SAN ANTONIO ā Simone Biles, who led the U.S. Womenās Gymnastics team to a gold medal in the team final on Tuesday, has sparked excitement among the gymnastics community from the youngest athletes to longtime veterans and coaches.
In San Antonio, for some local athletes watching the women compete is not only exciting, but also inspiring, especially with the ācomebackā of Biles.
Raigan, 9, is a level 5 gymnast and said she likes to imitate some of the moves that sheās been watching at the Summer Olympics.
āIt encourages me,ā Raigan said. āIt encourages me to be like them one day. So I can watch them and learn stuff from them, so I can get to their place one day.ā
Itās presently āpreseason timeā for competitors at the Southern Gymnastics Club in San Antonio, however, they were able to take a break between their training to watch the best of the best in gymnastics.
Coach Jeremy Veit, co-owner of the Southern Gymnastics Club, said whatās been happening at the Paris Olympics definitely hits close to home.
āThey just fall in the fall in love with the sport a little bit more,ā Veit said. āThey get to be a part of something bigger than themselves, which is what team sports is all about. So, watching Simone and Jordan and Jade accomplish all their goals really makes us feel, a part of it. ā
Sydney, 14, is a level 9 gymnast and said the Womenās Gymnastics team has been inspiring in so many ways.
āSome of the girls, like, have gone through things. And, I can kind of see how, like that didnāt stop them from making the Olympics. So, it kind of like helps me,ā she said.
Gymnastics is a sport that Veit believes should be ātop of mindā all the time and not just during the Olympics.
āSports doesnāt have to be about gold medals,ā Veit said. āThey donāt have to be about the Olympics. They donāt have to be about college scholarships. Sports are about developing time management, discipline, work ethic, learning how to respond when you get knocked down and learning how to fight through adversity.ā