One of the hardest jobs at the Olympics is commenting on Simone Biles’s performances. The normally chatty announcers can’t say anything except “Wow!” “Incredible!” “Unbelievable!” I get it. I’ve been an armchair gymnastics fan since I was a kid in the 1980s and ’90s. Biles soars higher than anyone else in the competition. She performs more difficult routines than any other woman. Heck, her vault is so hard that almost no men in the world can land it. And she’s doing all this at a gymnastics “grandma” age of 27. If she wins the most coveted gymnastics prize in Paris — all-around gold — she will be the oldest woman to do so since 1952.
Washington
Opinion | Three big ways Simone Biles changed America
I’m rooting for Biles to win it all not just because she’s the best, but also because she has changed the sport of gymnastics — and her country.
Who can forget what happened at the last Olympics in Tokyo. Biles stunned the world by dropping out of the team competition after a fluke vault. She wasn’t visibly injured. There was no limping or screaming. But she was hurting mentally. Had she kept going, she might have died. Her brain was telling her body to fly and twist, but her body wasn’t complying.
When she tried to explain this, the internet labeled her a disgrace, a traitor, a quitter. She went from “GOAT” to scapegoat for an angry world still largely locked down. Her career seemed over. Yet here she is — back and better than ever with a new tattoo on her collarbone: Maya Angelou’s “And Still I Rise.”
Her actions in Tokyo spurred a shift that affected the world well beyond sports. Suddenly, it was okay to talk about and prioritize mental health. Biles says she wouldn’t have returned to the Olympics without her family — and her therapist. She is transformed. She’s smiling more. And she’s leading her sport. Her parents opened a gym in Houston that has become a haven for Biles and many other elite gymnasts including France’s Melanie De Jesus Dos Santos and Team USA’s Jordan Chiles and alternate Joscelyn Roberson. When Olympian Suni Lee was struggling at the U.S. national championships competition this year, it was Biles, rather than Lee’s coach, who gave Lee the pep talk that made the difference.
Biles has transformed gymnastics from a girls’ to a women’s sport. In the 1970s, ’80s, ’90s and early 2000s, female gymnastics champions were extraordinarily young and thin. Their coaches yelled at them so much, it amounted to borderline child abuse. It took the story of widespread sexual abuse of gymnasts by team physician Larry Nassar to bring the situation into the open. But the brutality wasn’t limited to sexual abuse, especially not in the era when head coaches Bela and Marta Karolyi constantly criticized the girls’ weight and appearance, and urged them to compete while injured. Kerri Strug’s infamous vault on an injured ankle at the 1996 Atlanta Games, as Bela Karolyi yelled “You can do it!” from the sidelines looks alarming to the world today.
“You literally had one job and you couldn’t protect us,” Biles said of USA Gymnastics in 2019. She refused to continue with Karolyi-style training camps. She testified before Congress about the trauma she suffered.
In her new Netflix documentary, she says she still struggles with flashbacks when she arrives at big competitions. But she has found her voice and pushed for change in her sport. Her new coaches put mental fitness first. Her gym has pioneered new training methods. Biles even helped change Team USA leotards — from girly pink to patriotic colors with higher necks and a more elegant, mature style.
She’s also helped diversify the sport, inspiring young gymnasts of all backgrounds to compete. Biles’s personal story is powerful: She lived in foster care until her grandparents adopted her. She had overcome a great deal well before social media trolls criticized her hair, her clothes, her dance moves and even her husband. Today, there is a calm about her. She lets her flips and turns, scores and medals do the talking. China has boasted that the men’s team it is sending to Paris is the most decorated, with 37 Olympic and World Championship medals among its five stars. Biles has won 37 medals all on her own.
America loves a good comeback story, and they don’t come much better than Biles’s. I’m rooting for her to win — for herself, for America and, most of all, to remind the world what a strong woman can do.
Bolt transitions into role after driving impact as Fractional CMO earlier this season
Washington, D.C. (12/15/2025) – The Washington Spirit today announced the appointment of Kim Bolt as Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer, a newly created executive role that reflects the club’s continued evolution into a high-performance, growth-oriented organization.
Bolt transitions into the role after joining the Spirit earlier this season as Fractional Chief Marketing Officer, where she played a key role in strengthening the club’s marketing strategy, analytics foundation and demand-generation efforts during a pivotal stretch of the year.
In her expanded role, Bolt will oversee Marketing, Communications, Brand, Strategy and Analytics, with a mandate to build a modern, data-driven commercial engine that accelerates fan growth, deepens engagement, elevates the Spirit’s brand and supports the club’s long-term ambitions on and off the pitch.
With more than 20 years of marketing and strategy leadership across technology, fitness and sports, Bolt brings deep experience scaling mission-driven brands. Her career includes senior leadership roles at Google, Lyft, Under Armour and Disney, as well as serving as Chief Marketing Officer of the Washington Nationals. An expert in marketing technology centered around fan data, Bolt has also advised League One Volleyball and served as Fractional CMO for OnDeck Partners, an Avenue Sports Fund portfolio company focused on minor league baseball.
