Faithful Friday: The Comeback Kid-Simone Biles
By: Debbie Waltz
With the Olympics fast approaching, everyone is talking about the biggest comeback of all time- Simone Biles. At 27, Simone is the oldest athlete performing in the sport of gymnastics. Since her “disappointing” performance in the last Olympics, many people view it as some sort of redemption for her. Biles does not. In the first two episodes of “Simone: rising” she openly expresses the immense pressure that women’s gymnastics has put on her and others to perform at their very best.
In the first episode of the docu-series, we get an in-depth look at Biles’s personal life. She opens up to audiences about her personal life beyond gymnastics, building a home with her husband Jonathan, and her decision to run for another Olympics.
“It’s weird it’s different. Because I never thought I would be at this stage of my life, but I’m very grateful,” says Biles.
While encouraging athletes to propel in their sport is not always a bad thing; people should think about how they are growing both physically and emotionally. Many people have grown into the sport, but that doesn’t mean that they are ready for the limelight. As exciting as being famous may seem, we put athletes on a higher pedestal, seeking perfection out of them rather than realizing they’re human beings just like us. I believe that’s when the media went wrong in helping blow up the stereotype of her walking out on her sport in Tokyo during the COVID-19 epidemic. It’s hard enough being labeled as a “quitter” when you have family around you to help carry the burden but when you’re left to carry the burden yourself; not to mention the added expectations you’ve put on yourself to perform.
Another aspect that audiences don’t really account for is the difficulty of the sport. It’s one thing to watch them accomplish a skill; it’s completely different when athletes have to learn something new. They’re all dangerous, but depending on the skill an athlete is practicing, that ups the ante.
Hence the twisties.
“Twisties are kind of when the brain stops communicating with the body, and the body decides to do one thing and the brain wants to do another, so the athlete feels kind of out of control.” says former coach Amiee Boorman.
Unlike an injury, though, there is no fix- except to take time away and try to discover why it happens. Most of the time, it’s completely unrelated to gymnastics.
Although this documentary is only 2 episodes in, it’s given me a deeper understanding of the sport I love to watch and the athletes I love to cheer on. As I look forward to more episodes, I hope this show gives me of an intimate portrait of Simone and other athletes in the sport. Don’t get me wrong, I believe mental health is important, but this documentary isn’t just to make people understand the political issues beyond the sport, but to help audiences fall in love with the sport itself again. As well as cheer them on during the Olympics! Good luck USA Team.