Simone Biles sketchbook illustrated by Jennifer Farley

Sketchbook – Simone Biles

Simone Biles sketchbook illustrated by Jennifer Farley

I haven’t seen much of the Olympics, but I love diving, synchronized swimming and gymnastics. It was really interesting to see Simone Biles deal with a multitude of pressures. I admire her for looking after her mental and physical well-being.  She said, “We have to protect our minds and our bodies, and not just go out and do what the world wants us to do.”

Simone Biles 1 illustrated by Jennifer Farley

I had never heard of the “Twisties” before. It sounds like something that might happen after a few drinks, but as explained by the BBC;

In gymnastics, it can cause a person to lose their sense of space and dimension as they’re in the air, causing them to lose control of their body and do extra twists or flips that they hadn’t intended. In the worst cases, they can find themselves suddenly unable to land safely.

The twisties can happen to a gymnast even if they’ve done the same manoeuvre for years without problems.

It sounds pretty terrifying and not something that’s worth risking serious damage to your body or mind for.

Simone Biles 2 illustrated by Jennifer Farley
Jennifer Farley

Jennifer Farley

Jennifer Farley is an award-winning Irish illustrator, map maker, designer, and author. She creates colourful, retro-inspired characters for books, illustrated maps, print, web, advertising and promotional events. Jennifer is also a design teacher and has been teaching Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom and InDesign for over 15 years.

email: jennifer@jenfarley.com