Thank you, Simone Biles.
And a hearty thank you to all the competitors at the 2021 U.S. Gymnastic Championships at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth this weekend.
Thank you for reminding us of why we still love gymnastics.
And, yes, we do love gymnastics.
I say that as a father of a high school gymnast, Euless Trinity sophomore Jihra Hill, who recently won state in the uneven bars and the uncle of a former college gymnast Kennedy Finister and a member of the Auburn team who reached the NCAA Super Six finals in 2015.
The power, grace and athleticism are unmatched in any sport.
But given where the sport has found itself in recent years, other attributes must be added. Courage, resolve, and mental toughness must also be apply in equal — if not greater — measure considering the monstrous acts committed by former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, who in 2018 was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison on numerous sexual assault charges.
During the trial it was revealed that, under the guise of providing medical treatment, he had actually sexually abused about 500 young girls during his 29 years working for USAG.
The victims included pixie gymnasts to famous Olympic champions like Biles, who is the most accomplished and decorated gymnast of all-time and a favorite to win all-around gold medal again at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics this summer.
True justice may never come for them. The toxic culture and environment of USAG, which was shown to have facilitated in the abuse, will have a lasting effect on the victims for a lifetime.
The numerous resignations, firings and charges filed against other members of the administration in the aftermath of the Nassar trial revealed just how much rot existed.
What is not known as much publicly is the physical and psychological damage suffered by gymnasts during a career in a sport that begins for most as pre-schoolers.
Gymnastics takes up your life and the participants don’t have the typical interactions with their peers due to all the time spent in the gym.
The result is that it can make them socially immature and ripe for manipulation by overzealous coaches, who are often verbally abusive and oppressive. This can lead to gymnasts developing body image issues, eating disorders and depression.
My daughter had enough two years ago and walked away from USAG as a Level 8 gymnast after winning state and regional titles.
She had already suffered a broken toe, fractured bone in knee and a dislocated knee cap. The sport was no longer fun for her and she loathed going to practice. So she opted to compete for her high school team as a ninth grader.
My niece had steel rods placed in both legs due to fractured fibulas before even going to college and then suffered a torn ACL and torn achilles.
But she was one of several African American gymnasts who described the culture of racism and isolation they endured as members of college teams to ESPN last summer.
It is comes as no surprise that Biles was underscored after becoming the first woman ever to perform the Yurchenko double pike on the vault.
Having her skills diminished to level the playing field smacks of the racism endured by other Black athletes in the past by governing bodies who didn’t quite know what to make of their greatness.
Yet, through it all, we still love gymnastics.
They still love gymnastics.
The sheer joy and excitement my daughter displayed after getting a 9.92 on the uneven bars to win first place at the Texas High School Gymnastics State Championships in April while overcoming a back injury brought tears to my eyes.
I know what she sacrificed and endured.
We love gymnastics because we love the gymnasts — especially during an Olympic year.
That has always been the case.
From Nadia Comaneci to Mary Lou Retton to Nastia Liukin to Gabby Douglas to Simone Biles.
They capture our hearts and our imaginations in a way that no other competitors do.
This weekend at Dickies Arena served as a reminder.
The U.S. Olympic Trials are later this month and then, hopefully, the Olympics.
We still loathe the USAG, the ugliness of the Nassar trial and any abuse doled out by those coaches or trainers who violate the trust that they receive from gymnasts and their families.
But we love the gymnasts.
And so thank you to Biles, who may be the greatest athlete of our generation.