The women’s US gymnastics team, or “The Fierce Five” as they’re now known to the world, proved in London this summer that they are more than just pretty faces. Gymnastics is a sport that is known for it is cute little girls in sparkly, spandex costumes. This team did not disappoint on that level, but they were more than their costumes would suggest.

“They are crazy good and ripped. They just stand there and do a flip randomly,” senior Colton Horne said. “If I were to attempt the balance beam, I would be sterile for the rest of my life.”

Some students really respect them.

“They are pure talent and muscle,” junior Morgan Lober said.

The Fierce Five made up of Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, Kyla Ross, and Jordan Wieber, won the women’s team Olympic gold medal. They are the first American women’s team to do so since 1996 and did it by a landslide, finishing more than five points ahead of second place Russia.

Gymnastics is a sport that despite its high flying tricks and extreme level of difficulty, people consider it less a sport and more for its entertainment value. Are the girls’ outfits cute enough? Are they smiling enough? What does their hair look like? Gabby Douglas’ hair was the focus of so much attention on Twitter, Facebook and other public forums, that people almost forgot about the important stuff. She did win two gold medals, right?

The team went on to shine individually as well with Douglas winning the all-around gold medal. Raisman took the bronze medal on balance beam and the gold medal in floor exercise. Despite a fall on her second vault, Maroney took the silver medal on vault. However, despite these amazing accomplishments, the world seemed to want to focus on other things. Maroney had just landed a vault called the Amanar which involved one flip and two and a half twists plus a blind landing. Then she fell on her rear end on the second vault. Her first vault was so good that she still managed to snag the silver medal. Want to know what made the rounds of social media that night? Her expressions while competing gained more attention than her stunning display of athletic ability.

The Fierce Five proved that despite the notion that gymnastics is a “girly” sport, these young women are true athletes. They performed amazing feats of skill and gracefulness and it’s no joke that they worked their hearts out to win those medals. People can and will focus on the unimportant things, but the Fierce Five will have the last laugh.