Thank you, Simone

This was written by Alice, one of our student interns. The opinions expressed herein do not reflect those of Civitas other than respect for the value of open dialogue.

I woke up on the top bunk of my family’s room in Michigan. I groggily climbed down the ladder and opened Instagram on my phone. That’s when I saw the CNN post, “Simone Biles has withdrawn from the team competition at the Tokyo Olympics.” Consequently, the team got silver (which is still very impressive, given the girls all had to perform on every apparatus, just the three of them), missing out on the gold for the first time since 2008. What happened?

Just for some background: I did gymnastics as a kid for about 7 years. I was never that good, but I love the sport. I’ve seen every US gymnastics competition since around the 80s, and I absolutely LOVE watching it. In addition to all this, I also made a Prezi about this year’s women’s Olympic gymnastics team as an independent project for Civitas this year (you can check it out on the index of intern projects for 2021), so I was particularly invested in the competition. 

Anyway, upon learning about Biles’ injury, I was confused. Simone, the GOAT, the one impressingly consistent performer in every modern competition I’ve watched, had nearly fallen on vault, an apparatus that was one of her best. In the next couple of hours I began to learn more about what happened: the terrified look on her face as she attempted to land to vault, “the twisties”, and the danger she would’ve been in if she had not prioritized her well-being. 

Let me also take a moment to explain “the twisties.” It’s a mental state that is experienced mainly among gymnasts and divers, and essentially makes it extremely difficult to figure out where you are in the air, where the ground is, and how close the ground is. Simone posted a series of videos and a Q + A on her Instagram to explain the mental block. As you can imagine, the lack of spatial awareness experienced by someone who is struggling with, “the twisties” makes performing gymnastics extremely dangerous. To be clear, the vault Simone performed, called the amanar, can leave you paralyzed, or dead, if not done correctly. 

Almost immediately there was outpouring support for Simone, but there was also unfounded resentment among other Americans, notably the more Conservative ones. Claims that she had quit on her team, was being a dramatic diva, or even that she was weak were upsetting and enraging. This 24-year-old woman spent the first five years of her life in and out of foster care. She became the best gymnast of all time, despite the pressure she faced as a Black woman. She continued to perform for an organization that consistently failed to protect her from the sexual abuse of Larry Nasaar. She has suffered from depression and anxiety as a result of this trauma. She has performed with broken tones and in recovery from a kidney stone. She has always shown up for US Gymnastics. So, to those who question her decisions at the Olympics: Simone Biles owes you nothing. 

Not only that, but I wanted to thank Simone. Thank you for sparking pushback to the “just push through it” culture we live in, especially when it comes to sports. Thank you for pushing America to recognize the legitimacy of mental health issues. Thank you for showing every athlete that they are so much more than their performance. Thank you for being a role model of how to be a strong, unapologetic woman to young girls. Thank you for proving to us that your mental health is worth so, so much more than a gold medal. Thank you.