Courage to Soar: Chapters 18–19

by Simone Biles
In this autobiography, cowritten with Michelle Burford, decorated gymnast Simone Biles recounts her path to becoming an Olympic gold medalist.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–8, Chapter 9–13, Chapters 14–17, Chapters 18–19
30 words 225 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. intramural
    carried on within the bounds of an institution or community
    The first day, we’d watched the gymnastics team perform in an intramural exhibition meet, and then we’d attended a football game.
  2. spontaneous
    said or done without having been planned in advance
    I’d finally get to have the homecoming games and school dances, study groups and student clubs, and all the crazy spontaneous times with friends.
  3. defer
    hold back to a later time
    "Hello, Miss Val, this is Simone Biles, and I just want to let you know I’m committing to UCLA for college, but if I make the Olympic team, I’ll need to defer enrollment for a year.”
  4. crossroads
    a point where a choice must be made
    Now I was at a similar crossroads, one that might require me to give up my dream of a traditional college experience with my peers.
  5. camaraderie
    the quality of affording easy familiarity and sociability
    For years, I’d imagined the camaraderie of team practice, the adrenaline rush of competition, and maybe even being noticed on campus as one of the school’s athletic stars.
  6. sentiment
    a personal belief or judgment
    My mom echoed the same sentiment. “We can tell you what we think,” she reminded me, “but not what to do.”
  7. compensate
    make payment to
    Ron had the most to say. He’d called me from a gas station in Louisiana, where he'd traveled on business. “Simone, if I were in your shoes and had the chance to be well compensated for something I enjoy, I’d go for it...."
  8. muster
    summon up, call forth, or bring together
    Finally, I mustered up the courage and called Coach Val’s number.
  9. quavering
    (of the voice) shaking as from weakness or fear
    “Hello, Miss Val, this is Simone.” My voice was quavering. “I’m calling to say I’m going pro, so I won’t be able to compete for UCLA next year.”
  10. prospective
    of or concerned with or related to the future
    Rather than encouraging me to brand myself to appeal to sponsors, her goal was to select prospective sponsorships that would be personally meaningful to me.
  11. endorsement
    a promotional statement for or recommendation of a product
    Guided by my parents and my new agent, Janey, I’d recently signed endorsement deals with several companies that sold products I loved and could relate to.
  12. savvy
    marked by practical hardheaded intelligence
    I appreciated their business savvy and the way they always looked out for me, but the last thing I wanted to think about on the eve of my nineteenth birthday was financial planning.
  13. coveted
    greatly desired
    I also rolled out a ridiculously difficult second vault, called the Cheng, to go with my Amanar. I managed to nail the execution of both and got the coveted thumbs-up from Martha.
  14. throttle
    a valve that regulates the supply of fuel to the engine
    Her theory was that our performances needed to be at ninety percent by the P&G National Championships in St. Louis in June, and at full throttle two weeks later at the Olympic trials in San Jose, California.
  15. bottom line
    the crucial or decisive point
    The bottom line: There’s no such thing as perfection in gymnastics.
  16. precision
    the quality of being exact
    It was about precision, confidence, and teamwork.
  17. impromptu
    with little or no preparation or forethought
    We’d been roommates that week, and one day after practice, we were in our cabin slathering on facial masks and chasing away stress with our own impromptu spa day.
  18. grueling
    characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion
    Grandma Aly was also famous for passing out in her room after especially grueling practices.
  19. entourage
    the group following and attending to some important person
    We tried not to be too awestruck by all these stars, but one day a really tall, lean, muscular, dark-skinned man walked past our table with a small entourage.
  20. preliminary
    a minor match preceding the main event
    My mother, on the other hand, had been a bundle of jitters the night before while we were talking about the preliminaries on FaceTime.
  21. enthralled
    filled with wonder and delight
    Despite this, we were all so enthralled just to be at the Olympics.
  22. privileged
    blessed with special advantages
    On the podium afterward, feeling the heavy gold disc around my neck, I felt so privileged to be standing with my teammates.
  23. makeshift
    done or made using whatever is available
    Later, they would give us sleek wooden cases to hold our medals, but for now, my makeshift storage would have to do.
  24. stifle
    smother or suppress
    “Can you believe we actually did it?” Laurie whispered, stifling a yawn before we drifted off. “We’re not just Olympians now; we’re gold medalists.”
  25. hitch
    an unforeseen obstacle
    Our warm-up in the training hall went without a hitch or a fall, and then it was showtime.
  26. mantra
    a commonly repeated word or phrase
    Okay, Simone, just like practice, I thought, remembering the mantra Kyla Ross had given me at my first major assignment three years before.
  27. seamless
    smooth
    I caught the high bar firmly on my way back around and glided seamlessly into the Pak salto.
  28. bittersweet
    tinged with sadness
    When the announcer called my name and the official placed the medal around my neck, it was bittersweet.
  29. delegation
    a group of representatives
    And after I led the American delegation into the Maracanã Stadium for the closing ceremony, President Barack Obama and Mrs. Obama also tweeted me: Couldn't be prouder of #TeamUSA.
  30. gridlock
    a traffic jam so bad that no movement is possible
    The Americans created gridlock at the entrance to Maracanã Stadium, as one athlete after another bent to take selfies with me holding that giant flag.
Created on Tue Jan 28 11:12:21 EST 2020 (updated Tue Jan 28 14:41:31 EST 2020)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.