Every Olympics, there are human interest stories that capture my attention. I don’t follow women’s gymnastics, but I always enjoy the spirit of competition. One Olympic athlete we may hear more about in the days to come is American gymnast Sunisa “Suni” Lee.
There are many aspects of Suni Lee’s story that I find fascinating. She is the first Hmong American athlete to compete in the Olympics. The Hmong are an ethnic group that originated in Southeast Asia. They haven’t had a country of their own. There are between 9 and 11 million Hmong people in the world today. They lived in southwestern China for thousands of years but began immigrating to other neighboring countries in the 17th century. As a teacher, I taught several Hmong children.
The most famous and decorated gymnast on the American team is superstar Simone Biles, considered by many to be the greatest and most dominant gymnast of all time. From 2013-2019 she won 30 world and Olympic medals and has a chance to break the all-time medal mark of 33 held by Vitaly Cherbo at this year’s Olympics. The pressure these athletes face is enormous. When competing at the highest levels, one misstep can be the difference between winning a medal or not.
The United States was favored to win the gold medal in the team competition but had to settle for silver. Part of that was because Simone Biles had an uncharacteristic poor first vault. After her first attempt, Biles opted out of the team competition and was replaced by gymnast Jordan Chiles. The issue appears to be more mental than physical as Biles acknowledged the challenges of always trying to be the best. It is unknown if she will compete in the individual events in a few days. The video below is from the 2016 Rio Olympics when Biles captured a record-tying four gold medals.
In a sense, Lee isn’t just competing for herself. At just eighteen years old, she represents an entire community that takes pride in her accomplishments. When her father, John Lee, was asked about his daughter possibly making the U.S. Olympic team, he said, “It would be the greatest accomplishment of any Hmong person in the U.S. ever. It will go down in history.”
Unlike a lot of American gymnasts, Lee does not come from a wealthy family. Instead, she earned her spot on the team through dedication and hard work without the financial advantages that some athletes possess. Unable to afford a fancy balance beam at their home growing up, John Lee built a homemade balance beam so that Lee could practice at home when she was a little girl.
Lee became well-known in the gymnastic community during the 2019 World gymnastic championships, earning three medals. She helped the United States win the team competition while also earning two individual awards for the floor exercise (silver) and uneven bars (bronze). She finished second in those championships to gold medal winner Simone Biles.
For those unfamiliar with how gymnastics work, there are team and individual gymnastic competitions. All six American gymnasts who made the Olympic team compete in the team competition; however, only three American athletes can participate in the four separate gymnastic areas of floor exercise, vault, balance beam, and uneven parallel bars. Simone Biles, Jade Carey, and Suni Lee represent the United States in the individual events. Lee’s strongest events are typically the uneven bars and balance beam.
The past few years have been extremely challenging for the Lee family. In 2019, right before the World gymnastic championships, Suni’s father, John, fell from a ladder while helping a neighbor trim a tree. He became paralyzed from the chest down from the incident. He would have attended the 2019 competition but watched Suni on television while still in the hospital. Despite this devastating life event, John has maintained a positive attitude, and he and Suni inspire each other.
Here is a recent clip (four minutes long but well worth it) from The Today Show where John Lee speaks about his daughter: https://www.today.com/parents/dad-us-olympic-gymnast-suni-lee-shares-her-story-t226398 Any parent can relate to the pride he must have in her accomplishments.
In 2020, Lee sustained a foot injury that hampered her from training and competing for a good part of the year. In addition, she lost her uncle and aunt to COVID-19. Because of COVID restrictions in the Tokyo Olympics, her family will not see her compete in person. Regardless of how Suni Lee does in these Olympics, she is a winner in her family and the Hmong community. I may not know much about gymnastics, but I’ll be pulling for Suni Lee.
July 27—Since I wrote this article, there have been some developments. Simone Biles has decided to withdraw from the Olympics all around championships to concentrate on her mental health. She has been replaced by Jade Carrey for Thursday’s all-around competition. Biles has yet to make a decision as to whether or not she will participate in next week’s individual event finals. I will continue to update as things change.
