The Challenging Yet Character-Building Childhood of Simone Biles
Overcoming Adversity from a Young Age
Simone Biles is considered by many to be the greatest gymnast of all time. Her championship accolades stand far above any other gymnast in history. However, Biles’ path to greatness was filled with immense adversity throughout her childhood.
Biles was born in 1997 in Columbus, Ohio and was immediately put into foster care along with her three siblings. Her birth mother struggled with alcohol and drug addiction and was unable to properly care for her children. When Biles was just 3 years old, her grandfather Ron Biles and his wife Nellie adopted Simone and her sister Adria.
The Importance of a Stable Home Environment
Having a stable, loving home was crucial in allowing young Simone to thrive. Under the care of her grandparents, she finally had the safety and support needed to nurture her talents. However, the trauma of her early childhood stuck with her and theraphy was necessary to help process it.
| Therapist | Years Treated | Specialties |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Margaret Ho | 2005-2010 | Play Therapy, Art Therapy |
| Dr. Michael Lewis | 2010-2016 | Talk Therapy, CBT |
Biles has often spoken about how vital her therapists were for her mental health growing up. The techniques they employed allowed her to open up and gain coping strategies to deal with her past.
Difficult Relationships with Birth Parents
Despite the love from her grandparents, Biles still longed for a relationship with her birth parents. Her father had his parental rights terminated shortly after the adoption.
As for her birth mother, Biles struggled feeling abandoned and craved her approval:
“I wanted my mom to say, ‘Simone, I’m so proud of you.’ And that never happened, because I feel she didn’t feel it was completely necessary for her to tell me she was actually proud of me.” – Simone Biles
The sadness over her lack of parental support fed Biles determination. She found shelter in the gymnastics mat, forging grit, courage and perseverance.
Financial Struggles Leading to Homelessness
Adding to adversity she already faced, at age 6 her family fell upon difficult financial times. This unfortunately resulted in living out of the family van for some time:
“We jumped from house to house because my grandparents couldn’t afford the bills or a house payment” – Simone Biles
Despite their hardships, Nellie insisted the kids continue their sport activities, knowing its importance for their futures. They found creative ways to survive, showering at nearby gyms where the kids trained.
Finally, the family’s church stepped in and offered them a newly renovated house rent-free. Kindness from others and her family’s faith kept hope alive during their darkest days.
Finding Confidence & Joy Through Gymnastics
Biles was introduced to gymnastics by a daycare field trip when she was just 6 years old. The sport quickly sparked something deep within her – a talent she didn’t know she possessed.
Joining a Gymnastics Program at Age 8
Her abilities were far beyond that of an average girl her age. Biles’ raw talent led to her grandparents enrolling her in a formal gymnastics program at age 8. She trained with coach Aimee Boorman at Bannon’s Gymnastix in Texas. Under Boorman’s guidance, Biles talent rapidly progressed over the next four years.
Initial Successes & Meeting Idols
Early on in her training, Biles had tremendous success in competition. She was named to the U.S. Junior Olympics team twice, placing 4th all-around in 2009. During this exciting time, Biles also got to meet one of her idols, Olympic gold medalist Nastia Liukin:
| Year | Meet & Greet |
|---|---|
| 2009 | Winter Classic Competition |
“I remember seeing Nastia Liukin in 2009 shortly before she went to the Olympics. I asked her to take a picture with me and then I asked if I could have her autograph too. She probably thought I was just some random little girl asking. Little did she know I would be following in her footsteps.” – Simone Biles
The chance encounter gave Biles vision of what dedication to her craft could lead to. She saw first-hand what it took to reach such mastery.
Transferring to World Champions Centre at Age 14
To advance to an elite, world-class level, Coach Boorman knew Biles needed superior facilities, coaches and equipment only available at the renowned World Champions Centre. At only 14 years old, Biles and her grandparents uprooted from their Texas home to move to Spring, TX where the gym was located.
The decision meant leaving behind friends, school and her team. It was a pivotal transition to make at such a formative age. But for Biles, the sacrifice to follow her Olympic dreams was fully supported by her family.
