{"id":2691,"date":"2025-11-12T21:30:48","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T22:30:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/?p=2691"},"modified":"2025-11-14T14:57:26","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T14:57:26","slug":"i-dont-just-have-to-be-a-gymnast-simone-biles-on-ice-skating-wag-life-her-new-athleta-collection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/2025\/11\/12\/i-dont-just-have-to-be-a-gymnast-simone-biles-on-ice-skating-wag-life-her-new-athleta-collection\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI Don\u2019t Just Have To Be A Gymnast.\u201d Simone Biles On Ice Skating, WAG Life & Her New Athleta Collection"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Simone Biles<\/a> isn\u2019t ready to get back in the gym yet. The Olympic gold medallist is the most decorated gymnast of all time and undoubtedly one of the most dominant and greatest athletes to ever grace sports, but these days, she\u2019s taking time for herself. After competing for 22 years, Biles is on a \u201cbreak\u201d<\/a> from gymnastics. Now, she\u2019s focusing on hobbies like horseback riding, ice skating, pilates and long walks with her husband, Chicago Bears safety, Jonathan Owens<\/a>. On NFL game day, you can find her on the field giving Owens a good luck kiss<\/a> (his one pre-game superstition) and showing out in various football-appropriate \u2018fits.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lately, football Sunday has turned into a who\u2019s who of WAGs (wives and girlfriends)<\/a> \u2014 celebs like Ciara<\/a>, Hailee Steinfeld,<\/a> Taylor Swift<\/a>, and Normani<\/a> are all partnered up with players \u2014 and their fashion makes weekly headlines. For Biles, game days are \u201cso fun\u201d but over Zoom, she says the attention is stressful: \u201cI wish we didn\u2019t have to walk the runway so much. I\u2019m just there supporting my man.\u201d It\u2019s a good thing Biles has her own collection with Athleta<\/a> to keep her looking good on game days. She even teased a custom Athleta look for the Bears\u2019 upcoming faceoff against the Minnesota Vikings this weekend.<\/p>\n

Biles and Athleta have been partnering for years but this marks the Olympian\u2019s second women\u2019s and<\/em> girls\u2019 collection for the activewear brand. Like her last Athleta collab, the collection is affordable, size inclusive, and includes intergenerational styles as well as accessories. Whether you\u2019re looking for soft hoodies, performance-ready tights (Biles told R29 that the Elation Ultra High Rise Shine 7\/8 Legging<\/a> is one of her all-time favorites), barrel-leg sweats, or a new fall jacket<\/a> (the Sateen Bomber<\/a> is another Biles must-have), Biles has you covered with pieces that are deserving of a game-day catwalk.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Throughout our chat, Biles\u2019 excitement for the collection is palpable but so is her joy for this current moment in her life. She\u2019s letting herself be bad at things (\u201cI\u2019m learning every day!\u201d she says) and she\u2019s soaking in a softer, more \u201cselfish\u201d life. To put it simply, Biles seems free<\/em>. It\u2019s beautiful to behold, and even more inspiring that the woman who landed the hardest vault in the world so flawlessly that they renamed it after<\/a> her is now happily losing at darts to her friends. After all of Biles\u2019 public mental health struggles<\/a>, the normal, quiet contentment she describes to me feels like her biggest win yet.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here, she talks more about her Athleta collection, how she really<\/em> feels about being called a \u201cWAG\u201d, and supporting her friend and former teammate Jordan Chiles on Dancing With The Stars.\u00a0<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Refinery29 Unbothered: Congrats on the collection! The pieces look so comfortable and chic. Tell me about this collection and how it aligns with how you approach working out.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Simone Biles:<\/strong> It\u2019s very different. It\u2019s the boldest collection that we\u2019ve had thus far. I\u2019m obviously biased, but this is one of my favorite collections. We have followed some of the trends but really, I always say, that you can take it from the mat to conferences or whatever it is. It doesn\u2019t have to be just for the gym. It\u2019s my go-to travel style, as well as if I\u2019m taking a pilates class with my husband.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

