Posted on 08/07/2016 3:22:44 PM PDT by NYer
Simone Biles has quickly become the favorite to dominate in this year’s gymnastics competitions in Rio. Her routines are nearly flawless and everyone has been in awe of her amazing skill and collected demeanor, barely flinching under the immense pressure of the judges.
What is it that drives her to be the best?
To answer that question, Us magazine recently asked Biles to empty her gymnastics bag in hopes of finding a secret formula to her success. While most of the contents of her bag were no surprise, the reporter noticed a white rosary that fell out. Biles explained, “My mom, Nellie, got me a rosary at church. I don’t use it to pray before a competition. I’ll just pray normally to myself, but I have it there in case.”
Faith has been one of the only constants in her rather difficult life. Biles was born in Ohio to a mother who was battling drug and alcohol abuse and at the age of three she was taken away from her mother. A social worker called her grandparents in Texas who willingly took her in and eventually adopted Biles and her younger sister, “Go ahead and send the kids to us…I didn’t want them to be raised by a stranger.”
Biles now calls her grandparents “mom and dad,” and attends Sunday Mass with them. They have been a big influence in her life and have supported her from the very beginning.
At the age of 6, Biles was introduced to gymnastics and has never stopped since. Her adoptive parents noticed her interest and talent in the sport, remarking in an interview with the Washington Post, “she always had loved bouncing on furniture in the house, so much so that her mother, Nellie, had grown weary of harping that the sofa and chairs weren’t a playground.”
By middle school she started to focus all of her energy on gymnastics, which meant she had to train at least 32 hours a week. This forced her to make the decision to choose homeschooling to allow her the freedom she needed. It was a choice that her mother left up to her, saying, “‘Whatever choice you make, I will support you…But you have to make that decision; it cannot be me because this is really a change in your life.’”
Since devoting herself entirely to gymnastics, Biles’ success hasn’t stopped. According to the New York Post, “She has won the last four U.S. titles and last three world all-around crowns. In the last three years, Biles has claimed 14 World Championship medals, 10 of them gold — both records. She hasn’t lost an all-around competition since August 2013.”
There have been many costs to being a rising star in gymnastics, but her parents have supported her throughout. Her mother said, “It requires a lot of dedication, a lot of sacrifices, and as parents we gave up a lot. We canceled vacations. Our vacations were traveling with Simone [for competitions]. It’s been a sacrifice on our part, because this is something our daughter enjoys and is passionate about. We’re willing to go on this journey with her.”
As the Rio games begin, Biles will likely win gold and her family will be there supporting her every step of the way. With a firm foundation of faith and family, Biles has all she needs to be successful both on the floor and in life.
Catholic ping!
Thanks for the ping and the post. She really is a phenomenal gymnast, and I’m glad to read she has her priorities straight.
GOD BLESSED HER!!!
She’s cute.
Feel good story about a religious athlete and a nice change up with a story about a black kid that doesn’t pertain to crime.
GOOD PARENTS matter. Not the color of the skin.
Wonderful young lady.
Let’s also pray she has entrusted herself to Christ alone for eternal life.
She’s amazing! I plan to watch the gymnastics portion of these olympics!
She is one of the very best. Graceful and powerful, she is outstanding.
Thank the good lord she had grandparents that were able to turn her life around!!!! If she had reimagined with her drug addict mother her life would be quite different!!!
Reimagined = remained damned spellcheck !!!!
Geez, you mean her parents sucked?
I didn’t know that. THANK GOD for the grandparents is right and thank you very much for giving me the scoop.
Too many black grandparents are raising kids.
It’s tiring for them but they try their best.
love it!!
When I lived in Ohio I never knew any black people who were Catholic.
When I moved to Indiana, I met a good number of them. They told me that since the KKK was terrorizing blacks and Catholics, lot of black people were welcomed in Catholic churches.
A black guy my daughter went to high school with just was ordained to the priesthood.
There are quite a few in New Orleans - but from what I’ve read she’s from Ohio - I would not have guessed Catholic either.
May God bless her.
It was never as issue with male gymnasts as young teenage boys are NO match for a 20 year old male gymnast. Nature doesn't give males that strength until they are that old.
For females, the youngest are the best because they have no female parts like HIPS. Therefore they are rather like boys, with a lot of strength. As soon as girls get the female parts, their strength changes. They have the added weight of hips and breasts and cannot do what the female "children" could do.
As Biles is NINETEEN! GOOD FOR HER. Huzzah.
Psst! Hey, FReepers!
You’re conservatives, and, according to the media and democrats, we are racists, and we hate Blacks. So, what the heck are you/we doing focusing on a Black girl, praising her, and even calling her ‘cute’?
This might be very confusing to Blacks and democrats and the media, and the real racists in the country.
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