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Olympic moms: 13 mothers compete for Team USA

The “Celebrating Moms” series of commercials by Proctor & Gamble during Olympic coverage is a tear-jerking ode to sacrifices mothers make to support their kids’ athletic careers. But what about athletes who are mothers, themselves?

Elite athlete moms have the same run-of-the-mill work/life balance as the rest of us. But these 13 Olympic moms do put parenting – both its challenges and rewards – in a new perspective.

10. Danielle Scott-Arruda – Volleyball

Ivan Alvarado/Reuters
Danielle Scott-Arruda, left, and Megan Hodge celebrate with other members of their team after winning their women's Group B volleyball match against Brazil at the London 2012 Olympic Games on July 30, 2012.

Danielle Scott-Arruda is competing in her fifth Olympic Games, the first U.S. volleyball player (woman or man) to do so. But her career almost ended when she gave birth to daughter Julianne in 2010 because she doubted that she would be able compete at the same level again.

"I think having and wanting my daughter at that time ... I wasn't worried if I could still play after having her, but wondered if I could come back at a high level,” Ms. Scott-Arruda told the Long Beach (Calif.) Press-Telegram. "The idea of her seeing me play has been a motivation for me."

So far in the 2012 London Olympics, the US women's volleyball team is proving that Scott-Arruda is competing at that level – and higher. They will play Korea in the semifinals match on Aug. 9.

In Beijing in 2008, Ms. Scott-Arruda scored 85 points, helping the team win a silver medal, the US women’s first medal since 1992. The team missed medaling in Athens (fifth), Sydney (fourth), and Atlanta (seventh). In 1996, Scott-Aruda was the youngest member of the team, but had the most kills in their final match against Germany.

Scott-Arruda was a three-time All-American volleyball player at Long Beach State University, leading the team to a national title in 1993 and being named the national player of the year. She holds the school’s records for blocks (604) and hit percentage (.421), and had 1,778 career kills. For the national team, she helped win the world championship in 1994, place second in 2002, and fourth in both 2006 and 2010.

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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