SIMONE BILES
As an elite gymnast , maintaining balance in your life must be difficult . How do you make time for things other than gymnastics while maintaining your responsibilities as an elite athlete ? It ' s hard to maintain balance but I just separate my ' somewhat ' normal life and gymnastics life .
What is one thing you ’ ve learned about yourself through the experiences that gymnastics has given you ?
Gymnastics is only a part of our life , not our whole life so don ' t be so hard on yourself .
What ’ s your favorite skill to compete and why ? Double layout half out . Because it is named after me
Growing up , who was your gymnastics role model ? My role models were Shawn Johnson and Alicia Sacramone .
Have you ever been afraid to do a specific skill ? How did you get over that fear ?
Yes , Tkatchev on bars . Just had to stop thinking about it so much and let it happen naturally .
What is your pre-routine pump up song ? I don ' t have any specific meet pump up songs .
What ’ s your favorite place you ’ ve traveled to for a competition ? My favorite place to travel to for a competition was Belgium .
Who is your female icon ? Demi Lovato .
How do you handle your nerves and the pressure that comes along with national and international competitions ? Any advice ?
I handle my pressure by just reminding myself to do what I do in practice and to just have fun .
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* Special thanks to Shelby Edwards from the University of Arizona for suggesting the questions .