Latest news with #Raisman
New York Times
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Jordan Chiles, Aly Raisman and the benefits of ‘mutual mentorship'
Editor's Note: This story is a part of Peak, The Athletic's new desk covering leadership, personal development and success through the lens of sports. Peak aims to connect readers to ideas they can implement in their own personal and professional lives. Follow Peak here. Standing in the lobby of a Vancouver hotel, Jordan Chiles had her head on a swivel as she pressed send on another text to her friend, gymnast Ragan Smith. OK, I'm in the lobby, can you come downstairs? Advertisement Chiles, days away from turning 13, was in town to watch the 2014 Pacific Rim Championships, a major international gymnastics competition held every two years. An aspiring and eager gymnast with natural talent, Chiles wanted to wish her friends good luck: Smith, Simone Biles and in particular 19-year-old Aly Raisman, one of the more experienced gymnasts with whom she shared several similarities. Often given Raisman's assignments during practices, Chiles felt honored to have recently learned her famous tumbling pass. But there was one problem with her plan. 'Everything was very, very strict during that time frame,' Chiles said. 'For them to even want to see me was a huge thing.' Once she made it upstairs and into Raisman's room, thanks to some help from Smith, Chiles didn't have a plan other than to just show her support. 'Hey girly!' Chiles said. 'What's up!' 'Oh my gosh,' Raisman said. 'How did you get in our hotel room?' 'Don't worry about it. I'm here!' Over the next 10 years, the two formed a close bond, with the seven-year age difference inciting a mentorship dynamic early on. Raisman's veteran presence and variety of experiences led Chiles to take advice from her seriously. She learned from Raisman how to navigate unfamiliar situations and that it was OK to do things differently. To Chiles, Raisman's perspective was unique and comforting. Over time, though, something else happened: Raisman started to learn and benefit from Chiles, too. Their relationship is what Jennifer Jordan, a professor of leadership and organizational behavior at the Institute for Management Development in Switzerland, calls a 'perfect example of mutual mentorship.' The idea is that a healthy mentorship should actually be a two-way street. While the benefits may initially be one-sided, both people should eventually feel the relationship has contributed to their development in some way. And while the mentee's benefits are often more obvious, the mentor is also able to learn and gain new perspectives and ideas. 'That openness to learning, that support, that sharing of information, it's essentially leadership,' Jordan said. 'I wouldn't even say it makes them better leaders. What they're doing is showing leadership through this relationship.' As one of the younger gymnasts at national training camp each month, Chiles' humor would occasionally score her an invitation to the older girls' cabin. A self-described jokester, she connected with her teammates quickly, including Raisman. Following practices at the ranch, their conversations grew longer, especially as the pressure crept in. Advertisement 'The training,' Raisman said, 'was so intense.' Using her own experiences to guide Chiles through the pre-practice jitters and doubts, Raisman wanted to be a source of encouragement. Look, I've been in your shoes before. I understand everything you're going through. You've got this. 'She just has that knowledge,' Chiles said. 'An understanding of what it's like. And how it's been.' She joked that much of Raisman's wisdom can be found underneath the alter ego her teammates gave her years ago: Grandma Aly. 'Aly is just a very old soul,' Chiles said. 'That's how I see it. An old soul type of girl. When you have somebody like that, you can get a different perspective of what your sport can be. And you can navigate it differently then.' One day at the ranch, Chiles was sitting outside her cabin in between practices, laughing with some of the other younger gymnasts. While they were talking, the door to another cabin opened and Raisman walked out. 'Guys, I'm trying to sleep,' she said. 'Can you keep it down a little?' Chiles and the other girls looked around at one another. 'We couldn't stop laughing,' Chiles said. In countless ways, Raisman forged her own path, never worrying about whether she was untraditional or not. Chiles clung to messages like that. 'She has taught me so many things about what it's like to be not a common gymnast,' Chiles said. 'She wasn't like everybody else. She had her own ways. And she embraced those and made sure that those were the things she was authentic to because that's who she is.' That message has manifested itself in Chiles' career decisions, like making changes in her coaching and training, as well as choosing to be bold while competing. At the most recent Olympic Trials in Minneapolis in June, she was interacting with the crowd in between her events, causing much of the audience to join her in clapping and dancing. Advertisement Raisman, who retired from international competition in 2020, watched from the stands. 'It made me so happy to see,' Raisman said. 'I think Jordan shows people that you can be authentically yourself and it's also helping her be the best gymnast she can be.' For Raisman, having a personality like Chiles' around was a refreshing source of positivity. She found her attitude 'really inspiring' and tried to absorb her energy, wanting to learn from her ability to put a positive spin on any situation. 'Even when I was younger, and Jordan was younger than me, I still would go to Jordan,' she said. 'It doesn't matter someone's age.' At a competition before the 2016 Olympics, Raisman was getting ready for vault while battling a bout of anxiety. Chiles, who was in the stands, came over to talk to her. 'You become so close that you can almost communicate with a look,' Raisman said. Like Raisman had done for her so many times, Chiles offered words of encouragement. You know how to do this. Take it one thing at a time. Just be you. Aly, nobody can take this away from you. You shine in so many ways. This is the hardest thing and you just have to keep pushing. Chiles had always offered that support and comfort to Raisman. Before competing at Olympic Trials in 2016, amid the nerves and stress, Raisman saw Chiles, who was there just to watch the competition. The two hugged. Raisman looked at Chiles and said, 'You're my good luck charm.' Chiles, now a junior at UCLA and one of the top gymnasts in the country, is trying to pass down what Raisman did for her to other young gymnasts. 'The encouraging words that she has told me, I have told to the younger generation,' she said. 'It's like when somebody loves you in a way that you want to be able to love others the same way.' The power of Raisman's influence is still there. At a college meet in January, Chiles was about to compete when she looked over and saw Raisman, who was there to broadcast the competition. Raisman was nervous, as she usually is when she commentates. Before Chiles performed, she walked over to Raisman and smiled. Advertisement 'Aly,' she said, 'You're my good luck charm this time.' A small thing, but it was exactly what each of them needed to hear to relax. Chiles crushed her events. Raisman felt less nervous. 'It's a moment of supporting each other in whatever stage we are in life,' Raisman said. 'It's very special. I feel very grateful for that.' Elise Devlin is a writer for Peak, The Athletic's new desk covering leadership, personal development and success. She last wrote about Tara VanDerveer's curiosity as a leader. Follow Peak here. (Illustration: Kelsea Petersen / The Athletic; Ronald Martinez / Getty Images, Jamie Squire / Getty Images)
