Aly Raisman will go down as one of the most decorated and talented gymnasts of all time. She started gymnastics at age 2, learning to tumble as she learned to walk and run. No wonder the sport is instinctual at this point.

Raisman recalls falling in love with gymnastics while watching the “Magnificent Seven,” the U.S. gymnastics team that won the gold medal in the 1996 Olympics. Though Raisman was just 2—and just starting gymnastics—at the time, she rewatched the competition on VHS throughout her childhood and aspired to be just like her heroes: Shannon Miller, Dominique Moceanu, Dominique Dawes, Amy Chow, Amanda Borden, Jaycie Phelps, and of course Kerri Strug. This is why it’s so important for women’s sports to be aired for a mass audience.

Raisman began competing on the USA Gymnastics senior team in 2010, winning a team gold medal at the Pacific Rim Championships, and taking home silver individual medals in three events: balance beam, floor exercise, and all-around competition.

The following year, at age 17, she turned pro, opting out of a scholarship to the University of Florida. Raisman believed that this would give her the best opportunity to compete for Olympic team. It looks like she was right.

Raisman was the captain of the 2012 Olympic gymnastics team, leading “The Fierce Five” to a team gold medal. She also won two individual medals: a bronze on beam and a gold on floor. Raisman was not only the first American woman to win a gold medal on floor, she also left London the most decorated American gymnast of the Games.

In 2016, Raisman was once again the captain of a new group, dubbed “The Final Five,” who put on a stunner of a performance, once again taking the team gold medal. Raisman also won individual silver medals in the all-around and floor, both behind U.S. teammate Simone Biles.

Character Archetype: The Caregiver

Aly Raisman is currently the second most decorated Olympic gymnast in Team USA history. As captain in both the 2012 and 2016 Summer Games, Raisman’s leadership drove the team to back-to-back gold medals, and affectionally endowed her with the nickname “Grandma Aly.”

But Raisman’s leadership is remarkable outside of the gym as well. In 2017, she came forward as one of the hundreds of athletes sexually abused by team physician Larry Nassar. At his sentencing in 2018, Raisman read an impact statement that reverberated in the courtroom and throughout USA Gymnastics, which Raisman decried as “rotten from the inside.”

“The tables have turned, Larry,” Raisman said in her statement. “We are here, we have our voices, and we are not going anywhere.”

Raisman has continued to be a voice for change at USA Gymnastics, pushing for systemic overhaul in the governance, culture, and leadership of the organization. It’s unclear what the future of USA Gymnastics looks like, but we should all once again be rooting for Raisman to be selected as captain.