Are You Ready For It?
Gymnastics, the Magnificent Seven, and Paris 2024
Are you watching the Olympics?
Are you watching the women’s gymnastics team final today?
(And the U.S. men’s team! They put on a pretty good show yesterday in the team competition.)
It’s probably one of the most anticipated events of the Paris Olympics, and not just because women’s gymnastics is one of the most popular events at the Olympics.
Simone Biles is back competing on her own terms. So is Suni Lee who, a year ago, wasn’t sure she’d ever compete again. Both are Olympic all-around champions and will compete in the all-around later this week.
Two other members of the team—Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey—are also returning Olympians. It’s the first time a team has had four returning Olympians since 1952. And the fifth team member, Hezly Rivera, is 16-years old from New Jersey.
There was plenty of drama during qualifications. Simone’s calf. Suni vs. Jordan for the second U.S.-spot in the all-around competition. Jade!! She’s been feeling sick and hasn’t been able to eat much in the past few days and she battled to be out on that floor. (I hate that she felt she had to explain herself afterwards.)
This team is unique in so many ways and collectively, they’ve been through so much, personally and professionally. They also symbolize a shift in the culture within gymnastics. I’m not saying that everything is better and all the problems within the sport are gone—there’s still a lot that needs to be addressed and this recent investigative story from The Washington Post’s Molly Hensley-Clancy finds that abuse is still rampant at local gyms. But when you watch this team, in practice or competition or even on social media, there’s a different vibe. Even joy.
While looking forward to the Olympic meet, I’ve also been looking back in history and thinking about the culture of sport, what we ask athletes to endure in the name of sporting excellence, and the legacy of abusive cultures in sport.
Back in February, my editor at SELF asked if I would be interested in working on a cover story for the Olympics. It has been nearly 30 years since the Magnificent Seven won the first team gold in Olympic women’s gymnastics at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and SELF wanted to bring together a few of the teammates. In the end, I got to interview Dominique Dawes, Shannon Miller, and Dominique Moceanu.
Going into the interviews, I really wanted to understand what it meant for them to be a icon and hero at such a young age, how they now think about and process their experience in sport in light of the recent abuse scandals, and what their hopes are for the future of girls and women in sport.
Here’s a little of what I wrote:
It’s been almost 30 years since the Atlanta Games, and in that time Strug’s vault has been held up as the bastion of sporting glory and the epitome of the Olympic spirit. Károlyi has been portrayed as the lovable coach hyping up his athlete before a big moment to remind her of what she’s capable of. Who wouldn’t want that?
But what seemed like innocuous encouragement belied a sports culture that some athletes say broke them, literally and figuratively…
Learning what these young girls and teenagers had to endure in their quest for sporting excellence and the toll it has taken makes revisiting the gymnastics competition as an adult bittersweet.
One the one hand, I was delighted to interview these women. These women and this team were superstars and seemed larger than life. They were beloved.
On the other hand, it was also hard to hear their stories, especially Dominique Dawes and Dominique Moceanu, about their training, the things they sacrificed, and how they’ve come to terms with their experience in a sport that demanded excellence at every turn.
They were so young, still kids, and expected to carry so much weight on their shoulders. Still, it’s hard to reckon with it sometimes.
The hardest part of writing a story like this is that, while you might have a couple of ideas or thread floating around in your head, you never know what you’ll get from the actual interview. And with three separate interviews, it’s even harder to know if there will be a common thread that connects the three stories.
So this isn’t a story about the teenagers who stole our hearts. This is a story about the women they’ve become—entrepreneurs, coaches, and advocates—the choices they’ve made, and their reflections on that iconic moment in the Georgia Dome. Most importantly, this is a story about finding their voice and their hopes for the next generation of girls.
(Thank goodness for good editors who will help you figure out how to tell the story.)
I hope you read it if you get a chance. Do you remember watching the Magnificent Seven compete?
Links & Things
I adore U.S. rugby player Ilona Maher (along with the rest of the world). She’s killing it with her funny videos but she’s also using her platform for good.
I will read pretty much anything Mirin Fader writes. This profile of swimmer Simone Manuel doesn’t just have all the great ups and downs and narrative arc of a good profile, it also does a good job showing exactly how devastating overtraining syndrome can be, something that doesn’t get much press and something that’s really hard to describe.
If you’re wondering why the Olympic surfing competition is taking place in Tahiti, here’s a breakdown of the epic break. (But really I want to know how Colin Jost got the job to cover the comp.)
The U.S. women’s surfing team is 🔥
All hail the middle-aged athlete.
“All the signs suggest Simone Biles is ready for it…but regardless of what she accomplishes in Paris, it’s important to acknowledge that by returning at all, the 27-year-old gymnast has already won.” A great piece from Julie Kliegman.
ICYMI: A couple of recent podcasts! For Tiny Matters, I got to talk about how sports equipment are designed. For Unexpected Curves, I got to talk to pro runner and Olympian Marielle Hall all about menstrual health and how athletes are leading the way in this conversation. For PEAC-Train like a Girl podcast, I got to talk about supporting girls in sport.
OK, now back to watching the Olympics. More soon.
Christine
Great article — love that the us team won, and call themselves “the golden girls” not just for their medals, but because they are the oldest gymnastics team to win! 💪