Generational traumas can sometimes be broken if there’s a will to do so. And Simone Biles‘s childhood coach is a shining example of the same. She has been one of the foundational pillars when it comes to shaping the career of Simone Biles. Taking her under her wings from the tender age of seven, her coach fostered Biles in a manner that made the US gymnastics GOAT attain greatness. Guiding Biles through thick and thin, she helped Biles to win four gold medals in the 2016 Rio Olympics. However, all of these could easily have gone haywire. Because during her own childhood, the coach herself was devoid of her coach’s attention. So much so that in order to get his attention, she broke her leg! Who are we talking about? Yes, you guessed it right. Aimee Boorman!

In her recent interaction with USA Today Sports, Boorman narrated one of her harrowing experiences from childhood. As a young gymnast, everybody wants to be their coach’s favorite. And if not their favorite, they all wanted a little pat on the back from their mentors. Boorman, too, was no different. In her interview, the gymnastics coach recalled how she was thrilled to take the first test plunge at the Lakeshore Academy in Chicago. But in no time, the zeal within Boorman disappeared. And the reason? Her ignorant coach. 

According to Boorman, Coach Jeremy was never attentive to what Boorman did. She tried hard to perform well, arms raised on the balance beam till they got numb. But Coach Jeremy was too busy to notice her. “I was really useless to him because I couldn’t compete,” said Boorman. However, Boorman did not give up easily. She immediately doubled her efforts and even arrived at the gym early one day. Little did she know that trying too hard would bring an impending doom to her gymnastics career. 

Putting in a lot of effort to please Coach Jeremy, Boorman strained herself too much and broke her leg! Sadly, even then, Boorman was ignored month after month. Not feeling the urge to get back to the mat, Boorman quit. But then, as she turned into a gymnastics coach, Boorman made sure that she did not pass on the trauma to her students. And thus, Aimee Boorman became like a ‘second mother’ to Simone Biles.

How Aimee Boorman became Simone Biles’s second mom and secret weapon

Going against the stereotype in the hard-edged world of elite gymnastics, Aimee Boorman carved an unlikely path. Where stern voices and steely expectations dominate, she became Simone Biles’ ‘second mom’. When others might have broken spirits, Boorman built trust — and, in the process, helped sculpt one of the most extraordinary athletes the sport has ever seen.

“Simone was eight when I started coaching her,” Boorman said. She further stated, “She was a little child, very immature.” Yet even in those early, chaotic years, Boorman saw something more than raw talent — she recognized a spark that needed patience, not pressure. With Biles’s parents often traveling for work, Boorman’s role deepened beyond the gym. Biles shared, “She’s known me forever, so I feel like she’s my second mom.” Biles continued, “I’ve stayed at her house when my parents were out of town, and I used to see her more than my parents.”

Their bond wasn’t without friction. Headstrong and fiercely independent, Biles often clashed with Boorman over practice routines and training intensity. “There was a lot of head butting,” Boorman recalled. But where others might have seen rebellion, Boorman saw resilience, nurturing Biles’s spirit instead of suppressing it. In a sport notorious for breaking down girls, Boorman’s belief built a champion.