What are the pieces in the collection that everyone needs?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SB:<\/strong> There\u2019s a couple. I\u2019m going to start with the sateen bucket bag<\/a>. That is just such a fashionable piece. It\u2019s just a really cute accessory. And I think people are going to love to layer it, as well as the Elation Shine Leggings<\/a>, those have a subtle zebra print, which you can\u2019t really tell until you\u2019re up close. It just adds something extra without being overpowering. That\u2019s really, really cute and fashionable. We have the sateen bomber jacket that in the fall and the winter, I just put over everything. We also have the Forever Fleece sweatpants,<\/a> which are a barrel leg, and that is just so fun. What I love about Athleta so much is that everyone can wear it. We try to be inclusive \u2014 there\u2019s extra extra small, all the way to extra large, as well as tall and petite sizing. And for me, at 4\u20198, that\u2019s perfect. But then we got my girl, [Olympic swimmer] Katie Ledecky,<\/a> over here, wearing tall. We don\u2019t want it to be one size fits all. We want everyone to be able to rock it, especially through this fall and this winter weather.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
\n

At the end of the day, I don\u2019t just have to be a gymnast. I can do it all because I\u2019ve seen us<\/em> do it all.<\/p>\n

simone biles<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

For so many of us, working out and going to the gym is a hobby or something we do to stay healthy. For you, it\u2019s been your job. How do you separate the work of staying active from the joy of it and doing it just because it makes you feel good?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

SB:<\/strong> Now, I\u2019ve started to explore other hobbies that still include working out, but it just looks a little bit different. Right now, although I\u2019m not in the gym 24\/7, I\u2019m in my horseback riding lessons, and I\u2019m about to pick up ice skating lessons because I feel like gymnastics, although it was working out, it was just it was so much fun for me and you don\u2019t even realize you\u2019re exercising. So I wanted to feel that similar feeling. I took up horseback riding because going to a gym for me and doing pilates and all that stuff seems a little bit scary and daunting, but if you put it as a hobby, and say \u201cI\u2019m working out for an hour or so,\u201d it feels a little bit easier. I\u2019m about to start doing my ice skating lessons. I\u2019ve already called the ice rink. I know they\u2019re tired of hearing from me [laughs].\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

What made you decide to do ice skating?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SB: <\/strong>The \u200b\u200brink is literally three minutes from my house and since I pass it all the time going to and from the airport, I\u2019m like, okay, that\u2019s going to be a fun, little hobby.<\/em> I walk my dog and I have a weighted vest but just going on walks and seeing the leaves change in the fall is also fun for me. I don\u2019t think I\u2019m ready to just get into a gym just yet, unless it\u2019s a girls\u2019 activity and we\u2019re doing pilates or we\u2019re doing something cute. I don\u2019t think I\u2019m ready. I still want to have fun with it. Just random sidequests.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019m Canadian so I love to see Black girls doing winter sports.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

SB: <\/strong>Yes! We can do it all. I\u2019ve never seen as much representation as I have these days, and it\u2019s so exciting. It\u2019s inspiring me. At the end of the day, I don\u2019t just have to be a gymnast. I can do it all because I\u2019ve seen us<\/em> do it all.<\/p>\n

Yes, you can. One thing we love seeing you do is show up on NFL game days supporting your husband. Will we be seeing a custom Athleta game day set soon?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SB: <\/strong>Yeah! It\u2019s coming soon. We\u2019re planning on not this weekend but the next weekend in Minnesota. A little custom bomber going on, okay! Got a little custom action coming.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Take me through what goes on behind your game-day fashion. How do you put your outfits together for games?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

SB:<\/strong> I really try to base it on the weather and where they\u2019re playing. My husband wants me to wear more navy and orange [for the team\u2019s colors], but I\u2019m always going with the blacks and the whites and the grays and the neutrals. I\u2019m trying to implement a little bit more of the Bears\u2019 colors. But other than that, I really base it off of the weather. I know later this year when we play in San Francisco, you can get a little bit more cute and fashionable, because for me, with my height, it\u2019s so hard to be cute and look fashionable [in the cold] when I\u2019m just going to walk around looking like a marshmallow. I try to implement certain things like that. But definitely, we have a couple things coming, and so I\u2019m really excited about that. But weather first and foremost, and comfortability, comfortability, comfortability! And movement!\u00a0<\/p>\n

I saw a headline today that said: \u2018Is Simone Biles NFL\u2019s Best WAG?\u2019 How do you feel about that title?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

SB: <\/strong>I don\u2019t know about that! We still got Ciara, we got Normani. We can all fit in that space! There\u2019s room for all of us.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

