A 19-year-old Kansas City, Kansas woman competed on the Olympic stage on Sunday in the 10 meter air pistol competition.
Lydia Paterson finished 29th in the competition after finishing with a score of 378.
Her parents, Ron and Letha Paterson, cheered on their daughter from home as they waited for updates on their laptop.
"You're just sitting there watching for a number to flash," explained Lydia's mother Letha. "It doesn't show the shooter, just a little number flashes."
The Paterson family chose to stay home from Rio de Janeiro to help keep their daughter focused on the event.
To celebrate their daughter's time at the Olympics, the Paterson’s decorated their home with an Olympic banner and American flags, and wore Team USA t-shirts as Lydia competed.
However, Letha tried to keep Sunday as normal as possible for her daughter.
"I was up at probably 4 o'clock this morning," she said.
As she does everyday, Letha sent a text message to Lydia
"I said 'Good morning. Have a great day. I love you and I'm very proud of you. There are lots of prayers going your way,'" she explained.
Letha and Ron followed scoring updates on the International Shooting Sport Federation website.
During the competition, targets would appear with the location of Lydia's hits. As the competition continued, standings updated and showed Lydia's score.
"Watching her shoot is nervewracking for dad sometimes," Lydia's father Ron said. "It's hard to describe because it's your kid and she happens to be at the Olympics."
After finishing outside the top 20 and not winning a medal, Lydia's parents hoped their daughter remembered the advice they gave her before she departed for Brazil.
"I told her to just have fun and enjoy it," explained Ron. "No matter how you shoot, come out with a good experience."
Lydia Paterson is expected to head back to Kansas on August 16th.
In the meantime, she plans to stay in Rio de Janeiro to cheer on her teammates.
On Sunday, her parents said they were proud of what Lydia had accomplished.
"She went in there and she shot her best on this day," said her mother. "There is nothing to be ashamed of."
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Tom Dempsey can be reached at Tom.Dempsey@KSHB.com.
