In the world of gymnastics, Simone Biles is already ‘the Legend’. Having won almost every possible accolade in the gymnastics realm, Biles is now truly the GOAT. After all, competing in 3 Olympics while winning 11 medals in all(including 7 gold medals), there is very little room for complaints. Coming out of foster care and now ruling the gymnastics realm at 28, Biles’ story is surely a fairytale of sorts. But the manner in which it all started was pretty surprising. Loving to flip, Biles showed some tenacious attempts inside her house to hop onto the sofas and bed. And while Aimee Boorman took her under her wings, little Biles was too reluctant to practice gymnastics! But the champion inside of her refused to bow down even as a child. And together, they created history. 

In her recently released book, The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles, Aimee Boorman gave a sneak peek into the time when it all started. Boorman stated that the lack of experience made Biles do pretty average on her level 5 training. But despite her faltering, Biles’ inner talent forced Boorman to promote her to level 6. This was quite an advanced level for someone like Biles. At the age of seven, she was practising with girls who were twelve or thirteen years of age. Yet, Biles was pretty much on point showcasing her impeccable talent. But trouble was still lurking for little Biles!

With Biles shining bright in her training, she began to get a little complacent. “I started counting her repetitions for her and then, if she was short on the count, I would tell her she had more to do: ‘Simone, you have ten more.’ Then she would start crying because she didn’t want to keep going,” recalled Boorman in her book. And although she did not think Biles was shirking responsibility or doing this on purpose, Boorman had to intervene. And when she forced her to complete all her reps, Biles began to cry. “When she was young, Simone cried a lot,” Boorman recalled how Biles cried vehemently in her younger years. But then, she always came back to the gym the very next day, showing her incredible love for gymnastics and her determination to fight through pain and succeed. But Biles did not decide to become mischievous without a reason. 

Speaking about Biles, Boorman opined that somebody of Biles’ level was not required to toil as hard as the others. This is because most of the routines came to them pretty naturally. And the same was the case for Biles. And this is where little Biles decided to become mischievous. “I would ask the team to do a conditioning exercise and Simone would do maybe two-thirds of the amount she was supposed to do: she would start when the girl next to her started and stop when she stopped, regardless of how many repetitions she had actually completed,” said Boorman. Surely, this statement alone is enough to justify how great of a talent Biles was right from her childhood. And as she continued to be guided by Boorman, Biles addressed her as her “second mother” acknowledging the sacrifice and hard work that Boorman had put behind making Biles a champion.

How Aimee Boorman became the second mom for Simone Biles’ while shaping the path for her success

Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history, has often spoken about the role her coach, Aimee Boorman, played in shaping her career. But what many don’t know is that Boorman was more than just a coach—she became a second mother to Biles, stepping in when her biological parents’ demanding careers kept them on the move. “She’s known me forever, so I feel like she’s my second mom,” Biles said, reflecting on the bond that goes far beyond the gym floor.

The closeness between Biles and Boorman was formed during the years when the young gymnast would spend countless hours in the gym, working on her skills and preparing for the national stage. With her parents often away, Boorman’s house became a safe haven, a place of comfort and stability. “I’ve stayed at her house when my parents were out of town,” Simone recalled, emphasizing how Boorman became an essential figure in her life, even more present than her parents during critical moments of her journey.

Despite their deep connection, their relationship wasn’t without its challenges. As the coach noted, “There was a lot of head butting” during Biles’ formative years. Disagreements over skills, training hours, and coaching methods are part of any close relationship, but it’s clear that this mother-daughter-like dynamic was crucial in pushing Biles to the very top of her sport.