Gillette honors dad in new short film 'Raising an Olympian'

BOSTON — As Procter & Gamble pays homage to moms for picking their kids back up after every fall in the latest installment of its “Thank You, Mom” campaign, P&G’s Gillette brand is honoring dads with the launch of its new Raising an Olympian short film titled “Keep Your Head Up.”

It showcases the shared journey of Ryan Suter, defenseman with the Minnesota Wild of the NHL and 2010 Olympic Winter Games silver medalist, and his dad Bob Suter, Olympic gold medalist who made history with the “Miracle on Ice” team during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid – where the U.S. team, made up of amateur players, defeated the world champion Soviet Union team.



Raising an Olympian brings to life the daily lessons all dads teach their sons and highlights how Ryan Suter, through failures and successes, learned to always keep his head up and maintain a positive attitude. Also revealed are Bob Suter’s efforts towards ensuring his son’s pursuit of being an Olympian stemmed from his own dreams, and not as a result of pressure to follow in his dad’s footsteps.



“While P&G athletes and their dads have always honored the role moms play in helping their kids achieve their dreams, Gillette is delighted to pay special tribute to the dads that play an important role too,” stated Hooman Shahidi, senior brand manager for Gillette North America. “We’re thrilled to welcome not only Ryan as our U.S. athlete ambassador for his commitment to excellence and precision on and off the ice, but also to honor his father, Bob, for the invaluable role he has played in Ryan’s life.”



Ryan Suter joins Gillette because the precision hockey skills that have helped him reach the Olympics twice are not the only thing he inherited from his dad; Ryan also inherited sensitive skin. To honor the role Bob Suter has played in his son’s life and to send Ryan Suter off to the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games clean-shaven and ready to go for gold, Gillette is hosting a ceremonial father and son “hometown” shave on Feb. 5 in Minneapolis with the Gillette Fusion ProGlide.



They are joining other Gillette athlete ambassadors including Russian Olympic ice hockey player Alexander Ovechkin, Canadian Olympic ice hockey player John Tavares, and Dutch Olympic gold medalist speed skater Sven Kramer. Gillette is also a sponsor of Team USA ice hockey during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.