Message For Simone Biles

August 3rd, 2021

Dear Simone:

You don't know me and I really don't know you but I have been a big fan on yours for quite awhile now.  You have a lot of fans like me who have seen you growing up in America looking kind of like many other kids in America but having a talent that catapulted you far above even the best of other gymnasts in the world. 

When it comes to gymnastics you have done it all and you have done it well and through it all it seems to me that you have radiated a sweetness and kindness and a respect for others that is not found in all athletes.  You truly have been to the "Mountaintop" of gymnastics competitions and have found yourself alone at the top of the gymnastics heap over and over and over again.  You have a gymnastics record at your young age (24) that will probably never be surpassed.  You have 30 combined Olympic and World Championship medals.

You, My Dear Simone, have nothing more to prove.

You had a rough start to your Olympic Competition this time out.  You could tell and others could tell that you were not at the top of your Gymnastic Game and you were faced with a choice of what to do about it.  You made the choice to partially sit this one out because you were well aware of the fact that if you did compete you could have seriously injured yourself permanently.

For the most part, your decision to back off and allow your American teammates to pursue their dreams in your place was accepted and encouraged by most Americans and indeed athletes and citizens from around the world.  Regardless of what others thought about your decision it was a decision that only you could have made and should have made.  It was a decision that really should not have promoted controversy.  Unfortunately, however, we live in a Nation and in a world where people who have no talent in gymnastics and generally no interest at all in gymnastics, feel as though they are entitled to have an opinion regarding what you have done in the 2021 Olympics.

Certainly there are people in your life who are entitled to have an opinion about what you do.  Your parents, your foster parents, your coaches, your boyfriend certainly might be entitled to express their opinions to you.  But in the end the only person who should really be entitled to decide whether or not you are in shape to safely participate in your Olympic Competitions is you.  

The only reason that I am writing this message to you is because, as I suppose should have been expected, some mainly right wing jackass commentators have taken it upon themselves to make negative and insulting judgements about you.  Words like Quitter, Loser and other epithets have been used to describe your situation unfairly.

I am writing this message to you in order to ask you to ignore these unfair criticisms.  You have done nothing wrong and, in fact, you have done everything right.  You saw that you were not in shape to compete initially and instead of leaving the competition you stayed and heartily encouraged your teammates, who certainly came through on their own merits.  You have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.  You have competed and won at the Olympics before.  You encouraged your teammates to victory and you avoided a disaster happening for yourself because you weren't ready.  When you were ready you did compete and you were successful.  You made the correct choices.

Perhaps this Olympic Experience is actually a blessing in disguise.  Your whole life has been gymnastics.  Maybe it is time for you to move on to other pursuits.  You are articulate and attractive.  Maybe Writing, Broadcasting, Podcasting might be something you might like to do and would be good at.  Certainly, like Michael Phelps and others a sports commentator position might be something you might enjoy.  Settling down and raising a family might also be healthy for you but only if you are ready. 

You are a young woman who has certainly lived an interesting and a fulfilling life so far.  But you really do have your whole life ahead of you to pursue other things.  Don't push things in gymnastics to a point where you might get hurt.  

You will always be a hero to children interested in sports, especially black children.  Young black kids, like yourself, don't have enough heroes to model themselves after.  You have shown yourself to be the kind of heroine that all kids could model themselves after.  Perhaps starting a foundation to work with young kids would be something you might like to do.

You have always been a winner and you will continue to be one if you continue to make the right decisions like the ones that you made this year at the Olympics.  Don't let the Nay Sayers get to you.  It is easy to be a Critic.  It is not so easy to get to a level in a sport like Gymnastics where you have been.

We in America and in the World are very Proud of You and what you have accomplished in your young life.  

You are a World Champion.  You Continue to be a Champion and even if others do outpace your accomplishments in the future You will still always be a Champion and an incredible Inspiration to other Young Athletes who may follow you to the Olympic Podiums of the Future.

Godspeed Simone in whatever you choose to do in your Future.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher