IT’S ALL NEW MOVES FOR ‘DANCING’ BILES
Simone Biles is one day removed from her first practice and two weeks away from her “Dancing with the Stars” television debut, and she already has blisters on her heels.
Biles, the four-time Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast from Spring, celebrates her 20th birthday on March 14 and six days later takes her first televised turn on the dance floor with partner Sasha Farber on the ABC ballroom dancing competition show.
But she’s already feeling the effects of a hard day’s practice Thursday in the dance studio, which requires a considerably different style of dress from her years in gymnastics.
“I’ve been barefoot my whole life, running around like Tarzan, and now I have to wear heels,” she said Friday. “So it is different.”
Biles got the memo about foot care from her 2016 Olympic teammate, Lauren Hernandez, who won the most recent “Dancing with the Stars” trophy, but still overdid it on day one.
“(Hernandez) said to take care of the blisters and if your feet hurt to tell Sasha, because if you don’t take your shoes off, they will hurt the next day,” she said. “I didn’t tell Sasha, and my feet are burning today.
“She also said to have fun with it and to let my personality shine and that she’ll always be a text away.”
Oddsmakers have established Biles as the favorite in a field that also includes 1994 Olympic ice skating silver medalist Nancy Kerrigan, actress Heather Morris, Giants running back Rashad Jennings, entertainers Mr. T and Charo, comedian Chris Kattan and retired Cubs catcher David Ross.
“I’ve heard that for any athlete, this is the hardest thing you will ever do,” she said. “But I like a challenge. I hope my flexibility and focus and concentration will help, and I hope I can dance to people’s expectations.”
This is supposed to be Biles’ year off after the
grueling four-year run up to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, but she said she doesn’t mind the practice schedule that will require her to learn a new routine every week rather than perform familiar routines time after time.
“It’s still competitive,” she said. “Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and you and your partner have to grow together week after week. It’s going to be fun. I love learning new things.”
Biles made her first big splash at the 2013 International Gymnastics Federation’s American Cup event before rolling to four straight national titles, three world titles and five Olympic medals.
Saturday, she’ll either be practicing dance routines or resting up from practice as 2016 Olympic alternate Ragan Smith of Dallas and first-year senior Riley McCusker, who trains in the same Florida gym as Hernandez, compete in the 2017 event in Newark, N.J.
Along with “Dancing,” Biles made a full round of sponsor-related appearances during the Super Bowl, accepted an award in Monte Carlo, was a guest at several awards shows and appeared with 2016 Olympic teammate Aly Raisman in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.
Friday, she spent the morning with a group of local children at an event at the family-owned World Champions Centre in Montgomery County sponsored by Kellogg’s
promoting youth nutrition.