Aimee Boorman – Interview

 

Aimee Boorman is a Gymnastics Coach from Chicago, USA and is coach to one of the greatest female gymnasts to have ever lived.  Aimee has coached Simone Biles since she was a child and their successful partnership over the years resulted in Simone winning 4 Golds and a Bronze Medal at Rio 2016 Olympic Games. If you haven’t seen Simone in action, take a look at her floor routine from Rio…

 

 

As well as this, Aimee was the Head Coach for Team USA at Rio alongside Team Coordinator Marta Karolyi. As Marta’s last Olympic Games as Coach, the Team were nicknamed ‘The Final Five’ who, thanks to the guidance of Aimee and Marta, collectively brought home 9 Olympic Medals.

Since the Games, Aimee has taken up her next coaching challenge as she has moved to coach at a new Gymnastics club in Florida. During her recent move, Aimee kindly took the time to answer some of our questions…

 


 

I am so proud to have been part of the process of producing such an outstanding Team USA for women’s gymnastics. The girls were so prepared for their competition that even a misstep would not have effected the outcome.

 

As the head coach, I was expected to keep the girls on track during competition, including making sure that the equipment was set correctly, and to keep their heads in the game. Apart from the competition floor, I tried to be a mentor and an friend for the girls to express their needs, concerns and feelings to help them perform better.

 

I have never been a coach that coaches from my ego, so my answer might surprise some people. My goal as a coach has always been to raise healthy, happy kids.  They are kids first, then athletes. I am so proud of showing that ultimate achievement with Simone. There is no one that can say that she is not a healthy, happy, well adjusted young lady, on top of being a World and Olympic Champion. Her success has been a combination of how she was coached in gymnastics as well as how she was treated as a human. I have been involved with gymnastics for 37 years and I am honored that I could prove that you CAN do it differently.
I have always said how incredibly ATHLETIC Simone is.  She would have excelled at anything that she decided to do in sports. I am just grateful that she chose gymnastics to show her talents.  Of course, being 4 foot 8 and full of muscle doesn’t hurt your chances in gymnastics, but if you ask her what other sport she would do, she would tell you track so she doesn’t see herself at 4 foot 8.

I have treated Simone the same as all of my other athletes. It’s about respect. I respect my athletes for their dedication and their sacrifices and it return their respect for me is returned ten-fold. Since Simone and I have been a duo for 11 years, we obviously have grown a deeper bond of trust and camaraderie.

 

#2 You are exactly where you are supposed to be. Just Breathe. This was my mantra at my first World Championships. Being among that level of competition with the best gymnast in the US could have been overwhelming, but I reminded myself of all of the training that had done to get to that moment. I had to tell myself the same thing that we had been telling the girls. Just like practice and normal. It helped keep me calm and confident.
I would love to be the Head Coach again for Tokyo 2020. Rio was such an amazing experience for me that I would be thrilled to do it again but, right now, the time has come for me to focus on my family. They have sacrificed just as much as I have for me to achieve my goals.

 

 


@Salto_Coach