In an open-hearted but devious effort we have employed the regular media, mind readers, the National Security Agency, pharmacologists, and other intrusive individuals and entities to engage Simone Biles and determine what she\u2019s really thinking. That\u2019s none of our business, you might say. And to that I respond: why, then, are you reading this? I\u2019ll answer that rhetorical question. You also want to gain a few personal insights about perhaps the greatest gymnast in history who, we\u2019re learning, is a charming pixie blessed with a luminous smile. In the interest of restraint and good taste, we\u2019ve omitted a few findings.<\/p>\n
\tQuestioners \u2013 Congratulations on winning four gold medals and a bronze. <\/p>\n
\tSimone Biles \u2013 I\u2019ve only got three golds and a bronze right now. <\/p>\n
\tQ \u2013 Yes, but we think you\u2019ll take the floor exercise tomorrow.<\/p>\n
\tSB \u2013 You probably thought I\u2019d win the balance beam today, too, but I slipped.<\/p>\n
\tQ \u2013 It\u2019s a treacherous event. <\/p>\n
\tSB \u2013 Definitely. <\/p>\n
\tQ \u2013 Simone, this morning we read you\u2019re interested in competing in “Dancing with Stars” even though you say you \u201ccan\u2019t dance.\u201d We don\u2019t believe you can\u2019t dance.<\/p>\n
\tSimone Biles \u2013 I can\u2019t dance as well as a lot of the other girls in gymnastics.<\/p>\n
\tQ \u2013 But you\u2019re dominating the competition.<\/p>\n
\tSB \u2013 That\u2019s because of my speed, strength, and jumping ability, as well as my balance and short frame \u2013 I\u2019m only four-foot-eight \u2013 enable me to do very complicated vaults and flips and land on my feet. I really would like to dance like the girls I see on TV.<\/p>\n
\tQ \u2013 And in nightclubs?<\/p>\n
\tSB \u2013 I don\u2019t go to nightclubs. I\u2019m too young and have been too busy, anyway. <\/p>\n
\tQ \u2013 Do you plan to go to the clubs after the Olympics?<\/p>\n
\tSB \u2013 Definitely.<\/p>\n
\tQ \u2013 You\u2019ll need a security detail.<\/p>\n
\tSB \u2013 No, I\u2019m the same person I\u2019ve always been.<\/p>\n
\tQ \u2013 You may not have changed fundamentally, but millions of fans in the United States, and around the world, are becoming very interested in you. Some are obsessed. <\/p>\n
\tSB \u2013 Well, I wouldn\u2019t go to clubs by myself. I\u2019d go with friends. Even if I needed security, it would only be for a little while. Things would cool off. Nadia Comaneci was really hot after the 1976 Olympics, and after 1980, as well, but she\u2019s been leading a normal life. Same for Mary Lou Retton and Nastia Liukin. I\u2019ll be fine.<\/p>\n
Q \u2013 What about boyfriends?<\/p>\n
\tSB \u2013 There\u2019ll be one soon, I\u2019m pretty sure. <\/p>\n
\tQ \u2013 For almost fifty years, following the 1968 Olympics when Vera Caslavska, a mature, hundred-twenty-one pounder from Czechoslovakia, won her second gold medal in the all-around competition, there\u2019s been an emphasis on younger and lighter girls. There have even been some instances of bulimia and anorexia nervosa. One young lady, Christy Henrich, whose weight had shriveled to forty-nine pounds, died at age twenty-two in 1994.<\/p>\n
\tSB \u2013 That was tragic but it\u2019s not how things usually are. I\u2019m short, as I mentioned, but I weigh a hundred four pounds, which is quite a bit for my height, and I always make sure to get enough to eat and maintain my strength. All the other girls, like me, climb the rope every day, using only their arms and holding both legs straight out. <\/p>\n
\tQ \u2013 Okay, let\u2019s assume there isn\u2019t undue pressure for the girls, or young ladies, to maintain reasonable weights. That leads to our next question. Do you think you could maintain this level of excellence four more years until the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo? <\/p>\n
\tSB \u2013 I\u2019m not guaranteeing I could but I think so. The question I haven\u2019t really answered yet is: do I want to? Do I want thirty-two hours a week in the gym and rarely any pizza or dessert? <\/p>\n
\tQ \u2013 What are you plans after the Olympics? You\u2019ll have unlimited endorsement opportunities.<\/p>\n
\tSB \u2013 We\u2019ll certainly take advantage of those as well as our tour with other gymnasts. That\u2019ll be for fun and entertainment, not competition. <\/p>\n
\tQ \u2013 I saw online that tickets are scaled from twenty-five to two hundred fifty bucks. Some seats will undoubtedly be more expensive than that, about like prime seats at NBA games.<\/p>\n
\tSB \u2013 It\u2019s quite a bit, but I think people are interested.<\/p>\n
\tQ \u2013 They are, indeed. I\u2019ve read, and frankly pray it\u2019s not true, that you\u2019re a big fan of the Kardashians and want to have your own reality show. <\/p>\n
\tSB \u2013 Yeah, I think that would be cool. My parents don\u2019t want to but they wouldn\u2019t have to be on camera. My friends and my four German Shepherds and I would be the stars.<\/p>\n
\tQ \u2013 Please let us suggest that you set the bar a bit higher and host a talk show. You could start with the world of gymnastics and sports in general. Imagine how stimulating it would be to interview people like Nadia Comaneci and Nastia Liukin and Bela and Martha Karolyi. Then you could interview LeBron James and Steph Curry and Tom Brady. I\u2019ll bet President Obama would love to appear on your show. And Oprah. Way better than reality TV. What do you think? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In an open-hearted but devious effort we have employed the regular media, mind readers, the National Security Agency, pharmacologists, and other intrusive individuals and entities to engage Simone Biles and determine what she\u2019s really thinking. That\u2019s none of our business, you might say. And to that I respond: why, then, are you reading this? I\u2019ll…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1536,232,128,1166,1537],"tags":[],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n