If you don't know who Aly Raisman is, she is an American gymnast for team USA and a two-time Olympian. She has more than inspired me, and many other young women and gymnasts all around the world.
One of the many ways that Aly really inspires me is her work ethic. Whether this is inside or outside of the gym, she works as hard as she can and when she does, she wants to work EVEN harder. She doesn't put forth anything but her best. She strives for perfection, and nothing less. When an obstacle comes her way, she sees it as an opportunity to better herself, and not a challenge that is impossible.
As a leader in the gym, she understands what it means to be a role model. So many young girls look up to her and aspire to do what she does, and has accomplished. They look up to how motivated, dedicated, and strong-willed she is. Aly doesn't want anyone in the gym to give up on their dreams, because they are reachable. The younger girls in her gym have seen both her success and failures and can see that it is possible to push towards or work through anything.
Through her success as a gymnast, she has gained many accomplishments throughout her career. Two of the most astonishing, being attending and competing in two Olympic games. One in London in 2012, and the other in Rio of 2016. She along with her team have received the team gold in both of the Olympic games, while she as an individual received a total of 3 golds, 2 silvers, and 1 bronze. Above these accomplishments, Aly understands that it's not all about first place awards—it's what the sport really means to her, and other girls in the sport.
Gymnastics is more than just being able to perform on vault, bars, beam, and floor. To Aly, it's about competing in those events, but also competing for herself, her team, and her love for the sport. Take it from me. I've been a gymnast most of my life, and there is such a huge difference when it comes to competing for the love of the sport because you truly love it, and just competing because you have to. I can honestly tell that Aly is in love with the sport, because of how happy and confident it makes her feel, and how passionate she is when she competes. Again, there is a noticeable difference in competition, when the competitor is giving all of their efforts, or just going through the routines without much care.
One of the most significant events that occurred in her life, was coming forward about her sexual abuse, from her former USA national team doctor, Larry Nassar. He has sexually abused her, along with her teammates for many long and terrible years during her gymnastics career. From her CBS interview on 60 Minutes on September 9, 2018, she mentioned, "I didn't know anything different. We were told he was the best doctor. He's the United States Olympic doctor and the USA gymnastics doctor, and we were very lucky we were able to see him." She and her teammates more than trusted him, and they weren't told anything alarming about him, or any reason to be afraid of him.
Although she kept silent for such a long time, she showed the public and young girls all around the nation, that she has stood up for herself. Nothing can take her down, and she is strong and powerful. Through this experience, she has taught many young girls to fight for themselves, and say something, if they don't feel comfortable or if they feel that something isn't right. Aly doesn't want young women to suffer in silence. She is a fighter, a powerful and successful athlete, and more importantly, an all-around inspiration.
