I think of Simone Biles

 “We’re human, too.”

—Simone Biles

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WHEN I am unable to perform a regular task as a resident of New York, I think of Simone Biles.

The regular task is doing something that helps me make both ends meet while enjoying it at the same time. 

Back in the Philippines in the late 80’s and 90’s, journalism was my passion, the kind of livelihood that made me whole but did not make me rich.

When I don’t enjoy what I am doing, I don’t fully appreciate what I earn. 

But I need to do a multitasking in the United States; I am obligated to “perform” so I can put dollars in my pocket and secure my monthly bills and social security contributions.

Ditto with men and women of letters who suffer a writer’s block. I think and remember Simone Biles; I compare their predicament to Simone Biles’.

 

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Writer's block is a condition in which skilled writers with the desire to write finds themselves unable to write.

It’s basically a condition, primarily associated with writing, in which an author is unable to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown, a creative stall not a result of commitment problems or the lack of writing skills.

I think of Simone Biles.

She’s the American gymnast who recently withdrew from several Olympic events in Tokyo, including the latest withdrawal from the vault and uneven bars finals, after experiencing a case of "the twisties” or what gymnasts describe as losing control of their body mid-trick and losing sense of where they are in the air. 

The sensation is not only disorienting, it's dangerous and can lead to serious injury, experts say.

 

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"So I was trying a two-and-a-half (twisting vault), and I ended up doing a one-and-a-half. Just got a little bit lost in the air," Biles said in an interview with American press. 

"I had no idea where I was in the air … I could have hurt myself," she said in another interview, The Washington Post reported.

Similar to the so-called "yips" in other sports, the twisties reportedly represent a moment where, suddenly, an athlete's brain and body lose connection and muscle memory fails.

Through their countless hours of training, athletes literally rewire their brains to perform complex movements with a high degree of reliability and precision.

From the “twisties” that have haunted Simone Biles for a week. From the endless speculation about her state of mind. 

“From the hype machine — one, admittedly, she fed into at times — that set expectations so high coming to Tokyo nothing short of the impossible would have been enough,” AP reported.

“It all became too much. A week ago, her internal wires got crossed when she hopped on uneven bars during practice. Suddenly, she couldn’t spin. She could barely move. She still doesn’t quite know why. And if she’s being honest, the wires still aren’t reconnected. She’s not sure when they will be.”

In the case of writer’s block, I think of Simone Biles.

The condition in writer’s block is almost parallel.

An expression coined and popularized by American psychoanalyst Edmund Bergler in the 1940s, writer’s block reportedly ranges from difficulty in coming up with original ideas to being unable to produce a work for years. 

It is not solely measured by time passing without writing but reportedly measured by time passing without productivity in the task at hand.

 

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On Tuesday, August 3, Simone Biles closed out her Olympics on her terms, as a two-time bronze medalist on beam and as the most accomplished American gymnast in history with seven medals, including four golds, ESPN’s Alyssa Roenigk reported.

Biles did not allow herself to be defined by what she did not do in Tokyo, said Roenigk.

“Instead, the lasting images will be of her cheering on her teammates and competitors and returning to competition under great scrutiny and pressure to earn perhaps the final Olympic medal of her career,” added Roenigk.

"I wasn't even expecting to medal on beam," Biles said after the meet as quoted by Roenigk. "I was just trying to hit one more beam set. To have one more opportunity to compete at the Olympics meant the world to me."

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two dailies in Iloilo)