US Women’s Gymnastics Team Earns Platinum in Citizenship

Have you ever thought life was going in a certain direction, that you could almost predict what would happen next only to find things taking a sudden plot twist? If you had not experienced that before, chances are all of us have since the year 2020. 

The Olympics are one of those events that are generally predictable— Summer games every 4 years— there have been times in history they were not held as planned but in general, we come to expect them. Another one of the things people tend to expect is that the US women’s gymnastics team wins gold. Like the Olympics in general— it isn’t 100% accurate but statistically speaking, there is a high probability.

What happens to rhythm and our choices when high expectations, high probabilities, and an unexpected life experience combine?

Consideration of the Well-being of the Whole

If I could give a medal for citizenship and best role model for the USA— Simone Biles and the entire women’s gymnastics team would receive the highest honors. Perhaps a platinum medal is in order. If I could choose a newspaper headline to focus on what mattered most this day, I’d choose the title above.  You see, in a culture that is used to pushing through no matter what— Simone Biles showed what it means to rehumanize. She modeled the way of being a citizen (and an exemplary one) — one who is accountable and committed to the well being of the whole.

It is hard to imagine the rigorous training and dedication it must take for athletes to perform at this level at any time and even more so at this point in history. There are many rhythms that were at play— the Olympics happening once again, yet in the midst of a global pandemic the environment had shifted. What was usually a stadium filled with cheers, was mostly empty and silent. I’ve never been anything close to an Olympic athlete, but I have been a runner for sport and fun who knows the boost that a cheering crowd can give that serves as a calming yet energizing force to the nervous system. Much like the student who studies for tests while listening to music performs differently when quiet, an athlete may experience similar changes when the environment changes as well.

Respecting and Honoring the Wisdom of our Body’s Communication

In the introduction to rhythms of everyday living, we mentioned that sometimes our own needs may differ from those around us and that timing doesn’t always work out the way all of us would wish. It can feel like trying to dance to several very different songs vying for the stage at the same time. When our mental health wants to get our attention immediately, it does not discriminate about when and where this is.

So when Simone Biles recognized the need to adjust her plan and her rhythm by listening to what she and her team needed, it likely took those around her a minute to catch up. Her decision making on this also shows the wisdom of an elite athlete and human.  When you watch Biles let her teammates know her plan and her belief in them, you can imagine their ability to catch up to her belief is rooted in her longstanding history of acknowledging and dealing with things that others may try to sweep under a rug. This pattern of acknowledging trauma and other difficulties while taking action to improve situations likely helped co-regulate her team members. These are young women who have gone through many hurdles together as individuals and as a team. Simone Biles consistently demonstrates that she will not ignore what is not right, or avoid what is hard, but continue to reset and find a way to be her best and contribute her best to the whole— herself, her team, her community, the USA, and the world.

Once again— Biles models the way by showing us all that we may not be able control when life hands us unexpected moments but when we show ourselves and others grace, listen to the wisdom of our body speaking to us, and lean into the relationships that support us— we still can have outcomes that are even greater than our original plan.

Exceeding Expectations

The US Women’s Gymnastics team pulled together and won silver during a global pandemic— even greater it seems is the example they showed all of us, with such courage and grace. This decision and this team, taught us far more than a gold medal ever could.

A Note of Gratitude

US Women’s Gymnastics Team— The medal you deserve doesn’t exist, and as one of many grateful citizens of the US and global community— thank you for honoring you and all of us. Your example reminds all of us it is okay to not be okay and we can deal with hard things by acknowledging them and working together. And knowing your long standing history of trendsetting, I suspect the next trend you have set is having the courage to acknowledge the difficult and inconvenient things in life, while leaning into our teams and navigating the unknown together. Your actions are those of the kind of citizen we can all aspire to be. Thank you.

I hear a new rhythm sounding-- one centered on enough. Enough. You are enough, there is enough. You are indeed platinum.