ALL
ALL SURPRISED AFTER GYMNAST SIMONE BILES WITHDREW FROM THE WOMEN'S ALL AROUND TEAM FINAL
AT THE TOKYO OLYMPICS DUE TO
MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS BUT
WITHOUT BEING IN HER SHOES IT'S
TOUGH FOR MOST OF US TO
UNDERSTAND THE PRESSURE SHE'S
REALLY FEELING RIGHT THIS
MORNING THREE TIME OLYMPIC GOLD
MEDAL SWIMMER KATHY BATES
JOINING US TO SHARE A LITTLE
INSIGHT. GOOD MORNING. CARRY ON
CHAT WITH YOU HERE. GOOD
MORNING. THANKS FOR HAVING LOOK
,LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
THAT PRESSURE. YOU KNOW THAT
PRESSURE THAT COMES COMPETING
WITH THE OLYMPICS, BEING A PRO
ATHLETE, A BIG ATHLETE AND
SHE'S SHE'S EVERYONE CALLS HER
THE GO RIGHT. SO MOBILE SO WHAT
IS THAT PRESSURE LIKE FOR THESE
TOP TIER ATHLETES? WHAT WAS IT
WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR YOU? YOU
KNOW, FOR ME I CAN'T SIT HERE
AND SAY I HAVE THE SAME
PRESSURES AS SOMEONE LIKE
MILES, YOU KNOW? BUT I THINK
EVERY ELITE ATHLETE, EVERY
PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE AND
CERTAINLY EVERY EVERY OLYMPIC
ATHLETE HAS A DIFFERENT LEVEL
OF PRESSURE. SIMMONS IS A LEVEL
THAT I THINK MOST PEOPLE CAN'T
EVEN COMPREHEND. YOU KNOW, SHE
WENT INTO THESE GAMES IS KIND
OF THE FACE OF THE OLYMPIAD AND
YOU KNOW, SHE'S GOT A LOT
OF PRESSURES PLUS A LOT
OF TRAUMA THAT SHE'S COMING
WITH. YOU KNOW, SHE'S BEEN
THROUGH A LOT IN THE LAST
SEVERAL YEARS GROWING UP IN THE
US SYSTEM AND ALSO BEING THE
LAST COMPETING SURVIVOR
OF LARRY NASSAR. SO WE CAN'T
FORGET ALL OF THE THINGS THAT
SHE HAS BEEN THROUGH IN HER
CAREER LEADING UP TO TOKYO. CAN
YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE
STRESS THAT YOU WENT THROUGH SO
MAYBE WE CAN GET SOME CONTEXT
FROM YOU AND THEN WE CAN
REALIZE THAT SOMEONE WAS IT WAS
AT THAT LEVEL OR EVEN HIGHER
BUT I MEAN REALLY FOR YOU HOW
WAS THAT STRESS LIKE THERE THE
PRESSURE IS TREMENDOUS, YOU
KNOW, NOT JUST THE YEARS AND
YEARS OF WORK THAT WE PUT INTO
THE SPORT THAT NOBODY SEES
BECAUSE YOU ONLY GET TO SEE US
PERFORM EVERY FOUR YEARS. SO
IT'S THE CULMINATION REALLY
IT'S THE CELEBRATION BUT IT'S
THE CULMINATION OF YEARS AND
YEARS OF HARD WORK COMPETITIONS
DURING THOSE AWFUL OLYMPIC
YEARS. FOR SOME OF US,
SPONSORSHIPS TO OUR LIVELIHOODS
DEPEND ON SPORTS AND THEN TO
TOP IT ALL OFF, WE WANT TO WIN
.MOST PEOPLE THAT GO TO THE
OLYMPICS GO WITH THE INTENT AND
THE WHOLE OF BEING AN OLYMPIC
CHAMPION AND WHEN THE WORLD
EXPECTS YOU TO BE AN OLYMPIC
CHAMPION IT ONLY AMPLIFIES THAT
TENFOLD. SADLY, SOME PEOPLE
HAVE TO TURN TO SUBSTANCES
DRINKING TO DEAL WITH THOSE
STRUGGLES. DID YOU HAVE THAT
IMPACT YOU DID. YOU KNOW I'VE
BEEN SOBER FOR A LITTLE UNDER
TEN YEARS NOW AND IT WAS A VERY
IT WAS THE HARDEST THING I'VE
EVER EVER HAD TO DO IN MY LIFE.