It feels like there\u2019s so much attention on WAGs, specifically football wives and girlfriends. How do you feel about the term WAG and being a part of that club with, as you said, with Ciara and Normani, and then there\u2019s [Hailee Steinfeld and Taylor Swift] and all these people?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SB:<\/strong> I don\u2019t mind the word WAG, because really, I\u2019m just showing up and supporting my husband. Although the fashion is so much fun to do, I\u2019m really just there to go support my man, and that is really important that we get to show up and support one another. We\u2019re always working so hard, and we have a limited amount of time with each other. We don\u2019t know how long each of us are going to be professional athletes playing on a stage like this. So it\u2019s really just fun for everyone to show up and support. I don\u2019t mind sharing the space. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s so much fun. But again, there are a lot of eyes. I can wear a sweatsuit like this to a game, but I was telling my husband that every time I go on the field, even though I\u2019m just supporting you, photos are everywhere. And that part stresses me out, because I just want to be relaxed. At the last game, I just did a messy bun, a sweat suit, and that was that. But you always have to pop off and I wish we didn\u2019t. I wish we didn\u2019t have to walk the runway so much. I\u2019m just there supporting my man, but I know how much it is going to be highlighted.<\/p>\n

I can imagine that it gets stressful, especially because it\u2019s every week.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

SB: <\/strong>I\u2019m only on the field because that\u2019s my husband\u2019s good luck thing. He knows that he has to have me on the sideline. He said that\u2019s his one thing. He\u2019s not superstitious at all, but he\u2019s like, \u201cI know I have to have my girl on the field, get that good luck kiss, and then we\u2019re good.\u201d If not, y\u2019all would never see me down there. I would be up in the stands hiding like y\u2019all would never see me. But that\u2019s my husband\u2019s thing so that\u2019s why I do it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That is really sweet!<\/strong><\/p>\n

SB:<\/strong> I\u2019d be hiding. I don\u2019t like the attention \u2014 never have, and maybe never will. That stuff stresses me out so bad, I will be hiding as much as possible. I don\u2019t like all of this attention but you get used to it, I guess. But it\u2019s stress! Anxiety! I just want to just go do my thing and watch in peace and quiet. Next year, I think I\u2019m going to stay home for the away games. I just can\u2019t do it. I\u2019m just so stressed. There\u2019s a lot of behind-the-scenes logistics that goes into it as well. It\u2019s not the easiest to try to get me into a stadium, either.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

It\u2019s really important to listen to your body and your mind, because that literally can change the trajectory of your life. Be selfish, show up for yourself. <\/p>\n

simone biles <\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

Speaking of stress, I\u2019m also an anxious girlie. We\u2019re Unbothered so we always like to do a Black girl mental health check in. You\u2019ve been so outspoken about mental health and the importance of therapy, especially Therapy Thursdays. Is there a piece of advice or something you\u2019ve learned in therapy that you can share with us, with our audience, who are mostly Black women? Give us some energy! We need it!\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

SB: <\/strong>I would say the one piece of advice that I have is you have to take that mental time to yourself and those personal days, because it really does change how you feel, talk about yourself, what your life looks like. So I would say, take those personal days. It\u2019s really important to stay in tune and to listen to your body and your mind, because that literally can change the trajectory of your life. Be selfish, show up for yourself. We\u2019re so in tune with showing up for everyone else, but at the end of the day, we neglect a little bit of our personal space and our well being. You have to show up for yourself first and foremost. Put on your favorite tunes, some Cardi B. Women are so powerful. We can do anything we put our minds to. And showing up for yourself is a win. We have to put ourselves first.<\/p>\n

One of the things that is so inspiring about you is that you are the best. And in being the best gymnast in the world, the best athlete in the world, you inspire me to think I can be the best at what I do. But I also think of the pressure or expectation that comes with that. What\u2019s something you\u2019re just OK at, and is there freedom in being mediocre sometimes?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

SB: <\/strong>Every day with me and my husband, we\u2019re learning new recipes. Since I\u2019ve done my craft for so long, over 22 years, it\u2019s really hard for me. I love learning new things, but I\u2019m always learning, and keen to keep learning. It never ends. I\u2019m learning every day. I know I\u2019m not going to be the best at it. We even did a wine and sip the other day. Did my painting look the best? Absolutely not. But I don\u2019t care. I\u2019m not trying to be the best. I didn\u2019t train 22 years to paint so it looks like what it looks like, and every day when I\u2019m doing new recipes in the house, because now I love to cook, I love to cook, it\u2019s OK. <\/p>\n

