Greatest Of All Time. GOAT. She came out of past Olympics as a champion. She entered the following Olympics as a champion. Along the way we all told her she was the greatest of all time. We thought we were honoring her and her talents. But we were not.
Instead, we saddled her with enormous expectations. Of perfection.
The perfection we all dream of but cannot touch. We invested in her our hope
and dream that she was our perfect model. We were proud. We celebrated her
being female. We celebrated her being Black. We adored her posture, attitude
and character.
Once at the Olympic games, the weight of our honors crushed
a brave soul who is so much more than we ever thought. Dealing with the weight,
Simone Biles stood up and said, “enough is enough.” She pulled herself out of
competition. She felt she could not perform as she could under normal
circumstances. She held to her own standard of perfection, of excellence.
Stepping aside, she saved herself but opened herself to
blithering attack from disappointed fans.
Not me. I think I love her more. She is a model of maturity,
balance, and poise. She faced the pressure and what it was doing to her mental
and emotional health. Enough was enough and she removed the cause of the
pressure.
What a strong person she is. And talented.
Winning has many faces. Today that face is Simone Biles. A
true champion of life and value.
July 30, 2021
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