“As we evolve from a team that wins into an organization built for sustained excellence, Kim’s experience and mindset are exactly what we need,” said Kim Stone, CEO of the Washington Spirit. “She understands this market, this moment and the scale of the opportunity in front of us. Her global brand experience, strategic rigor and early impact with our organization strengthen the foundation we’re building and position us for long-term, sustainable growth.”
A former youth soccer player, Bolt was drawn to the sports industry by her belief in its unique ability to create emotional connection and lifelong memories, a passion shaped early by her family’s love of the game. Throughout her career, Bolt has championed a leadership style grounded in empathy, resilience and accountability. She is committed to supporting women in sports and business and believes high performance and personal balance can, and should, coexist.
“The first time my daughters came to a Spirit match, they memorized the roster and their eyes lit up when they saw a player who looked like them,” said Bolt. “That was the moment I knew I wanted to be part of this organization. Having worked closely with the team this season, I’ve seen firsthand the ambition, the talent and the opportunity ahead. I’m honored to step into this role and help build a brand and growth engine that matches the excellence we’re striving for on the field.”
Bolt resides in Silver Spring, Maryland with her husband, three children and two dogs. She holds an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania as well as a master’s degree in Communications and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Cornell University. As the Spirit’s first Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer, Bolt will lead the club through the offseason and into the 2026 season, helping shape the next chapter of the organization’s growth.
About The Washington Spirit
The Washington Spirit is the premier professional women’s soccer team based in Washington, D.C. and plays at Audi Field in Buzzard Point. The Spirit was founded on November 21, 2012, and is an inaugural member of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) the fastest growing sports league in the US. The club is home to some of the best players in the world who have won championships for both club and country. For more information about the Spirit, visit WashingtonSpirit.com and follow the club on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Receding waters allowed residents of Burlington, Washington, to assess damage and clean up after record flooding. (AP video: Manuel Valdes)
Receding waters allowed residents of Burlington, Washington, to assess damage and clean up after record flooding. (AP video: Manuel Valdes)
The New York Giants (2-11) and Washington Commanders (3-10) will square off on Sunday afternoon in a Week 15 matchup at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Opening the week, the Giants were listed as 1.5-point home favorites, but that line has shifted slightly with New York now at -2.5 as of this writing.
With this matchup on tap, Giants Wire took the opportunity to hold a Q&A with Commanders Wire managing editor Bryan Manning.
Is Daniel Snyder back in charge? Explain the fall from NFC Championship Game to 3-10.
Manning: There have been so many factors in Washington’s fall this year. The year they’re having right now is probably the one everyone expected a year ago. The roster was in bad shape due to Ron Rivera whiffing on four drafts, but GM Adam Peters needs more from his draft picks. Is it coaching? We’ve already seen the DC “reassigned.” Injuries have played a role. Look, I saw questions on this roster before the injuries, but they haven’t helped. Daniels being in and out of the lineup hasn’t helped. McLaurin holding out over the summer really changed things. When you add it all together, it’s the perfect storm of terrible.
It’s been an odd season for Jayden Daniels, who is now out on Sunday. What have you seen from him in Year 2, and what do you expect from him moving forward?
Jayden has been let down a bit by the team. If anyone watched him last year, they’d know he was the reason this team won 12 games and made it to the NFC championship. He erased deficits. No third down was too long. He was automatic on fourth downs. However, McLaurin’s holdout, Noah Brown being out for so long, and Austin Ekeler’s injury crushed the offense. A rotating cast of wide receivers, often called up from the practice squad, has hampered the offense. The injuries were more bad luck than anything. And I believe Jayden could play through them, outside of the initial elbow injury. This offseason should be about finding a 1B to McLaurin’s 1A.
What does the loss of Zach Ertz mean for Washington’s offense, especially with Marcus Mariota under center?
Losing Ertz hurts. While he had some issues with drops at times, and he was no longer a threat after the catch, the quarterbacks trusted Ertz. He consistently gets open, even at 35. A great leader, and he’s still a productive player. His shoes are big. The hope is Ben Sinnott can be the guy. I am not confident he is ready to do some of the things Ertz did. Mariota, like Daniels, always trusts Ertz on third downs and inside the red zone.
Jonathan Jones and Bobby Wagner are banged up. What do they mean to the defense, and who steps in if they can’t go on Sunday?
Jones missed a lot of time earlier this season. When he returned, the Commanders lost Marshon Lattimore and Trey Amos for the season. Jones is a solid veteran who can play inside and outside, and Washington doesn’t have a lot of cornerback depth now. The defense has stunk regardless of who has played in the secondary, so I am not sure we will notice much. Wagner is still a solid player, but teams wisely attack him in the passing game. That’s his weakness now as a 14th-year pro. He is still excellent against the run or as a blitzer. But he’s a massive liability in coverage. Jordan Magee has played a lot lately, but I would like to see him play the MIKE one entire game in place of Wagner, just to see what he can do.
How do you see Sunday’s game playing out, who wins, and what’s the final score?
These games are always crazy. I feel like it’s always the Giants and Commanders fighting for draft position late in the season. It’s unfortunate for both franchises. While I still like the future outlook for both teams, this game is for nothing more than who will pick higher in the draft. Although the players do not care. The Giants are playing better. Sure, the wins haven’t come, but they will on Sunday. Another close one, but New York wins, 24-20.
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