Interview- Aimee Boorman

When Simone Biles strolled into Bannon's Gymnastix for a daycare field trip at the age of six, she was instantly spotted and recommended to sign up for classes. Since that day, she has been paired with coach Aimee Boorman and together they are conquering the sport. In 2011, Simone started competing at the elite level. Two years later, she entered the senior ranks and has had a phenomenal year winning the Jesolo Trophy, the P&G Championships and most recently, the 2013 World Championships. Simone left her first World Championships as the most decorated gymnast (tying the men's champ, Kohei Uchimura) winning two gold medals, one silver, and one bronze. Simone also got a skill named after her in the Code of Points! As this season came to conclusion, we caught up with Simone's lifelong coach Aimee to chat about the World Championships experience and plans for the future.

Triple Twist: Can you summarize how this World Championships went for you and Simone?

Aimee: Besides it being a very long trip (4 weeks in total), it was an amazing experience.  Getting to travel with the US Delegation and represent the US on the world stage was quite an honor. It was awe-inspiring to see how the American athletes trained for 22 days, without a full day off, and without complaint. They were all so goal oriented. They wanted to win and they knew what it would take to make that happen. They consistently hit routines in training, so when it came time to compete, all they had to do was what they had been doing in the normal training. You might have overheard the girls saying "just like normal". It really was the philosophy. As for the competition, Simone and I approached it as "just another meet".  Simone has been competing for 9 years, so being in front of the judges was nothing new. I know it may be hard to think of it as "just another meet", since it was World Championships, but it was the thing that kept us both grounded. It was what we had trained for and we both trusted in her consistency.

Aimee and Simone on their way to practice

Triple Twist: Can you walk us through what a typical day was like while you were in Belgium? 

Aimee: A typical day of training would be 1) Team breakfast 2) Morning workout  3)  Team Lunch  4) Therapies for the girls and rest  5) Afternoon workout  6) Team Dinner .... rinse and repeat.  Everything was done on a consistent basis.  It was really important for us to stay on that schedule so that when it came time to compete, everything was "normal".  The girls were able to trust in their preparation, so they approached the competitions with confidence.

Triple Twist: Were there any funny moments from Worlds that are worth sharing? 

Aimee: One that really stands out for me...wasn't that funny to me, but I know that it must have looked funny. I believe that it was during the prelims, I was prepping the bars for Simone.  The landing mat looked like it had water on it, right where Simone would have landed, so I went to wipe it off...only to discover that it was honey. The only thing that I could think of doing was to flip the mat over.  Well, those mats are very long...and floppy.  So, with very little time before Simone had to perform, I was up on the podium trying to flip the mat by myself.  It must have looked comical.  Simone gave me the craziest "what are you doing?" look.  Trying to keep it "normal" for her, I just told her "everything is fine, don't worry about it". The second thing that I thought was funny was my successful photo-bomb on Aly Raisman's picture with the Russian team. Carpe Diem.  Sometimes you just have to go for it!  (Sorry Aly, I hope I didn't ruin your picture!)

Triple Twist: What was your return home like? How do you return to your normal life after such a successful World Championships?

Aimee: We got back on Monday afternoon. We had a welcoming committee at the airport when we arrived.  It was really nice to see people there. There were several coaches, judges, gymnasts and reporters there waiting for us.  For me, the best part of the homecoming was that all three of my sons and my mom were there to welcome me home! I stopped in the gym that evening. Honestly, it felt weird. I haven't coached in a normal setting for 4 weeks.  I had to just sit back and watch. I was really happy to see the rest of my girls and the progress that they had made while I was gone. Simone and I took Tuesday off (jet-lag will kill ya'), so yesterday was our first day back in workout. We are back to working on basics and skills with Simone.

Triple Twist: Simone is the first elite athlete to come out of Bannon's, do you think her success this year will inspire other girls in the gym to try and get to the elite level? 

Aimee: Of course the little girls all have stars in their eyes now. Everyone wants to be like Simone. We will see what the future holds for our younger athletes.  It takes a delicate balance of talent, dedication, hard work and trust to get to the level that Simone has reached.

Triple Twist: What were some of your high and low points this year as a coach? 

Aimee: Most people would guess that coaching the World Champion would be the HIGH for me, but it is so much deeper that than.  My greatest "high" is seeing Simone mature this year.  I have known her for most of her life and I have always known the great potential that she possesses.  The natural ability has always been there. But, I don't think that, until US Classic (low), the desire and belief in herself has been there.  Now, she sees what she can accomplish when she dedicates herself to the work that is required to be a champion.  That is my proudest accomplishment this year.

Simone gets some words of advice after a rough competition at Classics.

Triple Twist: How would you describe Simone as both a gymnast and person? 

Aimee: Simone is fun loving.  Even though her talent was evident from a very young age, gymnastics had to remain FUN.  We may have had to skip steps (basics, form, flexibility) with her at a younger age because we always knew that she would walk away from the sport as soon as it wasn't FUN anymore.  It took her time to grow into realizing that not everything has to be fun.  Hard work is not always fun, but the success that comes with hard work can be fun. With the exception of her being home-schooled, Simone is an average 16 year old.  Loves shopping, instagram, hanging out...and craves independence.   She also has a fantastic relationship with her family (sister Adria, brothers Ron and Adam, parents Nellie and Ron) which is what I attribute to her great success. A great support system. 

Adria and Simone having some fun during practice.

Triple Twist: What can we expect to see from Simone next year? 

Aimee: There is so much more that Simone can bring to the table.  We felt that Simone didn't have the perfect competition at World's.  We all know that she can improve her flexibility (especially in her ankles and feet), and her "artistry".  Simone loves to learn new skills.  Once she is comfortable with the IDEA of doing something new, she goes for it full-out. So, the sky is the limit for this kid. We are definitely planning upgrades on all the events for the next season.

Follow Aimee on Twitter. (Click here)

       Thank you Aimee! We wish you and Simone all the best in the future.