"I was beyond excited" - When Simone Biles opened up about the thrill to attend public school with her best friend amid intense gymnastics practice

Simone Biles once opened up about the challenging decision she faced between homeschooling and attending high school to fully commit to her gymnastics career after her training intensified. Following the setback at the 2011 Visa National Championships, Biles realized that she needed to put in more work to make it to the national team.

However, Biles had to make the tough decision of finding extra time to train while also preparing for high school, which led to confusion. At the 2011 National Championships, she fell short of qualifying for the American team after collecting 108,100 points to settle in 14th place. Only the first 13 places were selected.

In her autobiography, Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance, published in 2016, Biles stated that she was already training 25-30 hours a week, but had to increase the time to 35 hours. While highlighting that top gymnasts often choose homeschooling, she rejected the idea as she was excited about attending public school and reuniting with her friends.

"I was due to enter high school in a couple of weeks," Biles wrote. "I was already training twenty-five to thirty hours a week, and I needed to put in more like thirty-five hours a week. This dilemma is the main reason a lot of top-level gymnasts make the decision to be homeschooled, but everything in me screamed No! at the idea."

She added:

"As much as I loved gymnastics and being able to soar above the arena, I was beyond excited about attending public school again with my longtime BFF Marissa."

Simone Biles pursued homeschooling over public school after her father Ronald Biles' inspiring words

Simone Biles attends the Friends Of The Children 30th Anniversary Gala in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Getty Images)

Simone Biles opted for homeschooling after going through a dilemma only after reflecting on her father Ronald Biles' motivational words. Her father made her realize the importance of acknowledging the opportunity to pursue and continue gymnastics.

Later, Biles also realized that she wouldn't lose touch with her friends. In her autobiography, she reflected on her father's words and wrote:

"What finally pushed me to make up my mind was something my dad had told me years before. He’d said, 'Simone, never squander what God has given you.' When I thought about that, I realized God had given me the ability to do gymnastics in a powerful way. He’d also gifted me with a love for the sport and a passion for competing. I didn’t want to waste that. Once I approached it that way, the decision seemed inevitable."

After searching for a perfect home tutor, Simone Biles' mother chose Ronald to help her with gymnasts and academics.