A mother shares her daughter’s admiration for Simone Biles as she makes history in gymnastics, inspiring young athletes everywhere
Atlanta: My daughter is all about gymnastics these days. She’s flipping off the bed, doing front tucks on the couch, and handsprings in the hallway. It’s like Simone Biles has taken over our home!
“I want to be just like her and go to the Olympics when I grow up,” she said the other day, mimicking Biles’s moves. “She does cool flips and dance moves. But she works hard.”
With Biles winning a gold medal in Paris, her performances have become the highlight of our week. Every time Biles nails a routine, it feels like my daughter is learning right alongside her. I can’t help but be amazed as I watch my daughter replay Biles’s moves in slow motion on her iPad. It’s like she’s studying to be a mini Biles herself!
But then came Sunday, and Biles injured her calf while warming up. I felt a wave of worry, thinking her historic run might be over. My daughter, though? She was calm as a cucumber.
“I love hard days,” she said, totally convinced Biles would still score big. I’ve seen that kind of confidence in my daughter before. She’s cried during warm-ups but then gone on to win gold at competitions.
Still, I can’t help but feel a bit uneasy about how quickly her confidence has grown.
Three years ago, I noticed my daughter’s talent. She was always doing cartwheels in ballet class, so we switched to gymnastics. Her coach quickly suggested she move up a level, and before I knew it, we were part of a gymnastics club in Atlanta. They told me her skills were “exceptional.”
Her friends even nicknamed her “Baby Biles,” and she ended her first season with first-place wins in vault and floor exercise at a national meet.
Now, she calls gymnastics her “gift,” and I have to remind myself she’s only 7. I’ve worried about her physical abilities since she was a baby. She climbed out of her crib at 9 months and jumped off a bed at 2, which led to stitches and a broken elbow at 3.
The commitment to gymnastics is no joke. It’s a lot of work for both her and us as parents. There are daily practices, long drives to the gym, and constant emails from the club. Plus, the costs add up quickly. We’ve dipped into our savings more than I’d like to admit.
Our whole family has made sacrifices, like fewer family dinners. After a long practice, my daughter comes home, showers, and heads straight to bed.
As a mom, it’s tough. I can’t interrupt her practice to comfort her when she gets hurt. I worry about her possibly moving away one day to train with a top coach. Her education is already affected by her training schedule, and her coach has even suggested hiring a tutor.
I learned that Simone Biles was homeschooled during her high school years while helping my daughter with a project. She made a poster that said, “Simone Biles, the greatest gymnast of all time.” We also found out Biles has ADHD and used gymnastics to help her focus.
“I get really distracted easily, but gymnastics helps me focus,” my daughter told me. “When I do my dance-throughs or tumbling, I think about how tight I should be and listen to my coaches. But when I’m not at gymnastics, I’m all over the place.”
Hearing her say that eases my worries a bit. Plus, seeing her pride in the medals on her wall and the smile on her face when I pick her up from practice makes it all worth it.
So, as we watched Simone Biles this week, we weren’t just fans. We felt like fellow competitors, and maybe one day, fellow Olympians.