Let's talk about Jordan Chiles

[ArnoldRimmer]

Is Ferrari still training? She was making a good run at it.

 

[rlayt]

Simone has at least been in the gym. But she could just be messing around.

 

[MaryClare]

She doesn’t look dressed for a normal training session. Nobody is that glam. Maybe she was doing filming or something.

From what Cecile has said, she is just doing fun work outs and keeping in shape

 

[Laura722]

Jordan has been so impressive competing many of her difficult skills week in and week out in NCAA, with consistency. She’s so much more confident and seems to only be getting better with age.

Why do people think Simone will come back? I thought she said in Toyko that she should have never come back in the first place.

 

[rlayt]

Simone didn’t say she should never have done it in so many words. Afterwards she wouldn’t commit to even thinking about it until she got a break. She’s been cagey since then BUT she stayed in the drug testing pool.

 

[MaryClare]

I think people are making too big a deal of her staying in the testing pool. Her management will be insisting upon it, and it’s completely to do with endorsements, not gymnastics

 

[RedBirdie]

Exactly. Retiring limits opportunities. Remember Shawn Johnson in 2012?

 

[MaryClare]

Yep. Although I’m not sure she really had a choice given that she was back competing internationally then got injured.

But it’s interesting that despite her huge popularity, she’s barely remembered now

 

[rlayt]

I do t think she’s coming back for Paris. I’m pointing out reasons people think she might. She is being smart about maintaining endorsements and keeping her options open. I’m sure she has plenty money at this point but why turn down more.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

I think a couple of reasons. One, she hasn’t formally retired yet and seems to want to keep people guessing. So people respond to that, particularly as we’re now approaching the point where she would need to start seriously training if she wanted to be in Paris. We know it’s not long til we get some kind of clarification on that specific part.

And then also, with someone as phenomenally talented as Simone, even after she does officially retire, we’ll all know that she could probably return if she wanted to for years afterwards. She even has the Belize option. So it’s unlikely to go away for a while!

 

[MaryClare]

I’ve seen a few people mention the Belize option, has she ever expressed a desire to compete for Belize? I think we are far more likely to see one of the Gadirova twins compete for Ireland or Azerbaijan than Simone compete for Belize! She isn’t a normal gymnast, switching countries has big implications for her

 

[irichluck21]

I doubt she would ever switch to Belize.
Simone already has a whole group of haters because she “walked out on the American team” and “quit the Olympics”.
There is a whole SIMONE IS A QUITTER movement on social media.

Can you imagine the further uproar if she switched from USA to Belize?

Quitter and now traitor or quitter and unpatriotic…I can only imagine what they would come up with,

 

[Bob]

They sound like a lovely bunch NOT.

 

[Bob]

I have noticed she seems to spend a lot of time there now and she posted a photo of her belize passport this week which suprised me. I think she could pretty much walk onto a US team at this point and also into the future if she wanted. I don’t think she would switch unless it was made clear she wouldn’t make the team.

 

[MaryClare]

For the reasons @irichluck21 stated, Simone can’t just switch countries like other gymnasts have. It would kill her brand

Why is it surprising she posted a photo of her passport? She has always expressed a love for the country and is proud of her family links there

 

[irichluck21]

They sound like a lovely bunch NOT.

If you want to bang your head against the wall, this is the soundtrack.

 

[Bob]

I know she is proud of her links there I just hadn’t seen her post it before it made me think.

 

[irichluck21]

I have noticed she seems to spend a lot of time there now and she posted a photo of her belize passport this week which suprised me.

If some of the Reddit threads I have read is true…Simone and Jonathan had Belize in their top choices for a honeymoon. Maybe they decided on Belize as the final decision and that is what the passport photo was all about?

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Simone is rich enough not to have to care about either maximising her commercial appeal or what people think of her. From money, made money and marrying it. Being that rich gives you lots and lots of choices.

I’m absolutely not saying she will switch. Haven’t the foggiest. But because the option is there, that’s part of the reason why there’ll probably not be an end to speculation on this issue until she’s obviously aged out of competing. The reality is that if she wants to eg be a beam specialist at 2030 worlds because the mood takes her, that option will probably be there for her. We all know the gymternet has made mountains out of much, much less.

 

[MaryClare]

It takes more than money to not care