Last summer, Simone Biles wow’ed the world with her near perfection in all four gymnastics events at the Rio Olympics. Her megawatt smile, vivacious energy, and high flying acrobatics stunned us all, and when it was all said and done she had solidified her title as “The Greatest Gymnast of All Time.”
Since the Olympics, Biles has taken a much needed break from the world of gymnastics to enjoy the perks of her big win. As the mother of a competitive gymnast, I know just how demanding and time consuming the sport can be, and so it’s been fun to see the members of the Final Five each enjoying a new phase of life.
My daughter faithfully follows all five of the girls from The Final Five. She’s streamed every single UCLA meet, cheering on Madison Kocian like it’s her job. She checks in on each of their Instagram accounts daily to see what new adventure they may have had the day before. She recorded every episode of Dancing with the Stars during Laurie Hernandez’s winning run, and now that Simone Biles is on the show, we race home from gym practice on Monday nights so she can tune in and cheer on her favorite gymnast.
I love that my daughter has these strong, confident young women to look up to as role models. Minus a few pictures from the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition that I wish she hadn’t seen, I’ve been glad to let her see how these athletes have continued on since the Olympics. However, there’s a disturbing trend emerging for these gymnasts enjoying post-Olympic fame that needs to be addressed.
