Simone Biles Week 2 Blog – Judges Who Talk are “Scary”
That’s something that hadn’t occurred to me – that getting actual verbal feedback in addition to a score would be scary for a kid who’s just waiting on the numbers. And, no lie, these judges can be humiliating at times. I don’t envy her that. Check out People.com to read her whole blog – it’s pretty good, but short.
But even though we got a 32 out of 40, getting feedback from the judges was a little scary. In gymnastics we just get a number but on DWTS they get to tell you what they think you did wrong. It’s nice to be told what you need to improve on, but it’s terrifying for that to happen in front of the entire world!
Getting ready for this week’s show has been very different than premiere week. Last week, I think I picked up the dance a little easier, but this week we have cha cha to Jessie J’s “Burning Up” and I’m finding it challenging.
The actual steps are not the hard part. I’m supposed to be sexier in this dance and that’s not something I’ve ever had to do before. Sasha has been really working with me to loosen up my body and to make sure I’m showing the emotion of the dance on my face.
That is something that never occurred to me; i’m glad she brought it up, because it gives me new insight into certain competitors.
Awwww I find her honesty refreshing!! Isn’t she only 20 yrs like Normani or am I wrong? ? If she is, it goes to show you how different they can be as dancers, especially in terms of performance value. Normani is an entertainer-she’s used to dressing the part, acting a certain way, etc. Simone seems to be the opposite. Even though Simone may be the better dancer, technically, she might struggle acting out a role for certain dances unlike Normani who seems to be able to put on more of a show on the dance floor. These are just my observations of these two girls who, I presume, are the same age in the competition.
And I agree with Simone about the judges criticism-they can be very disheartening and scary as she puts it, especially to the younger contestants!
I can’t imagine what it’s like at her age. It would be intimidating for sure. Most likely, I’d faint. 😯
I find Laurie and Simone similar in their effervescent personalities and how young or “sheltered” they seem socially. But I expect that comes from their age and rigorous training/competition schedules that keep them from attending regular schools and the social lives that come with that. But perhaps it’s age or the few extra years that make Simone more poised and articulate. I very much enjoy her interviews, now her blog and I’m really excited for her journey on DWTS!
Maybe perhaps it’s also the fact that Simone went through some real struggles in life as well that make her more articulate and a little older.
@Colleen In regards to Simone and Laurie seeming young and sheltered, I think a lot of that comes from the fact that they’re active competitive gymnasts. USA Gymnastics likes their female athletes to come off as cute little girls, even the athletes like Simone, Aly Raisman, and Gabby Douglas who are adult women and not minors. Most of these girls have been heavily involved with the national governing body of gymnastics since they were 12 or 13 years old, and they’re probably pretty inclined to act as they’re told considering that the governing body chooses who goes to the Olympics and other big time competitions. I think USA Gymnastics realizes that it makes its money off of the 8 year-old adoring fans, so they want their Olympians to be the wide-eyed, sheltered sort that the parents of these 8 year-olds would view as good role models. Example: Aly and Simone took a ton of heat for doing Sports Illustrated Swimsuit because “you have a lot of young fans and that sends a terrible message to those little girls.” If you watch any American broadcast of a women’s gymnastics contest, you’ll notice that it’s just several hours of commentators infantilizing adult or near-adult women. Then they come onto DWTS and we see all of them (except Nastia who had been out of competitive gymnastics for a few years before coming on the show) talk about never having danced with a boy and never being sexy before.
Sorry for the rant. I’m just getting really tired of how USA Gymnastics likes to act like their women athletes are about 10 years old.