July 29—Suni Lee just captured the gold medal for the all around in women’s gymnastics.
http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=31911770
August 3—Suni Lee won a bronze medal in the individual competition for the uneven parallel bars a couple of days ago. Today, the gymnastics portion of the Olympics concluded with the individual balance beam competition. The big news was that Simone Biles, who had been expected to compete in all of the individual events prior to the Olympics, took part in the balance beam contest. She finished third and won the bronze medal. Biles had not participated in any events since pulling out of the team competition with what was described as “the twisties.” This is a phenomenon where a gymnast loses their orientation when in the air. Lee came in fifth in the balance beam and concluded her Olympics winning three medals.
No wonder her father, family, friends and her community are proud of her. The whole Country should be, They should be proud of Simone Biles too for having the courage to withdraw when she can’t give of hr best. And the football team worked hard and came back with a medal, Fantastic, so why are people sniping at them?
Hugs
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Whenever one is in the public eye, some of these trolls lie in wait for the opportunity to criticize. I’m glad there has been a lot of backlash toward the critics.
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Thank you for sharing this, Pete. I don’t know how I missed it. I know I am subscribed to your blog, but it didn’t show up in my feed, so I will have to check that out. Anyway, this is such fascinating information. My hat is off to these amazing athletes!
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That happens to me sometimes, too, Jan. It’s one of those mysterious things about WordPress that I don’t understand. Thanks for commenting, and have a great weekend!
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Thank you for the very interesting information, Pete! I never before had heard about the Hmong culture, and i a very pleased for this information. There are so many suppressed cultures all over the world. May she win, and become the light in the darkness. xx Michael
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Thank you, Michael. Suni’s family could not attend in person, but yesterday they showed them along with 300 other people, watching on television. Lots of collective joy!
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Reblogged this on NEW OPENED BLOG > https:/BOOKS.ESLARN-NET.DE.
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Thank you for the reblog, Michael.
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Always with a great pleasure, Pete! Thank you for sharing the information, and have a beautiful weekend! xx Michael
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Thank you for the update to this post, Pete.
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Great post Pete. I appreciated learning about the Hmong culture. 🙂
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Like so many other groups in America, Asian Americans have been unfairly targeted. It is the responsibility of all of us to call out hatred when we see it.
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ABSOLUTELY Pete!
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This is crazy Pete because when I was watching Suni two nights ago, I just zeroed in on her. I loved her performances, her smile, her spirit, her story, her strength, her name (I love that Sun is in it) literally everything about her. I LOVE your phrase “I cheer on character.” And you can see that and feel that as you watch her. She is magnetic…and she continues to be in the news. She is truly inspirational.
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I just got in from running errands and heard that she won the gold medal for today’s women’s all-around. It will be fun for me to watch later today. But, what I most want to see is her family’s reaction and that of the Hmong community. Some little girl is going to think, “I can do this.” That is the absolute best!
I think character can’t be emphasized enough by parents, teachers, and role models. How do we act when somebody’s not watching? Make the right choice simply because it’s the right thing to do—not because we’re going to get more likes or people to notice us.
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Yes, it is awesome that she has won the gold. I can’t wait to watch it either. Through hard work and hardship, she has shone a spotlight on her community which is so deserving of the recognition. I hope it opens up opportunities for many. Her future is as bright as gold too and I bet she will mentor/sponsor both future Hmong and non-Hmong girls to help them realize their Olympic dreams.
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Wonderful post, Pete. Some of these athletes are incredibly inspiring. I often imagine them being 100% focused on their talent and passion since being a child. That’s really the only way to get to such a level. They are devoted, dedicated, and work incredibly hard.
Sometimes I wonder if I have any talents and why I didn’t focus on one particular sport, activity, or art form to excel at some point. But then I realize that I happily had a normal childhood and my thing is to rather know a little bit about many things than to be excellent at one niche.
