Simone Biles is proud of the World Champions Center, an artistic gymnastics academy run by her parents, Ron and Nellie. It is significant, as it strives to encourage gymnasts of color to pursue their passion in the sport. Her family initially mocked Nellie’s idea of starting a training center that turned out to be crucial for Biles’ preparation for the 2016 Games.

The seven-time Olympic medalist’s longtime coach, Aimee Boorman, was planning to leave Bannon’s Gymnastix. Nellie was then running a chain of nursing homes. She conceived the idea of selling her business and building a gym. In the book, ‘Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, a Life in Balance’, Simone wrote about how the idea transitioned into reality due to her parents’ grit and resolve to build the gym despite unforeseen challenges.

Simone Biles’ parents didn’t realize the scale of the project

Biles’ parents agreed to build a gym from scratch with the money from the sale. “Everyone had a good laugh,” Biles recalled. Although her mother’s idea was ridiculed by her family, she continued to pursue it. “I don’t think my parents understood yet the challenge they were taking on,” she wrote.

However, she was thankful that her father was supportive of her mom’s “wild idea.” While her mom managed the existing business until they found a purchaser, her dad was meeting architects and contractors on a day-to-day basis. According to Nellie, building a gym involves inspections, clearances, surveyors, commercial licenses, and more. It was not as easy as running a nursing home.

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“I had no idea how complicated this whole process would be,” Biles wrote about her mom’s reaction after she got into the core of the project. However, after they made their decision, they didn’t turn around. In Simone’s words, “And if there is one thing everyone knows about my parents, it’s that once they put their hearts and minds to something, they never quit.”

To inspire the next generation

The 29,000-square-foot gym, World Champions Center in Spring, Texas, opened for the public in 2016. Biles said that “Representation matters, and we want to inspire the next generation to pursue their passion.”

She added, “Kids can come in and we will be training in the back, and they can see we are just like them. It helps them understand they can do it too.”

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Biles is eternally grateful to her parents. In a dance show, she stated there was nothing she could say to thank them enough. Furthermore, she thanked them for setting tremendous examples of how to treat other people. Also, for being supportive since day one.