“Are you serious?” - When Simone Biles opened up about placing a bet with her father to get a pet dog

Simone Biles once opened up when she and her sister Adria asked their father for a dog. After her biological mother, Shannon was unable to take care of Biles and her sister due to alcohol and drug addiction, they were put into the foster system and later adopted by Ronald and Nellie Biles.

In her autobiography, Courage to Soar, published in Nov. 2016, Biles revealed the bet her father placed to get a dog for herself and sister Adria. She remembered how their father always refused until he finally agreed but only after placing a challenging bet.

Ronald agreed to get them a real dog if Biles qualified for the Western gymnastics competition.

“'Okay, Simone,' he said finally. 'I’ll tell you what. You qualify for Westerns this year, and you’ll get your dog'," Biles wrote. “'Are you serious?' I said, jumping out of my chair. I wasn’t sure I was hearing him right. 'You score high enough at regionals, 'he said, turning back to his paperwork, 'I’ll take you there to pick out a dog myself.'”

Biles delivered an impressive performance and qualified for the Westerns.

"With motivation like that, you can bet I hit all my routines at the Region 3 Championships that spring, placing first on floor and second all-around, and qualifying for Westerns," Biles added.

"Adria was sitting in the stands with Mom and Dad when she saw my final score of 38.100 light up the scoreboard. My sister started bouncing up and down and screaming, “We’re getting a dog! We’re getting a dog!"

Later, Ronald bought a dog, which they named Maggie.

Simone Biles once opened up on when she was tutored by her father Ronald during homeschool

Simone Biles of Team United States at the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Getty Images)

Simone Biles attended Benfer Elementary School in Harris County, Texas, till 2012, following which she decided to be tutored by her father at home. In her autobiography, she admitted learning from her father was tough as he often saw her as "a whiner and a procrastinator."

"He simply adjusted his hours so that he could devote four of them to tutoring me in between my morning and afternoon workouts at the gym," Biles wrote in her book.

"Right from the start, it was a disaster. What teenager wants her father teaching her history and algebra? Dad thought I was a whiner and a procrastinator, which made him exasperated and annoyed. We ended up fussing at each other almost every single day."

Simone Biles later committed to UCLA in 2014 but gave up the eligibility to train for the Rio Olympics.