I’ve had that documentary about an American gymnastics athlete on my mental “to watch” list for a while. I better make that happen soon. Or, I should actually watch some of the Olympics. As a child and teenager, when I had time for such frivolities, watching gymnastics was my favorite discipline during the Olympics. 🙂
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I often wonder how many of these athletes have an internal drive to do this each day vs. some who happen to be talented and are pushed by their parents. While it must be an amazing feeling to realize that you are one of the absolute best at something in the world, the flip side is, what do they give up in return in terms of a normal childhood? I’m sure for some, they would make that trade again. I probably should go find a book by a retired gymnast to better understand what their life was like.
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Good point and exactly what I was thinking. To be in a situation like that also creates expectations. And those are often higher than one might be able to achieve or desire. I’m sure there are some interesting memoirs out there of athletes who have gone through the excitement… 🙂
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Thank you for catching me up with Olympic events here. The human interest stories are always the best parts of the competition. I have not heard of the Hmong people group, and watched agape at Suni Lee’s performance. Even without the financial assets of other athletics, she dazzles!
I applaud Simone Biles too for a different reason; I imagine her ongoing story will reveal more. I pray she can be victorious in a world that often doesn’t respect much less admire differences.
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I think as more and more athletes and celebrities discuss their mental health struggles so openly, it’s only going to help the stigma attached to mental health. I wish Simone well and admire how she has handled herself.
We have a fairly significant Hmong population here in northern California. Quite naturally, they settle close to other family members. The Hmong children that I taught were all good students (education was obviously valued within their culture) and respectful.
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An excellent post Pete and a wonderful background to the Hmong community and the close bond between Suni Lee and her father.. what a tragedy that he was so badly injured. The pressure on the younger adults is layered.. coaches who demand the practice needed to reach Olympic standard that impacts family life, school and sucks a lot of the joy out of being teenagers, and then in the public and ever critical eye. Whilst there is no audience there are millions around the world all pulling for their own athletes to win, and some of them go so far to try and knock top competitors off their game by their trolling. Simone Biles has had to endure more than most and her well-being is the priority..
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I can’t help but think of the aftermath of these young people’s careers. It must be quite the adjustment to go from a rigid life where every minute is preparing for the next competition and then moving to a less demanding lifestyle. I bet that some make the transition easily while others do not. It seems that many get into broadcasting or coaching after they retire.
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That’s me on my soapbox, Pete I can’t help myself …Enjoy the rest of your week 🙂 xx
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Reblogged this on Retired? No one told me! and commented:
I love the Olympics and although I support my home country along the way someone always catches my eye through their story like this young athlete and of course then countries don’t matter its the person and Suni Lee certainly gets my support…with her family support and sheer will to succeed she is doing just that…the perfect role model…..
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One of the things that bug me the most about the current state of affairs in the world is the amount of distrust toward anyone who happens to be different. Until we realize that we are far more the same than different than those from other parts of the world, we have no chance of mending fences with each other. I think the Olympics are one of those rare opportunities to see each other through the same lens. Thanks for the reblog, Carol, and for familiarizing me with another part of the world that I am largely uneducated about. Like you, I cheer on character, regardless of where someone is from.
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You are welcome for the reblog, Pete..We have Hmong living here in the North of Thailand a bit further up than me but I don’t think they are treated by people here as they should be…I just don’t get why peaceful ethnic communities cannot be recognised and allowed to live in peace…Persecution in one way or another still goes on around the world and it’s so wrong in my eyes we could learn so much from other cultures instead of marginalizing them…I’m stopping here or I will say too much it really irks me …:) x
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I’m in complete agreement. Thanks for your outstanding comments.
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thanks for sharing such an inspirational story; now I have someone new to root for!
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Right! Part of any competitive event is it’s nice to have someone to root for. I’m sure there have been studies done about that. I think I’m setting the tee for a possible Borden’s Blather article.
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I agree; I always finding myself taking a side, even if I have no vested interest int he outcome of an event. and I have filed this away; you never know how it could come back as a post!
