Lessons from the Sochi Winter Olympic Games

Here are lessons learned from the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games.

3. Parents make great Olympians

Michael Sohn/AP
Noelle Pikus-Pace of the United States hugs her husband, Janson Pace, and her children, Traycen, left, and Lacee, right, after she won the silver medal during the women's skeleton competition at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 14.

As a major sponsor of the Games, Proctor & Gamble has run multiple versions of its "Thanks Mom" TV advertisement countless times during broadcast coverage. But unlike the moms on the sidelines, it's important to highlight those athletes in the Games who might be yelling "thank you" to their kids in the stands. Noelle Pikus-Pace won silver in the skeleton, then climbed into the stands to hug her husband and two kids, thanking her biggest fans with a warm hug. 

Alexander Zubkov is another parental powerhouse. A legend in bobsled, Mr. Zubkov won gold as the pilot of a two-man bobsled with brakeman Alexey Voevoda. At 39 years-old, he is one of the oldest competitors in the sport, and his daughter is now an up-and-coming star in bobsled.

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