I\u2019m even trying to get better at my makeup and my hair. I was just bugging one of my makeup artists yesterday, like, girl, you really try not to have me be great at makeup, because I keep asking you to send me the tutorial, and she finally sent it to me yesterday. So now today, I\u2019m going to go look at it, and I\u2019m going to go practice my makeup. We always have more to learn. I\u2019m okay with that. I love playing darts. I love playing ping pong. At our new house, which we sign for next week, we have a ping pong table and a dart board. Am I the best at it? No, but it\u2019s about making memories, having fun and just still learning.<\/p>\n

I love that but I can also picture the competitive spirit in you trying to come out at the paint and sip.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

SB: <\/strong>You know, that\u2019s actually so funny, because everyone thinks I\u2019m going to be so competitive at whatever we do, but I literally don\u2019t care if I\u2019m last place. Every time, I\u2019m still going to play, I\u2019m still going to have a good spirit, good energy, because it\u2019s about making those memories. Obviously for them, they\u2019re like, \u201cI beat Simone Biles at something!\u201d I don\u2019t care. I don\u2019t care. Let\u2019s just have a good time. Let\u2019s kiki, have a good time, good conversation, good vibes, good energy. And that\u2019s a win in my book, because we\u2019re not going to be good at everything. I\u2019m incredibly gifted, and to do what I do every day has been such a blessing and to come out on top. But I also know that\u2019s not normal. I know that\u2019s very rare. So I\u2019m just incredibly blessed and thankful.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

That\u2019s inspiring that Simone Biles can be so chill about losing or being bad at something.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

SB: <\/strong>Yeah, well I never wanted to be the best at gymnastics. I just wanted to go to college, hopefully get a college scholarship, and that was it. Obviously, the cards fell in place, and I got to do way more than my wildest dreams. But even as a young girl, did I want to go to the Olympics? No. Every one of my teammates said that. So I said it. I don\u2019t even know what the Olympics was. I saw it in 2008 on the TV. And I was like, Whoa. How\u2019d they do that? <\/em>But I didn\u2019t even want to go there. At that point. I saw the girls [gymnastics team] and they went to Italy. And I was like, how do I go to Italy? I want to compete in Italy. <\/em>I never wanted to go to the Olympics. You just dream big and dream bigger.<\/p>\n

You were dreaming dreams you didn\u2019t even know you had. Speaking of your teammates, you competed on Dancing with the Stars and now so is Jordan Chiles. She\u2019s killing it. Are you watching? How proud of Jordan are you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

SB: <\/strong>Oh my god, I\u2019m so proud of her. She\u2019s totally in her element. This is what she was made to do. She\u2019s always been an entertainer, and obviously that goes hand-in-hand with gymnastics. On floor [routines], we do have to entertain a little bit, but this is her space completely. And she gets to be 100% herself. People get to see her personality shine. It\u2019s a little glimpse of what we\u2019ve gotten to see over the past couple of years, but now she gets to share it with the whole world.<\/p>\n

Did you give her any advice going into the season?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

SB: <\/strong>She needed no advice. She is so confident in who she is, and her personality is so big. I was too shy for that. Now I think I\u2019m a little bit more comfortable in who I am, but this is perfect for her. So there was no advice, just \u201cgood luck, have fun.\u201d And I told her, \u201cyou\u2019re going to be on that show one day.\u201d And she\u2019s like, \u201cNo, I don\u2019t think so.\u201d Girl, look at you now! I said \u201cthey\u2019re going to keep asking you and bugging you to do it.\u201d And she\u2019s like, \u201cNo, I don\u2019t think so.\u201d And now she\u2019s like, \u201cwhy are you always right?\u201d I know these things. It\u2019s like a sixth sense.<\/p>\n

I love being the friend who\u2019s always right.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

SB:<\/strong> Yeah, I get badgered about that a lot. \u201cYou\u2019re just always right!\u201d OK. And am!\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Simone Biles x Athleta new collection launches on Thursday, November 13 on Athleta.com as well as select Athleta stores. <\/em><\/p>\n

Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Simone Biles On Her Gold-Worthy Athleta Collab<\/a><\/p>\n

Leave Simone Biles\u2019 (& All Black Girls) Hair Alone<\/a><\/p>\n

Black Women Athletes Need Each Other<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Simone Biles isn\u2019t ready to get back in the gym yet. The Olympic gold medallist is the most decorated gymnast of all time and undoubtedly one of the most dominant and greatest athletes to ever grace sports, but these days, she\u2019s taking time for herself. After competing for 22 years, Biles is on a \u201cbreak\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2693,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ecotech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2691"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2691\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2698,"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2691\/revisions\/2698"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}