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Fascinating, Pete! Thanks for sharing. Best wishes to Suni Lee!
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There are always some great stories at each Olympics; this is one of them. Thanks for commenting, Bette.
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Nice introduction to our gymnasts. I don’t know much about them so this is a good start.
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Gymnastics is one of the few sports I don’t follow at all, at least until the Olympics. I couldn’t tell you one person on the men’s team. The women’s team seems to get more attention because the United States women’s team has been historically good.
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What a lovely post, Pete. I don’t watch much sport but gymnastics has always interested me. I really enjoyed learning about this young lady and I wish her all the very best at the Olympics. It is always heart warming when natural talent and determination overcome obstacles and comes out on top.
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The fact that Suni’s dad is dealing with a physical setback grabbed my attention, but mostly I’ve been thinking about my Hmong students and the pride that they must feel.
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Thank you for this post, Pete! I love inspiring stories, and the Olympics often have the best. I will be cheering loud and hard for Suni Lee. The videos were just wonderful!
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For optimists like us, Jennie, we see the Olympics as an opportunity to do some healing in a world and nation that sometimes seems so divided.
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Well said, Pete! Yes, we do.
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Good for you Pete, keeping engaged with this year’s COVID-challenged Olympics. In all honesty, I follow few sports anymore. Those I do are more winter than summer. May have something to do with originally being from Minnesota.
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I’ve always loved sports, but I like the challenges of any competitive activity. I’ll watch Jeopardy or a spelling bee much in the same way. I find it curious that I watch fewer sports now than at any point in my life, even though I have more free time.
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About the same for me, Pete.
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I’ve always loved the gymnastics competitions, Pete, and the Olympics in general. The personal stories behind many of the athletes is incredibly inspiring. Suni is no exception. Her uneven parallel bars performance was incredible, and it was wonderful to hear and feel her father’s immense pride. Thanks for sharing this lovely post honoring a wonderful young woman.
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I wonder if society or the athletes themselves put this enormous amount of pressure on themselves. It is heartbreaking that someone can be near the top of their sport and feel like a failure just because they don’t win a gold medal. Learning to compete hard while understanding we don’t always win is one of the most valuable lessons any of us can learn.
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It’s probably both society and the athletes, Pete. I feel for them too. But pressure and a lifetime of practice does seem like its a component of being “the best in the world” no matter what the skill. I hope in the long run they realize what an elite group they belong to even if they don’t earn gold.
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I am always so impressed with the dedication of these young athletes. I´ve had the pleasure of living in two cities at the time they hosted the Olympics. (Calgary and Vancouver) The electricity in the air was contagious. Wandering the downtown streets in the evenings, the city oozed with camaraderie. I wish Suni Lee all the best as she represents her country and her culture.
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Hearing about the spirit of camaraderie does my heart good. Compete hard, try your best, but never forget that those we’re competing against feel the same. Sportsmanship is such an underappreciated quality.
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The Olympics brings stories such as this one to the forefront. Thanks for writing about it, Pete.
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We all love a good story. I’m someone who can watch just about any competitive event, even if I know next to nothing about the activity, but what really hooks me is knowing something about the individuals.
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Pete, this was such a heartfelt and inspiring dedication to Suni Lee! I’m so glad I know more about her and the sacrifices her father made to help the dreams of her, her father and their community come to fruition. I may not be American but I will definitely be rooting for her in anything she decides to do in life! ❤️🙏
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That is what life should be about. I have no idea where you’re from, and it doesn’t matter because I like you as a person. There’s absolutely no shame in rooting for those from our own parts of the world, but I think too often these nationalistic tendencies get screwed up in people’s heads. We’re far more the same than different, regardless of where we originate.
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Can’t agree more, you said it better than I ever could!! ❤️
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What an amazing young woman, I hope she does well (but not better than the Team GB gymnasts 😉).