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Olympic gold medal gymnast Aly Raisman to talk mental health in West Palm Beach
Aly Raisman is USA Women's Gymnastics royalty. She is the third-most decorated American gymnast ever and was the two-time captain of the Olympic gold medal-winning USA Women's Gymnastics teams at the 2012 Olympics in London (the so-called 'Fierce Five') and 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro (nicknamed the 'Final Five'). She won three gold medals and six medals in all at her two Olympics, as well as two gold medals at World Championships competitions in 2011 and 2015. Equally — if not more — importantly, in 2017 she played a pivotal role in helping to bring to justice former USA Women's Gymnastics team physician Dr. Larry Nassar, coming forward as one of the most prominent victims of his decades-long sexual abuse of hundreds of athletes he treated ― the vast majority of whom were teenagers and pre-teens. Her efforts also led to a transformation in how USA Women's Gymnastics is run — empowering athletes to have a bigger say in the organization's policies and decisions. But perhaps her most important role — as a tireless advocate for awareness regarding mental health, sexual abuse and body positivity — is the one she's leaned into since her official retirement from gymnastics in 2020. And she'll be bringing that advocacy to West Palm Beach on Sunday as the keynote speaker at Alpert Jewish Family Service of Palm Beach's 21st Annual No Excuse for Abuse Evening at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. More: Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman shares advice, USA Gymnastics criticism at Boca event 'We are honored to welcome world-renowned gymnast, sexual abuse survivor and advocate Aly Raisman to our 21st Annual No Excuse for Abuse Evening,' said Marc Hopin, CEO of Alpert Jewish Family Service. 'This event highlights our unwavering dedication to excellence in human services, including domestic abuse prevention, mental health support, suicide awareness, and more. Aly's voice will amplify our message and broaden our reach.' A compelling and personable speaker, Raisman has explained that she knew early on that her athletic career would come with a slew of mental health challenges. She says she suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder, commonly referred to as OCD, and in a subjective individual sport like gymnastics, her perfectionist tendencies were only exacerbated. Though she didn't recognize it as a disorder at the time, Raisman's OCD first showed up during her childhood as a competitive gymnast. 'I definitely was superstitious, where I did things that would make me feel more comfortable, or I felt like I had to do something — otherwise I wouldn't compete well,' she said in a recent interview with the OCD advocacy organization NOCD. Raisman didn't realize that the rituals she was performing were deeper than just a superstition. Even today, years removed from competition, she said she still finds that the disorder manifests itself in her daily life, albeit in different ways. 'I'm not superstitious anymore, but I do have things where if I plug in a curling iron, I'm worried, did I turn it off? If I cooked something, did I turn the oven off?' she explained. While many people may ask themselves those questions occasionally, for someone with OCD those questions can turn into unrelenting thought loops that can hijack daily activities. She also finds that her OCD flares up when she is talking to groups about important topics, such as mental health and abuse awareness. 'When I talk about really serious things, I tend to overthink what I said,' she explained. 'I want to make sure I didn't offend somebody, or maybe say something that's going to trigger someone else.' This kind of negative thought loop often makes her second-guess her interactions and worry about them long after they're over, thus leading to rumination and self-doubt. But Raisman has not let that deter her from engaging, and she will be delivering her important message again Sunday night in West Palm Beach. Another of Raisman's goals is to help bring conversations about abuse to the forefront. As she explained at a 2023 appearance at Duke University, she 'felt that USA Gymnastics was sweeping a lot of things under the rug, and I didn't feel it was right. I had no idea how much support I would receive or how much support so many of my teammates and other brave people who spoke out would get.' She explained that she wants to 'normalize those conversations because … there are a lot more people than we realize that are struggling.' Indeed, it was helping others who were struggling in silence with their own inner demons that spurred her into her current advocacy role. More Health Matters: Pregnant at 44 makes Gisele Bündchen part of a trend for women in their 40s 'I have found there are a lot of people who are suffering in silence and don't have a support system. They may not even have one person they can go to ask for help,' she told NOCD. 'I just realized the more that I started to share, the more people could relate to my experience, and it helped me feel less alone.' Now 30 and the author of two books — her autobiography 'Fierce: How Competing for Myself Changed Everything' and the children's book 'From My Head to My Toes' — Raisman knows she is, and forever will be, a work in progress when it comes dealing with mental health challenges. In June she wrote in an online essay that she was 'still learning who I am.' And as she'll share on Sunday night, she's okay with that — and hopes everyone who hears her speak will give themselves the same grace when dealing with their own personal struggles. What: Alpert Jewish Family Service of Palm Beach's 21st Annual No Excuse for Abuse Evening When: 6:15 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 9 Where: Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach Tickets: $300 Info: 561-713-1944 This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman in West Palm Beach to talk mental health