The state-of-the-art gym met every training need and her skills quickly magnified under the watchful eyes of coaches Cecile and Laurent Landi. Biles suddenly found herself surrounded by some of the best gymnasts in the country, including other elites on upward trajectories toward Team USA status.
Immense Discipline and Work Ethic
It was at World Champions where Biles put in the tireless work needed to become legendary. Her raw talent was molded into technical mastery through intense, repeated drill work on each skill and apparatus. Biles embraced the gritty, determined attitude the Landis demanded from their gymnasts.
Her grandparents ensured she kept focus by providing stability and support in all areas of her life outside the gym doors. School work mattered just as much as nailing every uneven bar release. And birthdays with loved ones brought joyful balance to the rigors of training.
This wise, mature guidance from Nellie and Ron gave Biles the psychological edge needed to thrive both physically and mentally under immense pressure. Their faith in her never wavered.
Historic Achievements at Young Age
The concentrated training at World Champions accelerated Biles’ skills exponentially leading up to 2016. She soon became the gymnast to beat at every competition, including the Visa National Championships and the World Championships.
P&G National Championships History-Making Performances
In the summer of 2013, just a year after joining World Champions, Biles arrived at the P&G National Championships hoping to make a name for herself. She did way more than that, delivering one history-making performance after another:
- First place in the all-around – became the first African American gymnast to win the all-around title
- Scored 60.45 points total – highest mark ever recorded at the P&G championships
- Unprecedented 15-point gap between 1st and 2nd place
- Named to 2013-16 Senior National Team by age 16
Biles was suddenly the one on magazine covers with starry-eyed little girls asking for her autograph. The humble powerhouse took it all in gracious stride while never losing sight of her ultimate dream – the Olympics.
Dominating the World Stage at Age 17
Over the next three years, Biles escalated to dominate the world gymnastics stage cementing her status as the G.O.A.T (greatest of all time):
- 2013 & 2014 World Champion All-Around
- 2015 World Champion – all-around, floor and beam
- 10 time World Championship gold medalist
- 14 time World Championship gold medalist
- 3 trick skills named after her (the hardest feats in the sport)
- Yurchenko double pike on vault
- Double layout half out on floor
- Double double beam dismount
Standing atop the podium at Worlds in 2015, 17 year old Simone Biles had the most World Championship gold medals ever won by a female gymnast…and she was just getting started.
Conquering Her Greatest Heights at the 2016 Rio Olympics
The childhood trauma, homelessness, sacrifice and rigors of training all led to the raison d’être for Biles — a chance for Olympic glory. At 19 years old, she arrived on the world’s biggest stage to fulfill her destiny.
U.S. Olympic Trials Performances Cemented G.O.A.T Status
A spot on the coveted 2016 U.S. Olympic team came down to one nerve-racking weekend – the Olympic Trials. As expected, Biles dominated, recording astonishing scores that left zero doubt who the team captain would be:
- Trials All-Around Champion – 2 points ahead of 2nd place
- Highest all-around score ever – 62.198
- Total margin of victory the biggest ever
Her performances were so far above her rivals that reporters ran out of superlatives to describe them. Biles carried herself with a smiling confidence that both intimidated and motivated her competitors.
Claiming Her Rightful Place in Olympic History
In the pressure cooker of the Rio Olympic gymnastics arena, Biles cooly showcased her immense skills and boundless talent. Over the course of a week, she captured the hearts of fans globally becoming one of the biggest stars of the games.
By the end, her Olympic hardware haul was staggering:
- Team all-around gold
- Individual all-around gold
- Vault gold
- Floor exercise gold
- Bronze beam
At age 19, she stood atop the Olympic podium 4 times over. Biles achieved the greatest gymnastics accomplishment in American history and became universally recognized as the greatest ever.
Yet with all the mainstream fame she now carried, Biles remained that same humble girl her grandparents raised. The maturity gained from surviving a traumatic childhood gave her a wisdom beyond her years.