As for the abuse they get in return for their efforts, I find it inexplicable. No surprise to me that Piers Morgan has weighed in with his unwanted opinion on Simone Biles.
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Many of us (including myself) will root for someone because they are from our own country. Still, I find myself cheering for athletes from different countries at every Olympics because their backstories are so inspiring. But, unfortunately, as we’ve seen repeatedly, lots of hate crimes germinate under the guise of nationalism.
Piers Morgan—I don’t even want to know what he’s said.
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A good point, and we tend to separate sport from politics when we do that, even though the motivations can be similar. Then there’s the reverse, where the former guy told a rally of morons that they should boo the US women’s football (soccer) team. Crazy!
Morgan really needs to shut up. No coincidence that he was friendly with the former guy: similarly inflated egos
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As always, a great blog post about something that ‘matters’. Thank you Mr Springer!
🙂
A little FYI: around the 1990s, the area I lived in (the Boulder/Denver area) experienced an influx of Hmong immigrants – with open arms! I remember distinctly my kids’ teachers incorporating cultural aspects – especially art – quite casually/naturally into their teaching. Yep, my kids had great teachers!!!
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There have been so many incidents of Asian prejudice and hate in the last few years. I love hearing about teachers and others doing their best to remind us to be more culturally aware and sensitive.
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Very interesting to learn about Lee. As for Biles, I am so proud of people that are on top of their game – putting mental health above winning at all costs. (like Naomi Osaka too!)
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As more and more athletes bring mental health issues to the forefront, it will make it easier for others to share their personal mental health challenges. There are so many of us going through the same things. I am a huge fan of Osaka—not only as a tennis player but also as a person.
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Thanks for sharing this backstory, Pete. It’s very interesting.
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I think the backstories, in most cases, are the reason we choose to love characters in stories and in life. We get invested and want to know what will happen to them. I still feel that way about my students.
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I agree, Pete. How can we not care about those whose lives we know and share?
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Unfortunately, the videos didn’t play here, Pete but I found some on Utube which did…what a talented young lady and I love how you highlighted the Hmong community how proud they must be ..Then hate from trolls creeps in that is the nasty side and needs to addressed these young girls should not have to experience that..well nobody should in a nutshell..not when they are giving their all for their country…A lovely post from you, Pete 🙂 x
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I wish there was some way to know if videos will play ahead of time. Thanks for taking the time to find your own. I hope these athletes appreciate how they are inspiring a whole new generation of young people to follow in their footsteps. One of my mantras is “we all need role models.” I’m highlighting a special role model in my life next week.
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I’ll look forward to reading that, Pete…I think most of them do realise you have to have a particular mindset to go that far and perform at the level they do… I know many of the young British athletes go into schools and clubs giving encouragement and mentoring young people..
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This is one of the best back stories of an athlete. Thank you for sharing it to a wider audience. Suni is amazing. All these accomplishments and she is only 18. Great write up, Pete!
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The “shelf life” of gymnasts, in particular, seems very short. Many only participate in one Olympics. It seems like an enormous responsibility to have an entire community counting on you to do well. While the competition is enough to get me to watch, I like learning more about what makes the athletes tick and motivates them.
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Good for Ms Biles to focus on her mental health instead of competing. The pressure on these athletes obviously is too much for some to deal with.
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Why someone should feel guilty about their mental health concerns seems odd, doesn’t it? Do we feel guilty about getting physically sick?
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Too right, Pete.
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That’s what makes the Olympics interesting, individual stories. Times and points don’t mean much to me, but when they take us off to an athlete’s home and we hear how parents had to take their children to the pool every day or see the house converted to a gym during lockdown.
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Quite honestly, in some instances, I’m surprised to learn about a sport I never knew existed. I’ve rarely heard of most of these athletes before the games, so it is their stories and learning about them and their sports that keep me watching.
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The young athletes are under so much pressure. I remember watching the women figure skating, probably six years ago. The girls spun so hard at the end that her nose bled. Imagine you represent your country!
