Gymnast talks foster care and flag football

It’s been a whirlwind week for Simone Biles.

As part of her week-long Gold Over America tour, Biles presented partnership with wine brand Barefoot and was named SportsPro World’s Best Selling Athlete of the Year. She attended the premiere of the second installment of her Netflix docuseries, Simone Biles: The Rising, in Los Angeles. And on Thursday night, she donated $50,000 at a gala to Friends of the Children, a nonprofit that provides mentors to children facing adversity, including those in the foster care system, like Biles once was.

“It’s so important to me because I see myself in these kids and what they go through and what they grow through,” Biles told USA TODAY Sports. “…Sometimes the statistics can be against you, but to have someone like me standing up for these kids, and knowing that I’ve been through some of the same situations that these kids have gone through and come out on top, really inspires them. “

During an interview at a luxury hotel in Santa Monica, California, Biles spoke with USA TODAY Sports visual journalist Sandie Hooper about her philanthropic work and a wide range of other topics.

Simone Biles on supporting children in foster care

Biles spoke out her experience with the foster care system. She said she spent about three years in foster care before she turned 6 as her biological mother, Shannon, struggled with drugs and alcohol.

“You grow up in foster care and the statistics are against you, and it is what it is,” she said Thursday. “But to come out on top of it all, to rise above, obviously I had to have help from my family, but I am who I am today because of my adoptive family. And so I want kids to appreciate and remember that too, and that you can do anything. . It doesn’t matter.”

Biles said that as she has gotten older, she has become more aware of the importance of talking about her past. She also tried to be available to questions from children in foster care to act as a resource and inspiration, she said.

“Most of the time these are stupid questions because they are very young and they are curious,” she said when asked about her interactions with children. “How old are you? What is your height? Do you have a boyfriend? … It usually doesn’t get too serious with kids, except for older ones. They want to know why I did it, that I’m into that kind of stuff, but it’s fun, I love it.”

Simone Biles in her Netflix documentary

“Simone Biles: Rising” is a four-part documentary series chronicling her return to competition and her trip to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. It was released in two parts, with the first two episodes debuting ahead of the Games and the final two episodes arriving on Netflix on Friday.

Biles said the pre-Olympic release of the docuseries didn’t add any pressure.

“I actually needed to watch these episodes beforehand, and I talked to my therapist about it,” she said. “And yes, the timing was a little dicey, but I knew I had already done all the work mentally and I was okay with it coming out when it did.”

Biles also produced a documentary series in the lead-up to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. She said the process of making “Simone Biles: The Rise” was much easier without the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that was helped by having the same director, Katie Walsh.

“The team I have worked with for so many years, I feel very comfortable with them. So it was really easy,” Biles said.

Simone Biles on Jordan Chiles’ appeal

Oddly enough, Biles’ Netflix documentary also produced footage that could help her teammate Jordan Chiles retain her floor exercise bronze medal at the Paris Games.

Chile recently filed an appeal to the highest court of Switzerland in hopes of resolving a dispute over whether the scoring request she submitted was submitted outside the 60-second time limit. After the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled it was filed late, footage from the documentary appears to show the investigation was carried out on time, giving Chiles the opportunity to appeal.

When asked about her reaction when she learned that footage from her documentary could help Chiles, Biles demurred.

“It’s not my topic of conversation, but we’re going to support Jordan as much as we can and love her and encourage her because it’s a tough situation,” she said.

Simone Biles on her husband’s Olympic interest

With the Olympics behind her, Biles said she’s excited to have more time to pursue other interests and support her husband, Jonathan Owens, as an advocate for the athletes. Chicago Bears.

Biles has not said whether she intends to compete at the next Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028, although it is now possible that her husband could attend. Flag football will be included in the Olympic sports program in 2028 for the first time, and debate continues about whether NFL players can or should play for Team USA.

“I think it would be very interesting. I think it would be a lot of fun,” Biles said when asked about her husband and his Bears teammates possibly competing in 2028. “I know my husband and his teammates have talked about it a lot if they’re going to do it. But this is happening in the summer right when they start training camp, so I know it’s going to be very hard on their body, just because of how long it lasts. the season is here, but they are very excited about it and tempted, so we’ll see.”

Contributing: Nancy Armor and Sandy Hooper

Contact Tom Schad at [email protected] or on social media. @Tom_Shad.