Inspiring the Next Generation
Back home and honored with parades, massive media tours and even her own day in her home state, Biles used her platform and influence to motivate young minority girls like herself.
She partnered with organizations supporting foster kids and adoption agencies – the very institutions that gave her a second chance.
Biles embodied resilience, courage and the power of dreaming big no matter your circumstances. A nation of young girls finally had a true champion and role model they could see themselves in.
The little girl plucked from hardship now stood tall – an African American, World Champion from humble beginnings. Simone Biles represented everything one could overcome.
Continuing to Break Boundaries Post-Olympics
If her story ended in Rio, Biles’ journey to Olympic glory would have been more than enough to etch her name in history. Yet she fearlessly continued competing over the next seven years shattering even more boundaries along the way:
- 2018 World Champion All-Around, vault, floor, beam
- 2019 World Champion All-Around, vault, floor, beam
- Broke medals record at World Championships
- 7 times United States National All-Around Champion
- First woman in nearly 70 years to return to competition after retiring
- Oldest woman to win an American Cup at age 24
- First woman to perform Yurchenko double pike vault in competition
- First woman to land triple-double dismount on floor
Now a wise veteran in her sport, Biles’ empowered an entirely new generation of gymnasts as the steadfast leader on two Olympics teams. No longer was she the wide-eyed rookie in awe of her heroic teammates. The tables had fully turned.
Conclusion: A Champion’s Legacy, A Life Well-Lived
Simone Biles entered the world facing tremendous hardship before even reaching her fifth birthday. She could have easily become a statistic – another failed foster care system victim.
Instead, she found the core human anchors needed to survive and thrive – caring grandparents and a sport that gave her purpose. Gymnastics lit a fire within Biles at six years old…and she nurtured that flame relentlessly for decades.
No amount of adversity could deter her once her Olympic dreams seemed attainable. Not homelessness, not leaving her school, not the pressure of making history at 17 years old. Every obstacle only made Biles’ ambition burn hotter with each new height reached.
Today her name is planted firmly atop Mount Olympus, secure in the pantheon of greatest American Olympic heroes ever.
The arc of Biles life is more than just record-shattering scores flashing across jumbotrons. It is far beyond the 24 world championship medals of gold now hanging around her neck.
Her legacy beams as a shining light for little foster girls fighting their own silent, private battles borne from circumstances thrusted unfairly upon them.
Biles now pays that light forward by supporting those very institutions that saved her own life. She stands taller knowing her example can lift thousands just like her nearer their own magnificent dreams. All they needed was one standard-bearer to model the possibilities ahead.
Simone Biles, American treasure whose light shimmers like an Olympic torch, forever burning bright with courage, resilience and grace.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old was Simone when she started gymnastics?
Simone first discovered gymnastics during a daycare field trip when she was 6 years old. She began formal gymnastics classes and training at 8 years old at Bannon’s Gymnastix in Texas.
Where did Simone Biles train on her path to the Olympics?
Biles trained at Bannon’s Gymnastix from ages 8 to 14 under famed coach Aimee Boorman. To advance her skills in attempt to make the Olympics, at 14 she transferred with Coach Boorman to the renowned World Champions Centre in Spring, Texas. There she was coached by the intense duo of Cecile and Laurent Landi leading up to 2016.
What major hardship did Biles face during childhood?
When Biles was just 6 years old, she and her siblings experienced homelessness for a period of time after her grandparents fell upon financial troubles. The family lived out of a van and stayed with relatives until their church offered them a rent-free house.
How did Biles’ grandparents support her gymnastics career?
Biles’ grandparents Ron and Nellie provided unwavering support, stability and love which gave her the foundation needed to thrive in gymnastics from a young age. They sacrificed financially by pouring money into training costs and moved across Texas so Biles could attend the elite World Champions gym at 14.
What records did Biles break early in her career?
At the 2013 P&G National Championships, Biles made history by being the first African American gymnast to win the all-around title. She also scored the highest all-around total ever recorded at P&Gs with 60.45 points. By 2013 & 2014, she was World Champion and the gymnast to beat globally.