The Balance
My Years Coaching Simone Biles
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From Paris Olympics star and legendary gymnast Simone Biles's longtime coach, an insider's look at the making of a champion
With a Foreword by Simone Biles
The Balance is coach Aimee Boorman's inside account of the growth of a transcendent athlete and the tumultuous events--from the dictatorial coaching of Martha Karolyi to the sexual abuse by Larry Nassar--that upended the lives of many girls, including Biles.
Simone Biles is one of the greatest athletes of all time. She's won six all-around world championships and eleven Olympic medals (seven gold). Five gymnastics moves are named after her, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the youngest recipient ever), and at an age when most elite gymnasts have retired, Biles is not just still competing--she's dominating. She soared in the 2024 Paris Olympics, bringing home more Olympic gold. She's having so much fun that LA 2028 is not out of the question.
But when coach Aimee Borman met her at a gym in Texas, Simone was just a seven-year-old kid. An exceptionally athletically gifted one, to be sure, but not yet great. That would take time, care, love, and balance.
Boorman helped shape Biles, both pushing her and holding her back, protecting both her mental and physical health. "She's like a second mom to me," writes Biles, and Boorman was the National Team coach in 2016, where the US--and Biles--took home all-around gold.
The Balance combines unprecedented insider perspective on a legend, newsworthy details on gymnastics history, and compelling lessons on coaching, leadership, and development.
About this Author
Aimee Boorman, a Chicago native, is a decorated and globally respected gymnastics coach, whose career included 12 years coaching the sport's all-time greatest, Simone Biles. Boorman was named USA Gymnastics Coach of the Year four times (2013-2016) and US Olympic Committee Coach of the Year (2016). She was head coach of the US Women's Gymnastics Team at the Rio Olympic Games and coached for the Dutch Gymnastics Federation at the European Championship, the Tokyo Olympic Games, and the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Japan in 2021. Boorman holds a bachelor of science in management and a master of sport from USA Gymnastics, and is actively representing the United States as a FIG Brevet judge. She is also a cofounder of Global Impact Gymnastics Alliance. She has three sons--Jamie, Chris, and Ben--with her husband, James Boorman, whom she has been married to for 25 years. Steve Cooper is a journalist with over two decades of writing, reporting, and editing experience, covering marriage, business, technology, entrepreneurship, and gymnastics, which he has also covered as a photographer. He is the coauthor of Life is Short, Don't Wait to Dance with former UCLA Gymnastics head coach Valerie Kondos Field, and is COO of GymCastic, the largest gymnastics podcast in the world.
Reviews
"The Balance will be a must-read for any gymnastics fan, providing a compelling behind-the-scenes look at how Simone Biles became the GOAT. It should also be a must-read for any coach, illustrating that compassionate, caring, and sensible coaching works."
"Aimee Boorman was a transformational coach before the term became popular. Her ability to truly observe and listen with all of her senses was an example of what it is to coach from a place of service to the athlete versus ego. Helping Simone understand that her value as a person wasn't connected to her medals was a gift .... It takes a lot of inner strength to be able to stay true to your heart, personal beliefs, and gut... Aimee Boorman helped Simone hone all her talents, which allowed her to become not just an Olympic Champion but truly the greatest gymnast of all time by always staying true to her mantra, 'Simone, it's just gymnastics.'"
"Coaching is as much an art as it is a science. Aimee Boorman understands this well ... I think her perspective provides an important guide for all youth sports coaches, athletes, and parents!"
"In The Balance, Aimee Boorman provides a candid and intimate glimpse at not only the origin story of the greatest gymnast of all time, but the complex world of coaching elite athletes in a sport where speaking your mind and trusting your instincts hasn't always been welcome."
"Before Simone Biles was the Simone Biles, she was a young athlete navigating motivation, rising fame, and even the infamous twisties. In The Balance, Aimee Boorman, Simone's first coach, gives gymnastics fans a fascinating and thoughtful inside look at their journey from first cartwheel to four gold medal wins at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games ... Through stories of resilience, trust, and perseverance, Boorman offers a window into the making of a legend and the personal growth that comes with guiding greatness."
"There were many Simones--gymnasts who demonstrated the physical capabilities and determination--before Simone Biles, but they didn't have an Aimee Boorman in their corner to guide them through the system without their leaving the sport prematurely broken mentally and physically . . . In The Balance, Aimee hones in on the personal experiences in life and gymnastics that helped shape her coaching philosophies and provides solutions for how everyone involved in sports and leadership can do better moving forward."
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