The Trials of Simone Biles : âIâm Still Stuck in My Thoughts All the Timeâ
Simone Biles
These are not the sentiments one would expect from Simone Biles  the greatest gymnast to ever live. In public  the four-time Olympic gold medalist lights up every room she walks into or red carpet she struts down with her infectious smile and sports-legend charisma. She may be 4-foot-eight  but she is truly larger than life. (Having all-too-briefly basked in her presence  I can attest to this.)
 Biles  came forward with  her  story on January 15th  in a note posted to Twitter accompanied with the #MeToo.  It  read  in part: âMost of you know me as a happy  giggly  and energetic girl. But latelyâ¦Iâve felt a bit broken and the more I try to shut off the voice in my head the louder it screams. I am not afraid to tell my story anymore. I too am one of the many survivors that was sexually abused by Larry Nassarâ¦After hearing the brave stories of my friends and other survivors  I know that this horrific experience does not define me. I am much more than this.â
When I ask  Biles  about the above tweets  she  posted on January 25 as the Nassar trial unfoldedâwhich included several emotional impact statements read in court by his accusersâthat wonderful smile disappears.
âIt takes a lot â  she  says. âI start counseling soon. For one human being to be put through so much  itâs very emotionally draining  physically draining  and it takes more energy out of you to almost hide it than it takes to give. Iâm working on that part. Inside the gym is all good but outside Iâm still stuck in my thoughts all the time. So Iâm going to counseling to deal with that.â
 Biles  has a ridiculous amount on  her  plate right now. In addition to the Nassar trial   she  is in the midst of training for the 2020 Summer Olympics (six hours a day) and is taking a business administration class at University of the People  an online college (three hours a day). Thereâs also a Lifetime movie on  her    The Simone Biles Story : Courage to Soar  premiering Feb. 3.
With all that going on   she  still managed to take some time to sit down with  me  in New York and discuss all things Simone Biles.
I saw that Halsey gave you a shout-out at the recent Womenâs March here in New York.  She  called you and the other gymnasts targeted by Larry Nassar âheroesâ who remind  her  âwhy we rally.â
â Most of us block out a lot of feelings because weâre told  as elite athletes  that weâre not allowed to feel the same things that other people feel or weâre not allowed to show emotions. â â Simone Biles
Youâve also helped establish the Simone Biles Legacy Scholarship Fund there  which is billed as being â designed to assist foster childrenââlike youââachieve their college dreams.â
Thereâs this Lifetime movie about your life   The Simone Biles Story : Courage to Soar  premiering on Feb. 3. That must be pretty weird  having a movie attempt to tell  your story .
These are not the sentiments one would expect from Simone Biles  the greatest gymnast to ever live. In public  the four-time Olympic gold medalist lights up every room she walks into or red carpet she struts down with her infectious smile and sports-legend charisma. She may be 4-foot-eight  but she is truly larger than life. (Having all-too-briefly basked in her presence  I can attest to this.)
 Biles  came forward with  her  story on January 15th  in a note posted to Twitter accompanied with the #MeToo.  It  read  in part: âMost of you know me as a happy  giggly  and energetic girl. But latelyâ¦Iâve felt a bit broken and the more I try to shut off the voice in my head the louder it screams. I am not afraid to tell my story anymore. I too am one of the many survivors that was sexually abused by Larry Nassarâ¦After hearing the brave stories of my friends and other survivors  I know that this horrific experience does not define me. I am much more than this.â
When I ask  Biles  about the above tweets  she  posted on January 25 as the Nassar trial unfoldedâwhich included several emotional impact statements read in court by his accusersâthat wonderful smile disappears.
âIt takes a lot â  she  says. âI start counseling soon. For one human being to be put through so much  itâs very emotionally draining  physically draining  and it takes more energy out of you to almost hide it than it takes to give. Iâm working on that part. Inside the gym is all good but outside Iâm still stuck in my thoughts all the time. So Iâm going to counseling to deal with that.â
 Biles  has a ridiculous amount on  her  plate right now. In addition to the Nassar trial   she  is in the midst of training for the 2020 Summer Olympics (six hours a day) and is taking a business administration class at University of the People  an online college (three hours a day). Thereâs also a Lifetime movie on  her    The Simone Biles Story : Courage to Soar  premiering Feb. 3.
With all that going on   she  still managed to take some time to sit down with  me  in New York and discuss all things Simone Biles.
I saw that Halsey gave you a shout-out at the recent Womenâs March here in New York.  She  called you and the other gymnasts targeted by Larry Nassar âheroesâ who remind  her  âwhy we rally.â
â Most of us block out a lot of feelings because weâre told  as elite athletes  that weâre not allowed to feel the same things that other people feel or weâre not allowed to show emotions. â â Simone Biles
Youâve also helped establish the Simone Biles Legacy Scholarship Fund there  which is billed as being â designed to assist foster childrenââlike youââachieve their college dreams.â
Thereâs this Lifetime movie about your life    [TGT]  : Courage to Soar  premiering on Feb. 3. That must be pretty weird  having a movie attempt to tell   [TGT]  .