Case Study: Simone Biles
Case Study:
Simone Biles was born on March 14, 1997, in Columbus, Ohio. Her mother struggled with alcohol and drug abuse, so at age three, she and her little sister went to live with their grandparents, Nellie and Ron Biles, whom she considers her mom and dad. They live in Spring, Texas.
As the age of 6, Simone was on a field trip with her childcare program. They visited a gym where she watched students learning gymnastics. She began to imitate their moves, and the coach was so impressed that she wrote Simone’s parents encouraging them to enroll her in their program. From that point on, she was devoted to gymnastics.
When she graduated from eighth grade, Simone made the decision to be homeschooled, so she could maintain her rigorous workout schedule. Now she devotes 30 hours a week to training and practice.
Simone is a tough, serious, determined athlete. Her mother says she has been a resilient survivor who took control of her life, even at a very young age. At 4’9” she is a powerful and vivacious competitor. She attributes much of her determination to her mother: “She always told me that although I am small, that doesn’t limit my power or define me. For me, I don’t think about size. I focus more on being powerful and confident” (Wallace, 2016).
In 2013, at the age of 16, Simone was the world all-around, floor exercise, and vault champion. She was named the 2014 Women’s Sports Foundation’s Individual Sportswoman of the Year. She has won 10 world gold medals, the most in women’s gymnastics history. In 2016, as a member of the U.S. Women’s Olympic Gymnastics team, she won four individual gold medals and one bronze medal (usagym.org, 2016).
But her mother, Nellie, says despite the championships, fans, requests for endorsements, and celebrity status, “at home, she’s just a teenager who requested a belly ring after her first world title in 2013. Her chores include feeding the family’s four dogs. She is the girl who better be at her seat for Sunday dinner regardless of whatever time zone she may have been in the day before” (Graves, 2015).
If you are interested in seeing Simone Biles in action, visit the YouTube videos of her floor exercises at the 2016 Pacific Rim championship competition and the Rio Olympic Games.
Questions:
1. Explain how the case illustrates the interactions among the biological, psychological, and societal systems in supporting unusual ability.
Question 1 Answer:
2. Apply what you know about physical development at puberty to the training of a gymnast from childhood into early adolescence. How might this training promote athletic ability and physical health? How might such training create health risks for adolescent girls?
Question 2 Answer:
3. You might think of Simone Biles as resilient. How do her personal characteristics and her support system contribute to her ability to thrive? What can you speculate about her identity development?
Question 3 Answer:
Collepals.com Plagiarism Free Papers
Are you looking for custom essay writing service or even dissertation writing services? Just request for our write my paper service, and we'll match you with the best essay writer in your subject! With an exceptional team of professional academic experts in a wide range of subjects, we can guarantee you an unrivaled quality of custom-written papers.
Get ZERO PLAGIARISM, HUMAN WRITTEN ESSAYS
Why Hire Collepals.com writers to do your paper?
Quality- We are experienced and have access to ample research materials.
We write plagiarism Free Content
Confidential- We never share or sell your personal information to third parties.
Support-Chat with us today! We are always waiting to answer all your questions.