I WENT TO TREATMENT MORE THAN
ONCE AND THAT'S ONE OF THE
REASONS I WORK HERE IN NEW
ZEALAND. BETTY FORD FOR THE
VERY ORGANIZATION THAT SAVED MY
LIFE I REALLY STRUGGLED CLOSED
POST OLYMPIC AND SWIMMING
CAREER WITH MY MENTAL HEALTH
AND I DID TURN TO ALCOHOL TO
HELP YOU DEAL WITH THAT. YOU
KNOW, THERE WERE THERE WAS A
PRESSURE TO BE WHAT PEOPLE
THINK THAT YOU ARE AND WHEN
YOUR NOT WHEN I WASN'T THAT
PERSON THAT EVERYONE THOUGHT I
WAS I I WENT AND CHECKED OUT
WITH ALCOHOL BECAUSE I DIDN'T
HAVE THE TOOLS TO WORK THROUGH
THAT WITHOUT IT. A LOT
OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SEEING
AMAZING THINGS TO SOMEONE ON
SOCIAL MEDIA BUT THERE'S BEEN A
LOT OF TERRIBLE THINGS WRITTEN
AS WELL. YOU KNOW, A LOT
OF CRITICS OUT THERE. SOME
OF THE SOME OF THE CRITICS WILL
ARGUE THAT LOOK, WITH THOSE
YEARS AND YEARS OF COMPETITIONS
TOP ATHLETES MIND AS HAS BEEN
PREPARED FOR THOSE MOST
STRESSFUL MOMENTS TO HANDLE
THAT WEIGHT ON THEIR SHOULDERS
SO THAT THEY CAN COMPETE AND
WIN IT. DO YOU THINK THAT'S THE
CASE? I MEAN I THINK THAT THERE
ARE I'M SURE WE ALL HAVE ALL
THE YEARS BEHIND US MENTAL AND
PHYSICAL TRAINING. THERE'S NO
QUESTION ABOUT THAT. BUT WE
ALSO ARE HUMAN BEINGS THAT HAVE
A BREAKING POINT RIGHT NOW IT
APPEARS THAT SOMEONE HAS
REACHED A POINT IN HER CAREER
WHERE SHE HAD TO STEP AWAY AND
TAKE CARE OF HER MENTAL HEALTH
AND FRANKLY I THINK IT'S THE IT
WILL BE THE GREATEST PART
OF HER LEGACY IS WHAT SHE'S
GIVEN THE WORLD. SHE HAS TOLD
THE ENTIRE WORLD THAT IT'S OK
TO NOT OK AND THAT WHEN YOU'RE
NOT OK YOU NEED TO TAKE CARE
OF YOURSELF. I MEAN SHE HAS
CHANGED THE WORLD'S VIEW ON
MENTAL HEALTH WITH ONE ACT
OF STEPPING AWAY FROM
PERFORMANCE TO TAKE CARE
OF HERSELF AND WHAT A GIFT
SHE'S GIVEN. THINK OF THE
MILLIONS OF LITTLE GIRLS THAT
WANT TO BE SO MOBILE RIGHT UP.
I'VE BEEN GIVEN PERMISSION TO
NOT HAVE TO BE PERFECT. I MEAN
WHAT A GIFT. BUT WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT THE ATHLETES IN DIFFERENT
SPORTS ARE DIFFERENT DANGERS IN
DIFFERENT SPORTS, RIGHT? I MEAN
SOME OF THE OLYMPIC SPORTS ARE
AS DANGEROUS AS THE OTHER
SPORTS. RIGHT. SO IF YOU'RE IF
YOU'RE SWING IS OFTEN SOFTBALL
OR IN BASEBALL FOR EXAMPLE,
YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET HURT OR
PARALYZED OR POTENTIALLY EVEN
DIE. SO IF YOU'RE IF YOU'RE
MENTAL YOU'RE MENTAL MACHINERY
ISN'T THERE IN GYMNASTICS THAT
CAN END TRAGIC. SUPER SCARY.
YOU KNOW, AS A SWIMMER THE
WORST THING THAT CAN HAPPEN TO
ME AS I MY JAM MY FINGERS INTO
A WALL AND BREAK A FINGER I
MEAN FOR SOMEONE LIKE SOME
UNBIAS AND ESPECIALLY THE LEVEL
OF WHICH SHE COMPETES AND
PERFORMS AND HER TECHNICAL
DIFFICULTY AND WHAT SHE DOES,
IT COULD BE CATASTROPHIC. WHAT
CAN HAPPEN TO YOUNG WOMEN LIKE
HER? SHE ABSOLUTELY DID THE
RIGHT THING FOR HERSELF. YOU
KNOW, I I SAY ALL THE TIME
MEDALS DON'T CHANGE THE WORLD.
PEOPLE CHANGE THE WORLD AND
SNOW MOBILES CHANGE THE WORLD.
THE OTHER DAY YOU'RE CHANGING
THE WORLD TOO WITH THE WORK
YOU'RE DOING THERE AS WELL. SO
WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. ALL
RIGHT. WE'VE GOT TO WRAP THINGS
UP HERE. BUT ONE LAST THING TO
THE ATHLETES LISTENING RIGHT
NOW THAT MIGHT BE TOP TIER
ATHLETES OR MAYBE JUST TOP
OF THEIR GAME IN WHATEVER
INDUSTRY THEY'RE IN BUT ARE
DEALING WITH ALL THAT STRESS.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE? YOU
KNOW, MY ADVICE IS DON'T LET
YOUR PROFESSION OR YOUR SPORT
DEFINE WHO YOU ARE AS AN
INDIVIDUAL AND WORK ON THAT
WORK ON WHO YOU ARE AWAY FROM
WHERE YOU'RE FIGHTING RIGHT NOW
TO KNOW THAT IF IT WERE TAKEN
AWAY OR IF YOU HAD TO WALK AWAY
FROM IT THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE
OK WITHOUT IT. WE ARE ENOUGH
WITHOUT SOMETHING LIKE SPORT OR
PROFESSION DEFINING US GOLD
MEDALIST KATHY BATES JOINING US
THIS MORNING WITH THAT GREAT
FINAL WORD. REALLY APPRECIATE
YOUR INSIGHT, YOUR ADVICE AND
KIND OF REALLY SHINING