Olympic Shocker - Simone Biles Pulls Out of All Around Competition Too

The internet and news channels are buzzing about Simone Biles' pull-out from the gymnastics Team Competition yesterday, and her decision to pull out of the All-Around Competition that was still pending. Many people are simply commenting on this, some are condemning her, a few are praising her. But the reality is, if her head is not in the game, she could seriously injure herself, impacting her future life for years or decades to come, and any poor performance will also impact her fellow team members. 

Simone Biles had already shocked by her huge step out of 
bounds on the floor exercises earlier in the week. Yesterday 
she completely lost her focus on the vault - something 
that could have seriously injured her. That she was able to 
land safely (poorly) was a real nod to her skill. Her score 
was horrible and would have dragged the team down 
if that poor performance had continued. Her pulling out to 
get her head back into the game was the best thing for 
her team. 

I believe when she realized that her head wasn't in the game and she lost track of her air on the vault, her decision to pull out was a wise one. If she had continued in the competition with her head so far out of things, she could have pulled the team down with her, condemning their hard work into a fall out of the medal standings completely. A negative score has gravity and weight, pulling down and affecting the total team score. 

Who is on the USA Women's Olympics team? It's more 
than just Simone Biles. From L-R, Jade Carey, 
Sunisa (Suni) Lee, Jordan Chiles, Simone Biles, 
Mykayla Skinner and Grace McCallum. 

It was certainly a shock to the team and those watching when she lost control in an event she had nailed beautifully just days before. Her score, however, pulled the team down from the potential Gold medal into Silver, or perhaps Bronze. Of course her pull-out wasn't all about her. She's a team player all the way. She knew she would drag the team down and pulled herself out to allow them to continue on their own and place as high as they could with her poor score dragging them down. And yes, they didn't win Gold, they won Silver. Silver! That's still a hell of an accomplishment. Suni Lee (a local athlete that we're SO proud of), Jordan Chiles and Grace McCallum stepped into the breach and finished the other portions of the competition. In the end, the team members were awarded Silver medals - a true accomplishment in anyone's book. 

There has been a huge amount of support coming for 
Simone Biles, but there are also those who think she 
should have continued on in the competition. My personal 
opinion, which of course doesn't matter at all, is that she 
made the right decision for herself and for the team. Above 
all, Simone is a team player. 

Any athlete will tell you that mental preparation is just as important as physical. You need your head totally in the game to be successful. I think Simone's personal expectations married to the expectations of a nation finally crested into a trough. Let's show our support for her and other athletes who fight every day to be mentally "on game". Let's cherish that Silver Medal and support these athletes and their personal achievements. They're performing feats few of us could even dream of doing. Stay well, be kind, and I'll be back tomorrow.