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I think figure skating and gymnastics are much alike in that there literally is no room for error. Imagine if we had to go through life not being able to make mistakes. It seems like it would have to wear on a person after a while. Good point about the additional pressures of representing your country.
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Simone Biles got a lot of support. Michael Phelps came forward also. She’ll be a good role model one way or another.
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Thanks for reminding us Pete that these are not just athletes and competitors, but young women and men from different cultures and with their own backstories. One note: This is the first Olympics that Simone Biles has competed in since the Larry Nasser sexual abuse scandal and she’s the only one of the survivors who’s competing. I wonder in addition to the reason she gave if that also played a part. Regardless, Suni and the rest of the team really stepped up and gave the country something to be proud of.
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It’s mind-boggling how many girls’ lives that guy affected. I read somewhere that there were over 265 alleged cases against him. How he could be in that position for eighteen years and not be discovered is hard to believe. I’m not one who usually espouses conspiracy theories, but that smacks of a cover-up.
I’ll be very interested in seeing if Simone performs on Thursday.
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Thanks for this story! Will be pulling for her too. My heart also goes out to Biles. I can’t imagine dealing with the pressure. I couldn’t do it.
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It has to be hard when everyone just expects you to win all the time. We all have off days. Something good can still come from the Simone Biles situation. I hope that it brings more awareness and sensitivity to mental health issues. I don’t think she’s decided if she will compete or not when the individual events start on Thursday. I hope she feels up to it, but I’ll support her either way.
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Yes, you are right, something good can come of it and I hope it does! I will support her either way too.
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Terrific. I know the Biles story is front page news, and eliciting horribly racist invective from social media, but the pressure to perform and excel is excruciating..these are NOT professional athletes, paid millions to compete…they are very young, and the intensity this is hard to imagine for anyone, let alone these young women…thank you for shining a spotlight on Lee
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I can’t begin to imagine the pressure these young women are under.
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There is such a build-up to an event that only happens once every four years. Then, throw in Covid, and it’s been a hard time for athletes to train and compete.
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And of course there is the knowledge that they will “age out” of competing relatively quickly.
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Right! Who knew that being in your mid to late twenties would ever be considered old?
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I know. I thought of your post tonight when I watched the news that Simone Biles has withdrawn from the Olympics.
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I saw that. I probably should add a postscript to my post. Let’s hope something good can come from her situation as mental health struggles are not talked about with such shame.
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I hope so, too. In the clip of her interview, she came across as very level-headed.
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And sadly there are those obnoxious personalities who use this type of story to spew hatred…you are right, the pressure is beyond imagining, and they are just young women!
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There really is no excuse for spewing hatred.
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And getting worse and worse…
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It’s really distressing–and hard to comprehend. It takes so much energy to hate.
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Great point, John! The pressure and expectations to perform are always there, and many of these athletes, particularly gymnasts, are either young adults or haven’t reached that age yet. I had planned to write this article today, but it changed some after what happened with Simone Biles. I would hope that as more athletes discuss mental health issues like Naomi Osaka, Kevin Love, etc., that as a society, we lessen the stigma attached to it. Most people only see the insane amounts of money that athletes make and think that alone should make them happy. I didn’t know about the social media hate, though I can’t say I’m surprised. Some of these trolls sit and wait for opportunities to spew their hate.
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Amazing young woman!
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I was touched by the relationship father and daughter share and knew I had to write this story. While it’s related to the Olympics, it goes far beyond sports with the lessons it teaches.
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It is a very touching story with a big backdrop beyond the father/daughter relationship!
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My heart is with her – what an amazing young woman
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I have nothing but respect for these trailblazers as they break down cultural barriers.
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Super post, Pete. Most of us know very little about the Hmong culture and was nice of you to give some information about them. Best wishes to Suni.
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The Olympics sometimes bring out the best or worst in fellow competitors. Quite naturally, I’m going to root for those athletes from our home country, but I hope to see good sportsmanship prevail, regardless of who wins.
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You are the best, Pete.
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